174 The Colorado Experiment Station 
19 i i than for years past. The Steffens waste-water is rich in 
nitrates, a concentrated sample of this showed the presence of 0.61 
percent nitric nitrogen or practically 3.6 percent sodic nitrate. 
The amount of nitric nitrogen in the soil of two beet fields was 
determined on seven different dates during the season of 1911, each 
field was divided into seven sections for the purpose of sampling 
and the samples were taken to a depth of one foot. In one field the 
minimum quantity was reached in August, in the other the maximum 
was reached on the same date. The minimum found in any sample 
from the first field was 2.5 parts nitric nitrogen per million of soil, 
25 August, and the maximum 130 p. p. m., 27 June, the minimum 
found in any sample from the second field was 3.1 p. p. m., 9 August, 
and the maximum 333.0 p. p. m., 25 August. The sugar in the 
beets from the first field on 18 September was 16.2 percent, while it 
was only 12.6 percent in those from the second field. 
The results obtained with green-manuring appear to be encour¬ 
aging, but there are a number of facts which we have observed 
which indicate that the few results obtained with green-manure may 
not have been due to it but to other conditions. We have, therefore, 
laid but little stress upon the results though the beets grown by this 
method were of very good quality, sugar 17.3, pure ash 0.6987, 
phosphoric acid 0.0743, nitric nitrogen 0.0014, total nitrogen 0.1.527, 
ratio proteid to total nitrogen 38.48, injurious nitrogen per 100 
sugar 0.3471. and injurious ash per 100 sugar, 2.8743. This repre¬ 
sents a very good beet compared with the average Colorado beets 
heretofore presented. This subject is worthy of further study, the 
work done is not sufficient to justify any conclusions. 
It has been shown by Prof. Remy that beets appropriate about 
three-fourths of all the nitrogen that they use in the months of June 
and July. In our experiments with sodic nitrate in 1910, the maxi¬ 
mum effect was produced by the application of 1,000 pounds, in four 
portions, the last one having been applied 22 June or about the mid¬ 
dle of the period of most active appropriation of nitrogen. Our 
observations on the amount of nitric nitrogen in our soils indicate 
the presence of large quantities much later in the season. In order 
to study the effects of nitrates applied subsequent to this period of 
most rapid appropriation, we made an experiment in duplicate in 
191T, beginning 4 August. In 1910 our last application was made 
27 July and it apparently produced but little effect in addition to 
that produced by the application up to and including 22 June. The 
points had in view in the 1911 experiments were whether an abund¬ 
ant supply of nitrates during August and September would produce 
any effect upon the composition of the beet. We applied during 
August and September sodic nitrate corresponding to 750 pounds 
per acre. We made four applications, the first one at the rate of 250 
