52 



nitrogen of the soil existed in the form of ammonia nitrogen.* 



The precipitates containing the "humin" nitrogen were 

 washed by decantation until practically all the dissolved nitrogen 

 was removed. After digestion the material was diluted to 500 cc. 

 and 250 cc. portions used for distillation. Before concentration the 

 filtrate from the "humin" precipitate of sphagnum-covered peat 

 was reddish in color and after concentration this color changed to a 

 cherry red. Twenty-five grams of phosphotungstic acid was used 

 for precipitation of the bases in sphagnum-covered peat. The 

 barmm phosphotungstate precipitate retained 0.0022 gram nitrogen. 

 The solution containing the basic nitrogen was diluted to 50 cc. 

 and the one containing total nitrogen-in-filtrate-from-bases to 250 

 cc. 



The experimental data showing the grams of nitrogen found 

 and per cent of total nitrogen are given in Table XVII. 



Table XVII. Nitrogen distribution of a 1 per cent h\drochloric 

 acid extract of sphagnum-covered peat and (in part) of calcareous 

 black grass-peat. 



Sphagnum-covered 

 peat 



Calcareous 

 black grass-peat 



1 Distribution of remaining' nitrogen not determined. 



14. Analysis of a portion of sphagnum-covered peat soluble 

 in 4 per cent sodium hydroxide and precipitated by hydrochloric 

 acid and (in part) of a similar solution from a calcareous black 

 grass-peat. The organic material soluble in 4 per cent sodium 

 hydroxide was next extracted from new portions of the two differ- 

 ent peats. Twelve 5 gram portions were leached with 1 per cent 

 of hydrochloric acid to the absence of calcium and the excess of 

 acid removed by washing with distilled water, until the filtrate 

 indicated only a faint trace of free acid when tested with Squibb's 

 litmus paper. After leaching and washing, each 5 gram portion 

 was washed into tall glass-stoppered cylinders of 500 cc. .capacity 



*This was further indicated by greenhouse experiments. The peat was 

 treated with calcium carbonate at the rate of 4000 pounds per acre and planted 

 to barley. The plants made a very rapid growth during the early stages of 

 development and finally lodged. Next to this was a plot of calcareous black 

 grass-peat which contained only 0.88 per cent of its total nitrogen in the 

 form of ammonia nitrogen. When limed and sown to barley, it did not show 

 any abnormal growth. 



