Farmyard and Green-Manures 131 



the acre, sufficient for the use of several good crops of 

 wheat, or other cereal grains), but apparently by the 

 poverty of the soil in this element. The fact that an 

 accumulation of nitrogen does occur has been distinctly 

 shown, and their continuous growth, therefore, would 

 have a tendency to over-enrich the soil in this constituent, 

 unless accompanied by an abundant supply of minerals, 

 particularly in the improvement of light lands and in 

 orchards and vineyards, for which their right use is very 

 beneficial. 



Experiments conducted in this as well as other coun- 

 tries show that the nitrogen so gathered and stored in 

 the soil may be readily obtained by cereal and other 

 nitrogen-consuming crops. In experiments conducted by 

 the New Jersey Experiment Station, on a poor, sandy 

 soil, in which the mineral elements, phosphoric acid, 

 potash and lime, only, were added, a crop of cowpeas 

 gathered, in the roots and tops, 75 pounds of nitrogen, 

 equivalent to that contained in 470 pounds of nitrate 

 of soda, which when turned under was capable of feed- 

 ing a rye crop with sufficient nitrogen to produce a 

 most excellent crop, quite as good as that grown on 

 land long under cultivation and well manured. Further 

 experiments conducted with crimson clover show that 

 the nitrogen gathered was capable of supplying the 

 needs of fruit trees quite as well as when the nitrogen 

 was applied in the immediately available form contained 

 in nitrate of soda. 



If it were necessary to do so, numerous experiments 

 might be cited to show that the nitrogen is gathered from 

 the air by these plants, and that it is capable of providing 

 that required for those other crops which can obtain it 

 only from the soil. 



