The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-10
Micrnhes In the Soil.

The study Of chemistry, applied to Rgri-
culture, reveals that one of the indispensa-
bic substances to the de- elopment OF plants
is nitric acid, says Prof. Cichi, in Pacific
Tree and Vine. A soil deprived of nitric
acid is absolutely unit to be cultivated for
grain, tuber, root. or any other crop,
though 1t may contain all other constituents
that go 10 make good soil. Yet despite
the great Importance OF this acid in veReLa-
ZION, its quantity is intinitesimal, even in
fertile land.
1t was in l777 that Soldering and Muetz
made the discovery that the property pos
sessed by the soil of transforming the nitro
gen of the fertilizers into nitric acid is due
to the presence of micro-orgauisms. In
fact, II antiseptics are introduced capable
of destroying these mlcro-organisms, the
process of nitrlfcatlon is brought at once to
u standstlll. This discovery has been con-
frmed by other scientific men, and seems TO
be al addition to the scientific patrimony Of
agriculture.
After much labor and numerous trials, 1t
was found out that there exists i'll the soil
some bacill that possess the power Of
Transforming the nitrogen of ammonia and
its salts into nitrous acid. Another set of
bacilh take the nitrous acid and oxidiZe it
into nitric acid. Hence we have two kinds
Of orgsnism. The one possesses only the
BOWOA VI SAlOGlAlik LL0 Allbk COuuANAOus anu
are destitute of the power of effecsing the
secOnd-the other manufactures nitric
acid cut nitrous acid. The first
condition can be obtained with
the greatest difficulty by chemical means,
while the conversion of nitrous acid into
nitric acid does not offer any difficulty.
Thus The nitrification of the soil Is easily
accounted for. 1t is the work Of two dis
Jinct organisms One transforms the am
fnnniaCal uIrTOUpD nT the soil iprO nifTDuq
acid, the other oxidizes the nitrous acid and
transforms it into nitric acid.
Though nitric acid l. very sparingly dis
tributed in nature, still there are some ex-
ceptions In the arid districts of Chile and
Peru, where never falls any rain, exist i'm
mense deposits of nitrate Of soda, known
under the name OF Chile saltpeter a result
of gigantic Ditriha alton accomplished in
geological times he importance of these
deposits 10 evidenced by tne fact that dur
ing the first six months Of 1890 there were
exported TO England 90, 700 tons. and 46O, 900
to the rest of Europe.
Moreover, Mr.. Winogradski has proved
satisfactorily that the magnifyiug organ
isms can produce living protoplasm III a So
luton deprived entirely of organic matter.
Ii this be true, as it seems. one of the funda-
mental principles of vegetable physiology is
done away with. The principle vanishe3 In
refusing TO ell organized beings, except to
green vegetables, the power Of making its
protoplasms from the simple materials Of
carbonio acid, ammonia, nitrogen oxides,
etc.
Another question much mooted was
whether plants would take in free nitrogen
from the air. This was universally denied
by Psychologists, but science progresses,
and many idols Of yesterday are to-day
thrown into the fire.
Two German chemists. Hellriegol and
Willfarth by name, have proved of late,
first, that plants remove free nitrogen from
the air; second, that the assimilation of this
free nitrogen by plants is the work of a
specific bacillus which resides in the roots,
where it produces nodosities rich both III
nitrogen and bacilii.
Other chemists endeavored to confirm
these wonderful results by studying IN a
special manner the specific bacillus which
causes the assimilation of the atmospheric
nitrogen. They discovered that by apply
ing TO a pulse plant Inixture of pure
bacilli, taken from the root nodosities of an
other plant. the assimilation of the atmos-
pheric nitrogen became more rapid.