NITROGENOUS MANURES 1 29 



nitrification ; on account of its fermentable nature, it 

 is a quick-acting fertilizer, and is one of the most 

 valuable of the organic materials used as manure. 

 Dried blood may be applied as a top dressing on grass 

 land. It gives the best returns when used on an 

 impoverished soil to aid crops in the early stages of 

 growth, before the inert nitrogen of the soil becomes 

 available. It is also an excellent form of fertil- 

 izer to use on many garden crops, but it should not be 

 placed in direct contact with seeds, as it will cause 

 rotting, nor should it be used in too large amounts. 

 Three hundred pounds per acre is as much as should 

 be applied at one time. When too much is used losses 

 of nitrogen may occur by leaching and by denitrifica- 

 tion. It is best applied directly to the soil, as a top 

 dressing in the case of grass, or near the seeds of 

 garden crops, and not mixed with unslaked lime or 

 wood ashes, but each should be used separately. As 

 all plants take up their nitrogen early in their growth, 

 nitrogenous fertilizers as blood should be applied be- 

 fore seeding or soon after. An application of dried 

 blood to partially matured garden crops will cause a 

 prolonged growth and very late maturity. 



Storer gives the following directions for preserving 

 any dried blood produced upon farms. 21 " The blood 

 is thoroughly mixed in a shallow box with 4 or 5 

 times its weight of slaked lime. The mixture is cov- 

 ered with a thin layer of lime and left to dry out. It 



