20. 



upon the effect of amount of water on the nitrification 

 of Ajmoniuit sulphate. The ©xperiments wery made on 

 artlfici&l mixturt^s of sand and clay in various propor- 

 tions, including a smt^xi CiUi^ntity of ehaik. The same 

 percentage of i^atdr was added to each mixture for the main 

 line of the ©xperim«int. A furth^^r variation wt-B secured 

 by adding luore water to the more clayeyuixtures. The rate 

 of nitrification, where the same amount of water was added, 

 was nore rapid in. the sand than in the clay, "By increas- 

 ing th*=^ rercf.'ntag® of v/ater in the soils containing the 

 inost clay, the rate of nitrification was rai8««a to that 

 observed in the sandy soixs. He (Schioesing Jr.) con- 

 cludes that the different rate of nitrification In mainly 

 due to the different thickness and therefore availability 

 of the water film coating the pertlcl-s of thfe various 

 mixtures,'* 



Where weeds or any other crop rapidly lower the moisture 

 in the soil, it would seem that there would be less nitrate 

 formed than where the aioietur^i condition is good. 



King (Bu. SoilsB 26, 52 ) givss the variability of 

 water sclubla KO3 and HPO4 in the surface four feet in 

 eight states as foij.ows : 



NO3 varies in the proportion of 1 to 8 



TTPO4 " ft n t. " 1 « 4 



