EXPERIMENTS ON CLOVER. 147 



Moisture 4.21 



Organic matter* 9.78 



Mineral umttert _ 86 :^: 



IQOTOQ 



* Containing nitrogen 391 



Equal to ammonia *'* 



t Including phosphoric acid 20-1 



" I also determined the phosphoric acid in the ash of the clover- 

 roots. Calculated for the roots in a nearly dry state, the phos- 

 phoric acid amounts to .287 per cent. 



" An acre of soil, according to the data, furnished by the six 

 inches on the spot where the clover was thin, produced the follow- 

 ing quantity of nitrogen : 



Ton. Cwts. Lbs. 



In the fine soil 1 H 



In the clover-roots 



Total quantity of nitrogen per acre . ,\ _1 11 99 



"The organic matter in an acre of this soil, which can not be 

 picked out by hand, it will be seen, contains an enormous 

 quantity of nitrogen; and although, probably, the greater part of 

 the roots and other remains from the clover-crop may not be de- 

 composed so thoroughly as to yield nitrogenous food to the suc- 

 ceeding wheat-crop, it can scarcely bs doubted that a considerable 

 quantity of nitrogen will become available by the lime the wheat 

 is sown, and that one of the chief reasons why clover benefits the 

 succeeding wheat-crop, is to be found in the abundant supply of 

 available nitrogenous food furnished by the decaying clover-roots 

 and leaves. 



CLOVER-SOIL NO. 2, FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL, 

 (GOOD CLOVER.) 



" A square yard of the soil from the bottom of the hill, where 

 the clover was stronger than on the brow of the hill, produced 2 

 Ibs. 8 oz. of fresh clover-roots ; or 1 Ib. 11 oz. 47 grains of par- 

 tially dried roots; 61 Ibs. 9 oz. of limestones, and 239.96 Ibs. of 

 nearly dry soil. 



" The partially dried roots contained : 



Moisture 5.06 



Org.inic matter* 7 31.91 



Mineral matter 63.00 



100.00 



* Containing nitrogen "7804 



" An acre of this soil, six inches deep, produced 3 tons, 7 cw f s. 

 65 Ibs. of clover-roots, containing 61 Ibs. of nitrogen ; that is, there 



