Fertilizer Treatment 299 
Ten gram samples were weighed into tarred crucibles and dried 
in an electric oven at a temperature of one hundred degrees centigrade 
for moisture determinations. 
All caleulations in the tables were based on moisture free soil. 
Nitrate parts per million weve calculated on the average for the dupli- 
cates, however there was little variation in the duplicates. The bacteria 
and mold calculations were based on the average of the 1 : 100,000 dilu- 
tion plates, except in a few cases where development was not normal. 
Calculations were then based on the 1 : 1,000,000 dilution plates. 
MOISTURE PERCENTAGES (Table 2). 
Moisture determinations were made in order to calculate the amount 
of nitrates produced on a dry soil basis. Although the moisture content 
of a soil probably does greatly influence nitrate production it was not 
primarily for the study of this factor that the moisture content of the 
samples was made in this experiment. 
Table 2 shows that the range of moisture content between the plots 
in any one month is small, not over four per cent except in a few 
instances. Plots 1 and 4 were high in June causing a range of 8.96 
per cent while the range for the remaining plots was less than two 
per cent. The highest moisture content occurred in March with a 
gradual decrease to June and July, which were nearly equal and lowest 
for the period. 
The moisture content increased from August to the end of the 
period and the average for November was a little more than equal to 
April. But these figures cannot mean very much because this factor is 
largely dependent on the season and weather conditions at the particular 
time of sampling. The plot averages for the year showed a range of 
only 3.24 per cent. The average deviation from the average was only 
a .75 per cent. The moisture content of the soils of the different plots 
varied so little that it was probably a very small factor in causing the 
difference in the nitrate production of these plots. 
TABLE 3 
Molds 
(Millions per gram of Dry Soi! Calculated on a Dry Basis) 
Plot No.| March | April May June July Sept. Oct. Nov. Total Ave. 
4 
1 1.57 1.40 60 12 22 ils 30 44 4.84 60 
2 1.34 1.03 1.35 45 84 .28 00 32 5.13 64 
3 1.58 1.44 1.47 -8) .28 ve) 20 25 5.80 72 
4 1.19 83 61 41 .28 .29 spill aril 4.16 02 
5 1.44 27 36 .28 allel 00 .o2 88 4.67 58 
6 hae 3.79 .55 50 84 iy 69 44 UEP? 90 
7 1.31 1.02 .62 .28 40 12 .44 82 5.02 .62 
8 eer 89 rol 61 .28 40 44 1Ol 5.15 64 
9 1.31 ol 67 28 22 alti ao hy 3.42 42 
10 58 1.88 35 ul .63 oli! 50 .56 4.90 61 
11 .26 87 :02 BAL 44 mol 81 43 3.75 46 
12 ait 1.57 .54 1222 .28 sili 44 .62 4.50 56 
13 32 1.69 60 .78 34 Tail! 63 79 5.28 66 
Total...| 14.10 18.02 8.64 5.85 4.20 2.20 5.40 GEA BT Retin echt 7.98 
Ave.....| 1.08 1.38 66 45 -32 xl ly 41 49 4.99 .62 
