UREA  AS  A  DIRECT  SOURCE  OF  NITROGEN  TO  PLANTS.  159 
Mean  height  of  the  plant,  including  the  ears,  26  inches. 
Average  return  from  the  seed,  10  stalks. 
Average  produce  from  seed,  27  grains  from  each  stalk. 
Size  of  grain,  14,672  to  the  pound. 
Nitrogen  in  100  parts  of  the  dried  grain,  2-385. 
No.  3. — Period  of  complete  germination,  within  8  days. 
Period  of  ripening,  within  105  days. 
Mean  height  of  the  plant,  including  the  ears,  26  inches. 
Average  return  from  the  seed,  12  stalks. 
Average  produce  in  seed,  25  grains  from  each  stalk. 
Size  of  grain,  15,607  to  the  pound. 
Amount  of  nitrogen  in  100  parts  of  the  dried  grain,  2-388. 
No.  4. — Perfect  germination  took  place  within  8  days,  and 
stalks,  on  the  average,  8  inches  in  height,  were  produced,  but  in 
no  instance  were  seeds  developed. 
The  following  conclusions  are,  I  consider,  deducible  from  the 
results  of  these  experiments  : — 
1.  — That  the  perfect  developement  of  barley  (and  by  infer- 
ence, of  other  plants)  can  take  place  under  certain  conditions  in 
soil  and  air  free  of  ammonia  and  its  compounds. 
2.  — That  urea,  in  solution,  is  capable  of  being  taken  un- 
changed into  the  organism  of  plants. 
3.  — That  urea  need  not  be  converted  into  ammonia  before  its 
nitrogen  becomes  available  to  promote  the  process  of  vegetation. 
4 —  That  the  fertilizing  effects  of  urea  are  not  inferior  to  those 
of  the  ammoniacal  salts. 
5 —  That  there  exists  no  necessity  for  allowing  drainings 
from  stables,  or  other  fertilizing  fluids  containing  urea,  to  fer- 
ment, but  that,  on  the  contrary,  greater  benefits  must  be  de- 
rived from  their  application  in  a  fresh  or  unfermented  state. 
This  year  I  induced  several  farmers  to  try  the  comparative 
effects  of  fermented  and  unfermented  urine  on  grass.  The  gen- 
eral result  has  proved  the  superiority  of  the  latter.  The  most 
extensive  and  accurate  experiments  were  conducted  at  my  re- 
quest at  the  Government  Model  Farm,  Glasnevin,  near  Dublin, 
by  Mr.  Baldwin,  Lecturer  on  Agriculture  to  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. They  have  completely  demonstrated  the  inutility  of 
preserving  drainings  for  the  mere  purpose  of  allowing  them  to 
ferment,  or  in  the  language  of  farmers,  "  to  ripen." 
