46 R. S. SYMMONDS. 



NOTE on ACTION OF NITRIO AOID in NEUTRALIZING 

 ALKALINE SOIL. 



By R. S. Symmonds. 

 (Communicated by F. B. Guthrie, F.I.O., F.c.s.) 



[With Plate VII.] 

 [Read before the Royal Society of N. 8. Wales, July 3, 1907.'] 



Knowing that considerable doubt exists as to the utility 

 of alkaline artesian water for agricultural purposes, and 

 the injurious effects of carbonate of soda on the soil, it 

 occurred to me that the carbonate of soda could be neu- 

 tralized by nitric acid, and thereby converted into nitrate 

 of soda — an excellent fertilizer. 



With this object in view I obtained some alkaline soil 

 that had been under irrigation by artesian bore water, and 

 on September 28th, 1906, filled three 6 inch flower pots 

 with the soil, No. 1 being the ordinary soil, and Nos. 2 and 

 3, treated with nitric acid. Two grains of wheat were 

 sown in each pot and allowed to mature, the wheat was 

 cut on January 28th, 1907, and the grain weighed, giving 

 the following results : — 



No. 1. Untreated ... 2*65 grams of wheat. 



„ 2. Treated ... 11*30 



„ 3. Treated ... 14*40 

 showing more than five times the yield, which was con- 

 sidered a very satisfactory result. 



In order to make quite sure, I repeated the experiment 

 in duplicate on February 2nd, 1907; the photographs illus- 

 trate the latter series of experiments, (Plate VII) and 

 although the season (winter) was against the growth and 

 ripening of the grain, the results show an increase of from 

 eight to ten fold. 



