The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-07-17

dpl6 amount OF MI
trogen, and every
rain washes from the atmosphere into
the soil small quantities Of nitrogen
compounds, says an experimental sta
tion bulletin. Then the roots foraging
for food and sending out shoots here
and there in their quest take up by
means Of an apparatus carried by all
root hairs, wherever and whenever they
can, bodies containing nitrogen. But,
1t may be asked, since it is a well
known fact that four-fifths of the at
mosphere is pure nitrogen why does not
the plant take this element directly
from the air? The reason is simply
this: That all the higher plants can
take up nitrogen only when it is COM
biptd with other elements The leaves
can take it up when it is united with
another element to form ammonia; and
the roots prefer it when it is combined
In the form Of nitrates as, for example,
saAtpeter. Yet there are plants, as re-
cent experiments have demonstrated,
that, by slightly indirect means, can.
TAKE nitrogen from the air. Among the
many microscopic organisms discov-
cred in the latter days and shown to
be the cause of many subtle material
changes, some exist with the power Of
eating free nitrogen, or of taking MI
troEen from the air. They, the nitro
gen eaters, will live on the roots Of GER
tain plants, though, as far as our
knowledge goes at present, not on all.
When a plant is fortunate enough to
meet the demands of the nitrogen at
ers its supply of nitrogen compounds is
assured, if all other conditions are ia
vorable. The minute organisms will
settle on the roots of the plants and, by
means yet unknown, will cause the nj
trogGn of the air surrounding the roots
to enter into combinations tnat will be
acceptable to the plant. This, however,
is not done without just return. The
minute organisms need for their well
being such organic substances as the
plantG can produce; these are taken
from the roots of the plants, and the
organisms are thus seen to be parasites
on the plants. The plants to which
these nitrogen eaters" will attach
themselves are the members OF the
leguminous family; important mem
bers Of which are the pea and lucern.
We have now considered in a very ele-
mentary manner the Importance OF the
heterogeneous compounds Of plant to
the farmer, and the sources on which a
plant depends for it's supply Of nitro
gen. Since it is fact that several diff
ferent kinds of heterogeneous substances
are found in all plants, we may now
logically ask: are all the heterogeneous
substances found in plants of equal
value as flesh formers? The answer
to the question of the last paragraph is
alphabetically, no. All the bodies con-
tanning nitrogen in any plant may be
divided into two classes; those that
may be used by an animal in building
muscular tissue, and those that may
not. The first class is made up of sew
eral members which resemble each 9TH
er in composition and in general be-
havior. They all, further, resemble the
white of an egg or albumen, and are,
therefore, called albuminoids, like al
bumen. The other class of heterogeneous
substances may Ne Cdlleu uou-dlDuIul-
noids. In the study of the albuminoids,
1t has been found that they weigh very
nearly six and quarter times as much
as the nitrogen they contain. Since
the non-albuminoids usually are pres
ent only in small quantities, the chem
list very often determines all the nitro
gen a plant contains and, after multi
Olvi0e IL nv civ and q d1Jartnr calls III
Crude Protein.