The Colorado Experiment Station 
THE EFFECTS OF NITRATES. 
We have already noticed that the nitric nitrogen in our beets is 
higher than that which we have found recorded except in the case of 
French beets, which showed the presence of 0.049 percent of nitric 
nitrogen as against 0.045 percent in Analysis XX. One question 
which we set ourselves was to ascertain on a larger scale what the 
effect of sodic nitrate is upon beets grown under our conditions and 
thus to find out whether the nitrates actually produce the conditions 
which we have found in our crops during the time given. To ascer- ' 
tain this, a piece of choice land was selected, land which was known 
to produce at least average crops of good beets. This land had 
been dressed with ten - tons stockyard manure per acre. We selected 
six acres, five for the application of sodic nitrate and one to .serve as 
a check plot. The unit quantity applied was 250 pounds. Each of 
the five plots received an application just before seeding, four weeks 
later four of the plots and four weeks later three of the plots received 
a dressing and so on till the fifth plot had received five dressings. 
Plot 1 received one application of 250 pounds 28 March; Plot 2 re¬ 
ceived two applications (500 lbs.) 28 March; and 1 June; Plot 3 
received three applications (750 lbs.) 28 March, 1 June and 22 
June; Plot 4 received four applications (1,000 lbs.) 28 March, 2 
May, 1 June and 22 June; Plot 5 received five dressings (1,250 
lbs.) 28 March, 2 May, 1 June, 22 June and 27 July. Irrigations 
applied 9 April, 16 June, 1 July, 9 July, 29 July, 17 August one-half 
of the land, and on 30 August the other half. All of the fields were 
sprayed with standard Bordeaux mixture to combat the leaf-spot. 
No. 1 as follows: 21 July, 1, 21 and 31 August and 7 September. 
No. 2 same as No. 1. No. 3, 22 July, 3, 13 and 28 August and 8 
September. No. 4, 22 July, 16 and 28 August and 8 September. 
No. 5, 23 July, 16 and 28 August and 9 September. The total 
rainfall during the growing season was 9.9 inches. The beets re¬ 
ceived careful cultivation and the soil was kept in good condition. 
The harvesting of these beets gave the following returns: 
Lbs. Sodic Nitrate Tons Beets Percent Sugar Purity 
Field 1. 250 16.85 14.50 83.7 
Field 2. 500 15.52 14.25 82.0 
Field 3. 750 14.94 13.18 79.5 
Field 4 . 1000 14.99 14.23 83.6 
Field 5 . 1250 15.96 13.83 82.2 
Field 6. None 14.47 14.90 84.5 
These results do not agree throughout with the results obtained 
on the small samples taken for our laboratory purposes. The sam¬ 
ples from Field 6 were anomalous throughout the season, so much 
so that the only object that I have in giving the results is for the 
sake of giving a complete record. 
