39 
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Nitrogen Fixation 
NITRIC NITROGEN IN EIGHTEEN BEET FIELDS. 
Results Given in Per Cent of Air-Dried Soil. 
In the Beet Row In the Furrow In the Turning Row 
. . . .0.000625 
. . . . 0.0015 . . . . 
. . . .0.003 
. . . . 0.0002 . . . . 
. . . .0.000375 
. . . . 0.003 . . . . 
. . . .0.008 
. . . . 0.000375 . . . . 
. . . .0.0015 
. . . . 0.0005 . . . . 
. . . .0.00175 
0.0004 . . . . 
. . . . 0.0001 . . . . 
. . . . 0.0005 
0.0005 . . . . 
. . . .0.001 . . . . 
. . . .0.002 
0.000125 . . . . 
....0.0005 _ 
. . . .0.00025 
0.005 . . . . 
. . . . 0.000875 . . . . 
. . . .0.0005 
0.00075 . . . . 
. . . .0.000625. . . . 
. . . .0.0005 
0.0001 . . . . 
. . . .0.0002 . . . . 
. . . .0.000375 
0.00025 . . . . 
. . . .0.00075 . . . . 
. . . .0.000375 
0.0015 .... 
. . . . 0.00075 . . . . 
. . . .0.0005 
0.000875 . . . . 
. . . .0.0005 . . . . 
. . . .0.014 
0.00006 . . . . 
. . . . 0.00008 . . . . 
. . . .0.0002 
0.000875 . . . . 
. . . .0.00125 . . . . 
. . . .0.001 
0.001 . . . . 
. . . .0.00075 . . . . 
. . . .0.001 
The preceding table gives us an idea of the amount of nitric 
nitrogen in our cultivated soils. All of the samples were tkaen 
to a depth of six inches. The activity of the azotobacter is assumed 
to have been moderate not only at the time the samples were col ¬ 
lected but also for a rather long period before, as the ground had 
been frozen at least two months prior to this date, and had re¬ 
mained frozen for some time. The rains and snows during the 
autumn had tended to wash the nitrates deeper into the soil. The 
amount of rain fall during the months preceding the taking of 
these samples or practically from September 1st to February ist, 
was 3.83 inches of which 3.36 inches fell between September 12th 
and December ist. 
The samples were taken, as we see, in mid-winter from fields 
which had been in beets and after a season with heavy rain or snow 
falls in late autumn and severe freezing. The crops would natur¬ 
ally be supposed to remove considerable quantities of nitrates, the 
rains and snows would be expected to wash them into the deeper 
portions of the soil, and the freezing weather should have retarded 
the activity of the azotobacter. Still the table reveals the presence 
of nitric acid equivalent to 180 pounds of sodic nitrate in the sur¬ 
face six inches of two of these fields and 600 pounds in another. 
These samples were taken between beets in the rows. The samples 
taken in the furrow between the rows give 11s a maximum corrs- 
ponding to 360 pounds of sodic nitrate in the top six inches of 
soil. The turning row, however, gives us an idea of the amount of 
nitric acid that may be present and at the same time some idea of 
the difference in the amount of nitric acid or its corresponding 
nitrate due to the presence of beets. We have for the fourth farm 
nitric acid between the beets corresponding to 180 pounds of sodic 
