Plants 



says on the result of the experiments, in Bulletin No. 36, ^^^'^ ^°^ 

 August, 1891 : 



" The forms of Nitrogen selected were Nitrate of Soda, azotine or dried 

 blood, and sulphate of ammonia. The main object was a comparison of 

 Nitrate of Soda with dried blood, and the sulphate of ammonia was intro- 

 duced into the series for comparative purposes. The forms of Nitrogen used 

 in nearly all commercial fertilizers are dried blood and the Nitrogen of organic 

 compounds like bone meal or cotton-seed meal. 



" It is well established that Nitrate of Soda is superior to sulphate of 

 ammonia for wheat, but comparatively little seems to be known of the relative 

 merits of Nitrate of Soda and organic Nitrogen. The present price of 

 ammonia salts is such that they are not generally used in compounding ferti- 

 lizers, and it so happens that the Nitrogen of organic compounds is used 

 in the so-called ' ammoniated ' fertilizers. Nitrate of Soda furnishes more 

 Nitrogen for the same money, but it is verv difficult to keep a mixture of 

 superphosphate and Nitrate of Soda." 



Here follows a table of the results, which we have not 

 room to give. Professor Huston goes on to say : 



" It will be noticed that the Nitrate of Soda gave bv far the best results, 

 the gain being nearly double that for the organic Nitrogen, and about one-half 

 more than that for the ammonia compounds. There appears on the whole 

 no advantage from the use of fractional applications, while in the case of the 

 ammonia compound there was a decided loss in fractional applications." 



The results of changing the form of the Nitrogen at 

 different stages of the growth of the plants are given at 

 Table II. We have not room to reproduce this table, but 

 Professor Huston's remarks which follow give the practical 

 result : 



" Here the Nitrate of Soda seems to be the controlling factor, and so far 

 as the appearance of the plants indicated, there was no advantage from change 

 of form. All the plants in this series to which Nitrogen was applied looked 

 practically alike from the beginning to the end of the experiment. No 

 appreciable difference could be seen in the fall, or at the opening of the spring 

 up to April 10-15, between the plots to which Nitrogen had been appHed 

 and those which had received no Nitrogen. On April 20th the plots to 

 which the Nitrogen had been applied showed a darker color and the plants 

 were larger with broader leaves. From this time on the Nitrate of Soda 

 plots seemed to lead the others. On May i 8th the ground was too dry for 

 the wheat to make much growth, but the rain of May 20-21 was very 

 seasonable, and the Nitrogen applied on May 1 8th was washed into the 

 ground. At this time the Nitrate plots seemed better than those having 

 sulphate of ammonia, and both the Nitrate and ammonia plots were heavier 

 and of much darker color than those receiving azotine. The plants on the 

 plots that had received Nitrogen were about six inches taller than on those 

 receiving no Nitrogen, and this continued until the grain was ripe." 



