The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-06-12

"lCLllll Jne SOIL, independent OF
leguminous growth, there is evidence
that in soils and subsoils containing
organic nitogen, lower organisms may
serve the higher plants by taking up, or
attacking and bringing into more read
lily available condition combined nitro
gen not otherwise, or only very slowly,
available for higher plants. For example
it is probable that fungi generally
derived nitrogen from organic nitrogen;
and in the case of those of fairy rings
there can be little doubt that they
take up from the soil organic nitrogen
which is not available to the meadow
plants, and that in their decay their
nitrogen becomes available to the
associated heritage"
''There can be little doubt that in
the growth in practical agriculture of
leguminous crops, such as clover
vetches, peas, beans, sainfoin, lucerne
&c,at any rate, and in some eases con-
siderable proportional the large amount
nitrogen which they contain, and of
the large amount which they frequent
ly leave as nitrogenous residue in the
soil for future crops, is due to the
tiNation of free nitrogen brought into
combination by the agency Of the lower
organisms. Assuming it to be establish
ed that greater or less, and sometimes
considerable proportion, of the
nitrogen Of our leguminous crops will
be due to fixation under the conditions
supposed, it is obvious that such fact
not only serves to explain the source
Of the hitherto unaccounted for amount
of the nitrogen of those crops them
selves but that it also affords an ex-
planation of the source of the increas-
ed amount of nitrogen which other
crops acquire when they are grown
either in association or in alienation
with leguminos;e. Lastly, the fact,
that at any rate many leguminous
plants including some shrubs and trees
as shown by Noble, are susceptible to
the symbiosis, and under its influence
may gain much nitrogen, serves to
explain the source of some at least, Of
the large amount of combined nitro
gen accumulated through ages in our
soils and subsoils, and also the compal-
lively slow exhaustion of their stores
of it by cropping, drainage and in
other ways"
We pass now to the consideration
of another source from which a large
OF the supply Of available
nitrogen by the leguminous plants is
viz, the subsoil "Numerous
direct experiments have been made at
Rothamst,d England, to determine
the nitrogen existing in a
insoluble condition in
raw clay subsoil was susceptible OF
and the methods and
results have been described in various
papers. 1t was established that the
matter of raw clay sub
soil which constitute an enormous store
Of already combined nitrogen are
of nitrifcation if the
organisms with the other necessary
including a sufficient supply
Of Oxygen are present. 1t was further
indicated not only that the action was
more marked under the influence of
than of gramineous growth
md crop residue but that the organisms
become distributed to considerable
depth, even in raw-clay subsoils,
where dcep-rooted and free
growing leguminos;e have developed"
Having shown the principal sources
Of supply of the enormous proportion
Of nitrogen gathered by the leguminous
plants as compared with those of other
classes l will try to indicate the value
to the farm of these leguminous crops
grown in rotation with grain and
and roots. Not only is the
Weld Of nitrogen per acre much less in
the cereal crops, but the percentage of
nitrogen in the dry substance of the
produce. The corn of the
crops,peas and beans for ex-
ample contains more than twice as high
, percentage of nitrogen in its dry
substance as that of the gramineous
grains. The dry substance ofleguminous
straws also contain about twice as
high percentage of nitrogen rs that
Of cereal straws. Again, the dry
substance of Glover hay contains not
far short of twice as much nitrogen
as that of meadow hay. Lastly, the
dry substance of roots contains about
the same percentage of nitrogen IS
that Of the cereal grains, but only
about half as much as that of the
corn. The leaves of the
root crops are however, high in nitro
gen." Then again, a simple comparison
will show the value of the surplus
nitrogen boarded up in the soil by a
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