402 



Artificial Farmyard Manure. 



[Aug., 



form of ammonia, until the same final content of nitrogen in 

 the rotted product is attained. Hence we might expect that in 

 two different but adjacent portions of fermenting strawy the one 

 overloaded with, and the other lacking, nitrogen, the former 

 portion loses and the latter accumulates nitrogen until a com- 

 mon level is approached. That such is actually, the case is 



IH^IG^ 1.— The diagram illustrates the power of under-saturated straw to pick up 

 Ammonia lost by super-saturated straw. Ten portions of straw with increasing 

 quantities of nitrogen (as urea) were allowed to ferment for three months. 



illustrated by the following data, and is diagram atically repre- 

 sented in Fig. 1. Ten portions of straw were moistened to the 

 same extent, and while one received water only, the others 

 received additions of soluble nitrogen in the forni of urea in 



