22 



meadows are able to do that, can be easily observed, for 

 nowhere does the difference between nitrogen-gatherers 

 and nitrogen-consumers appear more clearly. If a very 

 neglected meadow is fertilized with potash (kali) and phos- 

 phate, it will be seen how clover species and leguminous 

 plants, of which nothing has been visible before, will begin 

 to vegetate luxuriously, while the grasses will hunger and 

 take second place in the first year. In the second year the 

 grasses will also thrive luxuriously, because the legumi^ 

 nosae have fertilized the meadow with nitrogen, that por- 

 tion, namely, which their roots contain, of which portions 

 continually decay and decompose, and which portion fur- 

 nishes all the nitrogen the grasses require. 



In that way a farmer can take every year from 100 to 200 

 pounds of nitrogen per acre in shape of hay, clover, etc., 

 and gain it for the farm, without supplying any nitrogen to- 

 the meadow. Exclusive potash (kali) phosphate fertiliza- 

 tion enables such a tremendous gain of nitrogen, that no 

 farmer should fail to avail himself of this cheap mode of 

 enriching his land. 



The same rate of advantage which potash (kali) phosphate 

 fertilization promises on meadows, may of course be expected 

 in the culture of peas, beans, clover, etc. Under no condi- 

 tion should the nitrogen-gatherers be left without an ample- 

 supply of phosphoric acid and potash (kali), as they are 

 rendered thereby nitrogen-hungry; the more potash (kali) 

 and phosphate they can assimilate, the more greedily da 

 they utilize the atmosphere's nitrogen. 



Just as the nitrogen-gatherers should be richly supplied with 

 potash (kali) and phosphate, so that they may take as much 

 nitrogen as possible from the air and convert it into harvest 

 substance, so it is also necessary to give to all nitrogen- 

 consumers an excess of potash (kali) and phosphate because 

 then alone can they utilize fully the nitrogen of the soil, of 

 the stable manure and of the nitrogenous fertilizers. 



It is, however, not all the same in regard to cereals, as 

 to whether the potash (kali) is offered in shape of natural 

 salts, such as kainit and carnallit, or in shape of muriate or 

 sulphate. 



