28 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I903. 



is extremely solulilc in wahT. it is not readily removed from the 

 soil bv leaching', as it is held ])v the ori^anic compounds of the 

 fcoil. 



Nitrogen as nitrate exists in commercial products chiefly as 

 nitrate of soda. Nitrogen in this form is directly and imme- 

 diately available, no further changes being necessary. It is 

 completely soluble in water, and diifuses readily tliroughout the 

 soil. It differs from the ammonia compounds in forming no 

 insoluble compounds with soil constituents and may be lost by 

 leaching. The "Nitrogen soluble in water" of the tables 

 includes both the nitrogen as ammonia and as nitrate. 



Phosphoric acid is derived from materials called phosphates, 

 in which it may exist in combination with lime, iron, or alumina 

 as phosphates of lime, iron or alumina. Phosphate of lime is 

 the form most largel)' used as a source of phosphoric acid. 

 Phosphoric acid occurs in fertilizers in three forms : That solu- 

 ble in water and readily taken up by plants ; that insoluble in 

 water, but still readily used by plants, also known as "reverted ;" 

 and that soluble only in strong acids and consequently very 

 slowly used by the plant. The ''soluble'' and "reverted" 

 together constitute the "available" phosphoric acid. The phos- 

 l^horic acid in natural or imtreated phosphates is insoluble in 

 water, and not readily available to plants. If! it is combined 

 with org-anic substance, as in animal bone, the rate of decay is 

 more rapid than if with purely mineral substances. The insol- 

 uble phosphates may be converted into soluble forms by treat- 

 ment with strong acids. Such products are known as acid 

 phosphates or superphosphates. The ""insoluble phosphoric 

 acid" of a high cost commercial fertilizer has little or no value to 

 the purchaser because at the usual rate of application the quan- 

 tity is too small to make any perceptible effect upon the crop, and 

 because its presence in the fertilizer excludes an ec^ual amount 

 of more needful and valuable constituents. 



Potash in comm.ercial fertilizers exists chiefly as muriates and 

 sulphates. With potash the form does not exert so great an 

 influence upon availability as is the case with nitrogen and phos- 

 phoric acid. All forms are freely soluble in water, and are 

 believed to be nearly if not quite equally available as food. The 

 form of the potash has an important influence upon the quality 



