222 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



Effect of Chloride of Potassitim (^Muriate of Potash) on 

 Sulphate of Ammonium in Mixed Fertilizers. 



In studying the influence of the following mixtures of fer- 

 tilizing materials, i. e., — 



PLATS. 



Annual Supply of Manurial Substances. 



Pounds. 



Plat 1, 

 Plat 2, 

 Plat 3, 

 Plat 4, 

 Plat 5, 

 Plat 6, 



Sulphate of ammonia, 

 Muriate of potash, 

 DiBSolved bone-black. 

 Nitrate of soda, . 

 Muriate of potash, 

 Dissolved bone-black. 

 Dried blood, 

 Muriate of potash. 

 Dissolved bone-black. 

 Sulphate of ammonia, 

 Sulphate of potash. 

 Dissolved bone-black. 

 Nitrate of soda, . 

 Sulphate of potash, 

 Dissolved bone-black. 

 Dried blood, 

 Sulphate of potash. 

 Dissolved bone-black, 



38 

 30 

 40 

 47 

 30 

 40 

 75 

 30 

 40 

 38 

 30 

 40 

 47 

 30 

 40 

 75 

 30 

 40 



on the yield and character of a variety of garden crops, it was 

 noticed, with but one or two exceptions, that the fertilizers on 

 Plat 1, consisting of dissolved bone-black, sulphate of ammo- 

 nium and muriate of potash, produced the lowest yield of crop 

 on trial ; while the fertilizers on Plat 4, composed of cor- 

 responding quantities of dissolved bone-black, sulphate of 

 ammonium and high-grade sulphate of potash, yielded, as a 

 rule, a fair average crop. (For details, see preceding annual 

 reports since 1892.) 



As the season, character of the soil and mode of cultiva- 

 tion were practically the same in all cases, it seemed but nat- 

 ural to conclude that the fertilizers applied to Plat 1 sufiered 

 an unfavorable change when incorporated in the soil. An 

 actual trial proved that a dry mixture of muriate of potash 

 and sulphate of ammonium dissolved in water changes into 

 sulphate of potash and chloride of ammonium (sal ammo- 

 niac) ; this form of nitrogen is known to act unfavorably on 

 growing plants. 



Most of our agricultural chemicals are liable to suffer 

 chemical changes when used in mixed fertilizers ; these 

 changes are frequently not less depending on a mutual reac- 



