iature plant can be produced from a seed, developing even to the production 

 of a few blossoms and new seeds. The entire nitrogen content of the whole 

 plant, however, does not in this case equal that of the original seed. It is 

 evident from this fact, firstly, that the plant is not in a condition to make 

 use through its leaves of the nitrogen from the air in quantities worth 

 mentioning; secondly, however, we perceive that nitrogenous substance 

 stored up in the seed enables various individuals to run through their whole 

 developmental cycles, that is to say, to perform all the life-processes, in a 

 minimum compass. This demonstrates further that the nitrogen stored in 

 the seeds is easily mobilizable and capable of transportation, indeed, that the 

 same molecule may probably be utilized more than once for the same pur- 

 pose in the construction of the cell cytoplasm. A consideration of the 

 growth of plants, with a lack of nitrogen, indicates such a condition, for it 

 is found that the lowermost leaves are exhausted to the amount of growth 

 of the Vp of the stem and begin to dry, beginning at the edge, or at the tip. 



In the rapid convertibility and capacity for transportation of the nitro- 

 gen a lack of this nutritive substance occurs very rapidly and manifests 

 itself in jaundice. In our cultures such cases can also occur, if the supply 

 of nitrogen in the soil is still abundant but not in a form available for the 

 special requirements of the definite plant under cultivation. The best ex- 

 ample is found in our sugar beets, to which, besides stable manure, nitrogen 

 is given chiefly in the form of Chile saltpetre. The frequent, very favor- 

 able results of fertilizing various other cultivated plants with ammonium 

 sulfate have now led to the use of this fertilizer in beet culture. But in a 

 practical way these results have not been satisfactory, since the polarization 

 of the beets was far from normal. 



In a thorough discussion of this point Hollrung^, Kriiger and Schneide- 

 wind emphasize that the sugar beet is a pronounced nitrate plant, but since 

 the ammonia is not converted so rapidly and directly to nitric acid by the 

 micro-organisms of the soil, a lack of nitrogen compounds may occur and 

 the beets suffer although enough nitrogen is present as ammonia. The phe- 

 nomena of a yellow leaved condition may be due to the constitution of 

 the nitrogen fertilizer which is unsuited to beets, although it may be suit- 

 able for grain and potatoes. 



An older note has already pointed to the difference in effect secured 

 according to the form of nitrogen provided. Analyses by Lagrauge- showed 

 that in beets fertilized with ammonium sulfate, twice as great an ammonia 

 content was demonstrable as in those fertilized with sodium nitrate. 



It is a well-known fact that a yellow color can be caused in beet leaves 

 by drought alone, so that we need to cite only a very characteristic example. 

 In 1896 (according to Troude"), the beets in France, especially in the 

 northern part, suffered extensively from a yellow leaved condition. The 



1 Hollrung, Inwieweit ist eine Diingung- mit schwefelsaurem Ammoniak geeig- 

 net, bei den Zuckerriiben eine Schadigung hervorzurufen? Vortrag. Blatter fiir 

 Zuckerriibenbau, 1906, p. 70. 



•^ Biedermann's Centralbl. 1876. I, p. 258. 



3 Cit. Zeitschr. f. Pflanzenkrankh. 1897, p. 55. 



