138 



Food for in the effect of the different fertiHzers was not very marked. 

 Nitrate of Soda appeared to be the best source of Nitrogen. 



The plats from which the beets, lettuce and spinach had 

 been harvested were plowed and sowed to turnips without 

 further fertilizing. In this case the crop was decidedly 

 better on the plats which had received fertilizers in addition 

 to manure. Not much difference was observed in the 

 effect of the two potash salts, and the plats which had 

 received sulphate of ammonia gave a much better crop than 

 those which had received the other Nitrogenous fertilizers. 

 This result, apparently so much at variance with those 

 reported above, is thus accounted for: "(i) The plats to 

 which the sulphate of ammonia had been applied had pro- 

 duced but very small crops [of beets, lettuce and spinach] 

 while the others had yielded heavily; and (2) the turnips 

 made their growth so late in the season that the injurious 

 compounds often formed by this salt had become dissipated 

 or destroyed by further chemical changes." — v. a. clark. 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 122. 



EXPERIMENT STATION WORK, XVI. 



Washington, D. C. 

 Page 6. 



In all cases liming increased the total yield to a marked 

 extent, in many instances to over three times that of the 

 unlimed plats. The liming also resulted in a decided 

 decrease in the proportions of weeds (mainly sheep sorrel) 

 in the hay. It is claimed that sorrel thrives best on an 

 acid soil. The application of lime, by neutralizing this 

 acid, renders the conditions unfavorable to the growth of 

 this weed and improves the soil for the growth of the more 

 valuable grasses. It was also noted that t\\z yield of grass 

 was greater and the proportion of weeds {sorrel) smaller on 

 the plats fertilized with Nitrate of Soda^ in addition to the 

 lime^ than on those fertilized with sulphate of ammonia or 

 dried blood. This may be accounted for "chiefly by the 

 fact that the residual soda of the Nitrate of Soda had 



