10 



This long-disputed fact has been settled in a final manner 

 through Professor Hellriegel, Professor Wagner, E- von Wolff 

 and others, so that it is no longer a debatable question. 



For the sake of furnishing an irresistible proof that fertiliza- 

 tion with nitrogen produces no effect whatsoever upon the class 

 'of nitrogen-gathering plants, and of the very decided results 

 produced upon nitrogen-consuming plants, the following table is 

 reprinted from Prof. Dr. Paul Wagner's work "On the increase 

 of the yield of the soil by rational nitrogen fertilization." 



Wheat, barley, beans and luzerne were planted on one and 

 the same field without nitrogen, with 18 pounds nitrogen per 

 acre and with 31.5 pounds and 45 pounds with the following 

 results, phosphoric acid and potash being furnished in all cases 

 in like quantities: 



No Nitrogen. 18 Ibs. N. 31.5 Ibs. N. 45 Ibs. N. 



Barley 100 161 220 272 



Wheat 138 212 270 316 



Beans 935 938 961 883 



Luzerne 976 983 1000 994 



While nitrogen fertilization shows very decided results propor- 

 tionate to the quantities furnished to the plants in the case of 

 barley and wheat, it shows no effect whatsoever in the case of 

 the two leguminous plants, beans and luzerne. It proves, how- 

 ever, something else. While barley was only able to take up 

 from the soil enough nitrogen to produce a crop of 100 (barley 

 being chosen as standard for comparison), and wheat only to 

 give 138, beans and luzerne were able to procure enough 

 nitrogen to produce at once 935 and 976 respectively. With 

 nitrogen supplied to the soil the yield of barley nearly trebled, 

 and that of wheat more than doubled, showing that these plants 

 depend upon the nitrogen supply of the soil, while the others 

 are independent of such supply. 



Now, what is the practical value to the farmer of this study 

 of the various phases of plant-life and of the experiments based 

 upon that study? The result is this: all intelligent farmers who 

 know of the difference between leguminous and non-leguminous 

 plants, as regards their ability and inability to draw upon the 

 limitless supply of nitrogen contained in the atmosphere, will 

 no longer spend money for nitrogenous fertilizers for leguminous 

 plants. And yet, as Prof. Wagner remarks, ' ' but a few years 

 ago the advice was given to fertilize peas, beans, etc., and all 



