

THE LOSS OF KITKOGEI^. 101 



dence which I lately noticed betyrcen M. Georges Ville 

 and some one who had called his attention to my views 

 with regard to the sources of the nitrogen in tegetation, 

 which were altogether antagonistic to those entertained 

 by M. Ville. M. Ville, in his answer, stated that he had 

 heard of the existence of a pamj)hlet on the subject, but 

 that he was so much engaged in showing how foreign 

 competition could be best overcome, that he had not 

 time to look into it, but that he would do so, in order to 

 see whether it would be necessary for him to answer it 

 himself, or whether he should leave the task to one of his 

 pupils. 



With regard to the subject of nitrogen, the views I am 

 disposed to entertain may be briefly summarized as fol- 

 lows: — (1) That the soil and not the atmosphere is the 

 main source of the nitrogen which we find in our crops. 

 (2) That in the application of manures containing ni- 

 trogeu, more or less loss of that substance is always in- 

 curred; and consequently, if the object is to obtain any 

 given amount of nitrogen in the produce, the application 

 in the form of manure must be largely in excess of the 

 amount required. In everything relating to the compe- 

 tition between Europe and the United States; between 

 the vast stores of untouched fertility of the one, and the 

 comparatively exhausted stock of the other, the questic n 

 of nitrogen is one of paramount importance. I am not 

 aware myself of any writer, practical or scientific, who 

 has accepted as a fact, or even entertained the idea that, 

 in the application of nitrogen in purchased manures a 

 considerable loss is incurred. This loss in a substance of 

 so costly a nature is a matter of great economic import- 

 ance. The view generally held, I believe, is that no loss 

 takes place, and further, that by a small application of 

 nitrogen, a farmer not only recovers in the crop all that 

 he has applied in the manure, but a good deal more. 

 This, according to M. Ville, is the economic function 



