The Fixation of Nitrogen. 13 
owing to its different vegetative activity. But none of these ques¬ 
tions fall within the scope of this bulletin. 
Fortunately we can, in part, answer a question suggested above 
in regard to whether the nitrates have increased, as we have a 
sample of the surface soil taken very nearly from the same point at 
which the surface sample was taken May 9, 1909. The second 
sample was taken May 3, 1911. 
This land is, at this writing, planted to winter wheat. The 
plants are largely confined to the bottoms of the creases or irri¬ 
gating furrows. The crests of the creases or spaces between the 
furrows are mostly bare. The owner thinks that this may possibly 
be due to the lack of a sufficient amount of moisture to germinate 
the seed. I do not think that this was the case, as the irrigating 
furrows are rather close together and as he gave it a fair irrigation, 
it is not probable that there was so great a lack of moisture as 
to cause a general failure of germination between the furrows. I 
think it much more probable that the water flowing in the furrows 
removed the nitrates far enough from the seed to permit their 
germination and the establishment of the young plant. 
The condition of these plants at this time, May 3, 1911, was 
very interesting; the plants were large and vigorous, and had an 
intensely green color, but so many of them were burning that the 
tips, already browned back on the leaf for three or four, or even 
more inches, presented a marked contrast to the otherwise luxuriant 
looking wheat, and it is a question whether even these thoroughly 
well established plants will endure it to mature their grain. 
ANALYSIS XIII 
Water-Soluble 
laboratory 
No. 1069 
May 3, 1911 
Percent 
Calcic sulfate . 14.155 
Calcic chlorid . 20.275 
Magnesic chlorid . 12.885 
Potassic chlorid . 1.3 60 
Sodic chlorid . 38.496 
Sodic nitrate. 12.621 
Iron and Alumina . Trace 
100.000 
Sample 784 was taken in May of 1909. Sample No. 1069 was 
taken in May, 1911. The ground from which No. 1069 was 
gathered, in 1911, was occupied by healthy trees in 1908 and the 
early part of 1909, but these trees died in 1909 and were removed 
in the spring of 1910. Stated otherwise, this land prior to the 
summer of 1909 had never contained enough nitrates to injure 
the trees which had been growing in it for fifteen or more years, 
but the accumulation of the nitrates in 1909 passed the limits of 
