EXPERIMENTS ON CLOVER. 147 



Moisture 4.21 



Organic matter* 9-78 



Mineral inatterf _ 8(101 



100.00 



* Containing nitrogen 391 



Equal to ammonia *75 



t Including phosphoric acid -* ) * 



" I also determined the phosphoric acid in the ash of the clover- 

 roots. Calculated for the roots in a nearly dry state, the phos- 

 phoric acid amounts to .287 per cent. 



"An acre of soil, according to the data, furnished by the six 

 inches on the spot where the clover was thin, produced the follow- 

 ing quantity of nitrogen : 



Ton. Cwts. Lbs. 



In the fine soil J 11 



In the clover-roots JL __ _55 



Total quantity of nitrogen per acre 1 _J-1 



" The organic matter in an acre of this soil, which can not be 

 picked out by hand, it will be seen, contains an enormous 

 quantity of nitrogen ; and although, probably, the greater part of 

 the roots and other remains from the clover-crop may not be de- 

 composed so thoroughly as to yield nitrogenous food to the suc- 

 ceeding wheat-crop, it can scarcely b3 doubted that a considerable 

 quantity of nitrogen will become available by the time the wheat 

 is sown, and that one of the chief reasons why clover benefits the 

 succeeding wheat-crop, is to be found in the abundant supply of 

 available nitrogenous food furnished by the decaying clover-roots 

 and leaves. 



CLOVER-SOIL NO. 2, FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL. 

 (GOOD CLOVER.) 



" A square yard of the soil from the bottom of the hill, where 

 the clover was stronger than on the brow of the hill, produced 2 

 Ibs. 8 oz. of fresh clover-roots ; or 1 Ib. 11 oz. 47 grains of par- 

 tially dried roots; 61 Ibs. 9 oz. of limestones, and 239.96 Ibs. of 

 nearly dry soil. 



" The partially dried roots contained : 



Moisture n.06 



Organic matter* ... 31.94 



Mineral matter 63.00 



100.00 



* Containing nitrogen 804 



" An acre of this soil, six inches deep, produced 3 tons, 7 cw^s. 

 65 Ibs. of clover-roots, containing 61 Ibs. of nitrogen; that is, there 



