Dec. 24, i9iy Decomposition of Green and Stable Manures in Soil 697 
CONCLUSIONS EROM EXPERIMENT II 
The conclusions to be drawn from Experiment II are as follows: It is, 
of course, understood that it is not proposed that they hold for all soils 
under all conditions. However, it is believed that some generalizations 
are possible. 
(1) Soil organic matter decomposes more rapidly under limed than 
under unlimed conditions. 
(2) When organic matter in the form of stable manure and the green 
manures oats and clover is added to the soil, the total organic matter— 
that is, the organic matter of the soil plus the added organic matter— 
decomposes more rapidly under the influence of lime than without it. 
When the added organic matter alone is considered the rate of decompo¬ 
sition is lessened by the lime. 
(3) The carbon of stable manures is evolved as carbon dioxid from 
soil under unlimed conditions to the extent of approximately 55 per cent. 
The carbon of oats under like conditions is evolved to the extent of 79 
per cent and that of clover 95 per cent. Under unlimed conditions the 
amount of stable-manure carbon evolved is only slightly less than under 
limed conditions, while only about 57 per cent of the carbon of oats and 
53 per cent of the carbon of clover is given off under limed conditions. 
(4) All the manures tended to conserve the lime. 
(5) Under unlimed conditions stable manure did not increase the rate 
of decomposition of the green manure as measured by the evolution of 
the carbon dioxid. With lime there was a slight increase in the amount 
of carbon given from the green manure when used with the stable manure 
over that given by the green manure when the latter was used alone. It 
should be recalled that in the former experiment stable manure enhanced 
the rate of decomposition of the green manure only to a slight extent. 
(6) There is not a very great difference in the rate of decomposition 
of the green manure when added in a finely ground, dry state and when 
used fresh and in a relatively coarse state of subdivision. 
LITERATURE CITED 
(1) Boltz, G. E. 
1916. loss or organic mattrr in green manuring. In Ohio Agr. Exp. Sta. 
Mo. Bui., v. I, no. II, p. 347 “ 35 °- 
(2) Gimingham, C. T, 
19II. THE FORMATION OF CALCIUM CARBONATE IN THE SOIL BY BACTERIA. In 
Jour. Agr. Sci., v. 4, pt. 2, p. 145-149. 
(3) Hopkins, C. G. 
1910. soil fertility and permanent agriculture. 653 p., illus., pi., maps. 
New York. 
( 4 ) Lipman, J. G., etal. 
1913-16. THE INFLUENCE OF BACTERIA IN MANURE ON THE DECOMPOSITION OF 
green manure (legume and non-legume). In N. J. Agr. Exp. 
Sta., 33d-36th Ann. Rpt., [i9iil/i2-[i9i4]/i5. 
