Food for The plats from which the beets, lettuce and spinach had 



been harvested were plowed and sowed to turnips without 



152 further fertilizing. In this case the crop was decidedly 



better on the plats which had received fertilizers in addition 



to manure. 



MARYLAND 

 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Bulletin No. 91. 

 Page 44. Table 7. 



Nitrate of Soda vs. No Nitrate of Soda Applied on Wheat; 

 Wheat Unfertilized in Fall. 



Plot No. Yield of Grain per Acre, Bushels. 



1. Neither fertilizer nor Nitrate of Soda 10.4 



2. Nitrate of Soda, with no Other Fertilizer 18. i* 



Comparison of Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of 

 Ammonia Both W^ith and W^ithout Lime. 



As has already been explained, the Nitrate of Soda and 

 Sulphate of Ammonia represent the mineral sources of Nitro- 

 gen commonly found on the market. The Nitrate of Soda 

 is readily soluble in water and is directly available to plants; 

 while the Sulphate of Atumonia, though quite soluble, has to 

 he changed into a nitrate before it can he used by crops. 

 Hence the action of these two materials is not the same on 

 different soils and under varying weather conditions. The 

 Sulphate has been preferred by some because it would act 

 slower and was not so liable to leach from the soil; yet if 

 conditions for nitration were unfavorable, it might not be 

 available to the crop when needed. Again, under some 

 circumstances, Sulphate of Ammonia has been found to be 

 actually harmful to plants. The use of Lime in connection 

 with the Sulphate of Ammonia has been found by Professor 

 Wheeler, of Rhode Island, to be valuable, in many cases, 

 as a correction of its harmful effects and to be necessary 

 for its nitrification. Professor Wheeler has made a very 

 exhaustive study of the use of Lime with these mineral 

 sources of Nitrogen; they agree, in the main, with the results 

 obtained at this Station. 



♦Gaiu of 7.8 bushels, or seventy-five per cent. 



