The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-06-18

Nature replace the losses of nitrogen
seemed to be alarming. because Of the
large amounts which are constantly
lost through various activities of man
himself. The sewerage from large
| cities, which is commonly discharged
into rivers, contains large amounts of
valuable nitrogen, which are carried in
to the ocean ard lost for agricultural
purposes. The burning of wood and
coal liberates quantities of nitrogen in
the gaseous form, which are added to
! the large reservoir already present in
the atmosphere. The use of nitrogen
GUS compounds in the manufacture OF
explosives is another serious drain upon
the worlds supply. 1t has been re-
peatedly pointed out that the destruc-
ton of nitrates in warfare is hardly less
calamitous to country than any of the
other evils which follow in the train of
warfare 1t Is no exaggeration to say
that the firing of large gun on mod
ern battleship destroys more potential
fertility than the raising of hundreds of
bushels of wheat Several years ago
Sir William Crookes delivered a public
address which prophesied dire calami
ties when the worlds supply of nitrogen
should be exhausted. He showed by
apparently reliable data that the ques-
ton of life on the earth was, in reality,
a question of the amount of combined
nitrogen, and that when this supply
was exhausted, life would be impossible.
Those who read and were agitated by
such dire prophecies overlooked the fact
that plant and animal life had existed
on the earth before any of the natural
deposits of nitrates had been formed,
and that most of the organized life had
existed at remote distances from such
supplies; consequently, if the earth's
nitrogen were constantly decreasing
quantity, life should have been extinct
centuries ago. The majority of scien-
lists, instead of being pessimistic, have
turned themselves to the more commend
able occupation of attempting to learn
how pitrates are formed in nature, and
whether we can artifcally increase their
formation in cultivated soils.
The former idea that plants could
absorb their nitrogen directly from the
atmospheric ocean was soon given up,
and it was shown that nitrogen must be
combined with other elements to form
either ammonia or nitrates before it is
available to plants for food.
Different chemists have tried to ans
wer The question by pointing out that
small amounts of combined nitrogen,
that is, nitrogen compounds, exist in
the air in the form of ammonia or of nit
ric acid. The ammonia rises from decay
ing organic matter, and the nitric acid
is formed by electric discharges, mainly
in the course of thunder storms. These
theories were, however, discarded when
it was shown that the utmost work
which could be accomplished by rain
and snow in bringing these nitrogen
compounds into the soil could not add
more than three or four pounds of nitro
gen to an acre in the course of year.
Since many times this amount of nitro
gen is lost through the processes al
ready mentioned these theories were
obviously inadequate. Not until the
rise of modern bacteriology was any
thing like promise of solving the ques-
ton to be preceived. In 1877 proof was
afforded that nitrifcation is bacterial
process and does not take place in soils
which are exempt from bacteria.
THE AGENCY OF BACTERIA.
In the years that have interviewed
since the first conclusive experiments
upon this subject the scientists have
given up many new facts and valuable
ideas concerning this increase in soil
nitrogen through the agency of bacter
ia. 1t is true that much yet remains to
be learned, but we are now certain that
we are on the proper course, and in
dustry and work will bring to light the
truth in due course of time. To many
ears this alleged discovery was fully as
preposterous as the old idea of spinning
straw into gold, but modern work has
brought about the realization of pro-
cess which is more valuable to mankind
than the work of old Rumpelstilzchen
in the fairy tale. The bacteria which
are responsible for this process take the
atmospheric nitrogen and combine it
with oxygen through various stages
until it comes into condition where it
can be utilized by growing crops.
Another interesting fact is that this
process appears to go on most abund-
antly in soil where there is the greatest
need for heterogeneous material In soil
that already contains appreciable am |