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

SptlltH Oh success Oh lilt III ttli sui.
\ study of the table reveals the fact
that there was a great reduction Ill the
stock of nitrogen in the surface Ill i'll
the later Years of the experiment and
this together With the necessary i'll
crease in the frequency of SOW N fresh
seed indicates that while good crops
We're still grown. it is obvious that co
incidrntly with this Great reduction III
the stock OF nitrogen in the surface
soil there WAS Il very marked reduction
in the clovcr-gro wing capability of the
soil 1t is clear therefore. that the
plant WAS able to stand very much
Ion ger in the earli II tiian in the later
condition of the soil Ind G both the
reduced persistence OF the plant and
the reduced produce have been colncl-
dent with considerable reduction in
the stock of nitrogen i'll he soil.
1T may here lie observed that in eN-
prrimrntS on the hrrha = ol permanent
GRASS land on which the growth of lc-
Gumnous heritage was much increased
by the application of mineral manure
containing potash. it was found nj the
end of 20 Years that the amount of hi
trogcn in the surface soil had been con-
Slcrahlv reduced compared with that
of a plat whicl, had been unmanurcd,
and hal yielded very much less le@umi-
rols heritage The conclusion was
that. as in the cas- If clover growing
on thr rich Garden soil. the nitrogen
of TIE surlitc soil had been the source
of. at any rate. much of the nitrogen of
the increased produce of legnminosa'
in the mixed heritage Oft he grass land.
TIL" result OF another experiment is
rivcn AS follows: Here, then. in Il field
where beans hal been Gr,wn for many
Years in succession. and had yielded
Huch less than average crops. and the
land had been left IN wv lpr several
wears: where the surface soil had be
come poor in nitrogen; where both sur
face spil and abs Ill were very poor III
r2l;,y-.,,rlnr; nitric acid, and where
there WIS Il minimum :;In3uat OF crop
residue lipar the surface Iur dccompoSl-
ton and nit rlication. there were grown
large amounts OF nitrogen. Not only
wa; 50 mach nj. roEen removed in the
crops. but the surface soils became de
tprminab,v richer in nitrogen"
In order to ascertain whether. among
Il selection Of plants all belonging to
tic lcguminous order. but Of different
habits of growth and especially of diff
iercnt character and range of roots.
some could he grown successfully for
longer time and would yield more
produce containing more nitrogen as
well as other constituents. than others,
experiments were made on the plats
where it had been Il tempted to grow
red clover year after wear on ordinary
arabic land; where in fact clover had
been Sown twelve times i'll 30 Years.
or where, in eight out of ten trials, the
plants had died off in the winter and
spring succeeding the sowing of the
seed in four cases without any crop ut
all and in the other four yielding very
small cuttings. The results were an
other and even much more striking in
stance of successful growth and of great
accumulation of nitrogen 10y plants of
the leyuminouS order on soil where an
other plant of the same order had fail
ed. and where the surface soil had be-
come very poor in nitrogen. The
plants used in these red clovcr-Sick
soils were White clover, Y ctch, Bokara
clover and Lnccrn.
ITO sum up the experimental results
which have been brought forward clear
" establish. that there is great gain
of nitrogen under some conditions. 1t
has also been cIcarI V shown that due
infection of the soil and of the plant is
an essential to success. The evidence
at the same time points to the conclu-
sion that the soil may be onl v infected
for the growth Of one description or
some descriptions oflcguminouS plants,
but not for some other descriptions.
The field experiments on such plants
at RothamStcd have further shown
that land which is, so to speak, quite
exhausted So far as the growth of one
lcguminouS crop is concerned, may still
grow very luNuriant crops of another
description of the same order, but of
different habits of growth, and especial
" of different character and range of
roots. This result. though undoubted-
ly more or less due to other causes al
so. is nevertheless, in some eases doubt
less dependent on the. existence. the
distribution and the condition of the
appropriate microbes for the due nfrc-
ton of the different descriptions of
plants. In fact, it is pretty certain
that any success in any system invol-
wing a more extended growth oflcgum-
nous crops in our rotations will not be
obtained without having recourse to a
considerable vaIiltion in the dcscrip-
ton grown. Other essential conditions
of success will generally be the appli-
cation of potash and phosphate ma
nurcs, and sometimes chaIking or linn
ing for the lcguminousc crop. Then the
question would arise. how long the lc-
guminous crop should occupy the land,
to what extent it should be consumed
on the land or the manure from its con
sumption he returned; or under what
conditions the whole or part oft should
he plowcd in. Lastly. it is probable
that more benefit would accrue to the
lighter and poorer, than to the heavier
and richer soils by any such extended
growth of lcguminouS crops.
FRANKLIN WEEMs.