The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-15
GARDEN
AND HOUSEHOLD
By S. A. COOK.

leather and horn is but slowly and
with difficulty converted in available
forms. and the use Of these substances
in the manufacture of commercial fer
tilizers is made a misdemeanor by the
laws of this state. Dried blood of high
grade contains about Is per cent. of
nitrogen, equivalent to about 16 per
cent of ammonia. Tankage is very
variable, containing 6 to II per cent.
of nitrogen and more or less phosphor
ic acid according to the amount of
bone present. Fish-scrap is also some
what variable, but generally contains
about per cent. of nitrogen and near
ly the same percentage of total phos-
phoric acid. Cotton seed meal varies
in composition. containing from to
Z 5 per cent. of nitrogen, equivalent to
about 7.25 and 8 per cent of ammonia.
A good meal contains about 2. 3 per
cent. of available phosphoric acid,
per cent. of nitrogen, equivalent to S.5
per cent. of ammonia, and Is per cent.
of potash soluble in water 1t contains
in addition about OF per cent. of phos-
phoric acid and 0.3 per cent. of potash
soluble only in acids. The average
composition of 1888 samples of the meal
collected in this state during six years
G893-1898 inclusiVe), was: Nitrogen
6.97 per cent, equivalent to ammonia
S as per cent: available phosphoric
acid 2 50 per cent; water soluble pot
ash. l IS per cent. The average 201
samples from 1899 to 1902, inclusive,
was nitrogen s SO per cent, equivalent
to ammonia 8 SO per cent; available
phosphoric acid 2.49 per cent; water
soluble potash GA per cent. In order
to calculate the percentage of ammonia
in any case from a gwen percentage
of nitrogen, multiply the percentage by
1.214
Ammonia occurs in commercial fer
tiliZers as sulphate of ammonia, and
furnishes nitrogen in one of it's most
active forms of combna ton. The
| commercial article of high grade con-
tains about POS per cent. of nitrogen,
! equivalent to rs per cent. of ammonia.
I Nitrates-The nitrate found in COM
mercial fertilizers is nitrate of soda
II contains nitrogen in proba bly, it's
! most active state. 1t carries from
about Is to Is per cent. of nitrogen,
equivalent to from IS to 1875 per cent
OF ammonia. When heterogeneous or
ganic substances decay in the soil,
their nitrogen becomes converted into
ammonia and nitrates, the nitrate be-
! ing the final product. Ammonia may
! furnish plants directly with nitrogen,
! but in most cases it is probably first
! changed into nitrates. 1t is generally
! believed that, with the execution of
! lSSullllllOuS crops ana certain low
] forms of plant life, all plants absorb
! their nitrogen from nitrates. While or
! ganic nitrogen and ammonia are not
/ liable to be washed out from the soil,
| nitrates are in the absence of vegeta-
1 ton, readily removed by teaching. This
/ is an important fact to remember in
/ connection with the use of nitrate OF
| soda as a fertilizer.
Free, or uncombined nitrogen exists
in the air, of which it constitutes about
four-fifths by volume. 1t is well
! known that leguminous plants, peas,
beans, clover, etc, with the aid of GER
tain micro organisms, present in most
soils. are able to gather nitrogen from
the air. By proper use of this knowl-
| edge, the necessity of buying nitrogen,
| which is the most expensive ingredient
OF fertilizers, is to great extent
| avoided