JOHN P. NORTON'S ADDRESS. 239 



ing nitrogen, for this reason : the beneficial action of ammonia, 

 consisting in the supplying of nitrogen to the plants, I maintain 

 that some manures containing nitrogen, in another form, such 

 for instance, as the nitrates, are equally beneficial. That is, 1 

 believe that plants may obtain their nitrogen in other forms than 

 that of ammonia. 



With this question, however, we have at present nothing to 

 do. As to the beneficial action of ammonia, J shall only take 

 up a part of the argument. The scientific grounds of dispute 

 would, for the most part, be unintelligible to this audience, and 

 would, moreover, be wearisome from their length. It seems to 

 me, that, with practical men, the results of experience will be 

 more impressive, and reasoning, based upon long practice, more 

 convincing. 



The beneficial action of manures containing nitrogen has 

 been considered as unquestionably established. Ammonia being 

 the most common form in which nitrogen is applied, the name 

 has become quite familiar, and manures containing a large 

 quantity of it have borne a high value. It has been an object, 

 as I have said before, to secure it, and increase its amount in 

 every possible way. Now, however, we are told that this has 

 all been a mistake. It is said that sufficient ammonia is brought 

 down by rain and snow from the atmosphere, to supply the 

 wants of any crop, and that, moreover, there is already a large 

 quantity present in the soil. We are informed that there is, 

 even in the subsoil, several thousand pounds of ammonia to the 

 acre, and it is asked, if the small quantity that the farmer ap- 

 plies, can be expected to produce any additional result. Judg- 

 ing from the reputation of the gentlemen who made these deter- 

 minations, they should be correct, and yet I think, that their sam- 

 ples of soil must have been rather remarkable ones. If there are 

 thousands of pounds of ammonia in an ordinary soil, why is it 

 that the addition of two or three hundred pounds of some ma- 

 nure, containing a certain proportion only of that substance, 

 produces such a marked and striking effect 7 I have seen many 

 comparative trials of diflferent manures, on grain crops, for in- 

 stance, and where each manure occupied a ridge through the 

 field, those upon which the ammoniacal manures were em- 



