Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1911-12-08


rational utilization of the soil, and OF
the soil nitrogen in particular, is one
OF national importance and unusual
interest. This is quite natural when
we take into consideration the fact
that of all elements representing
plant food, nitrogen is the most ex-
pensive one, and further that the
amounts of nitrogen removed from
an acre by the various crops is not
inc considerable. Thus, 40 bushels OF
oats, 20 bushels of wheat. 80 bushels
OF barley. 40 bushels OF corn, 10 tons
OF sugar beets and tons of clover
hay remove 40, Al, SO, 50. 80 and ~
pounds OF nitrogen respectively. This
nitrogen must be returned to the soil,
or the nitrogen already in the soil
must be made available if its fertility
is permanently to be maintained.
Knowing as we do how keenly
those connected with the beet sugar
industry are interested in all agri-
cultural achievements which have di-
rect bearing on the problem OF rais-
ing sugar beets, it was thought that
i'll a journal like the American Sugar
Industry the following lines may not
oe out OF place. They represent a
few notes and conclusions in con-
nection with two publications OF ours,
namely, The Chemical Nature of
the Organic Nitrogen in the Soil, y
published by the Iowa Agricultural
Experiment Station as Research Bull
letin 1, in June, 1911, and also an ar
ticlc published in the Journal of the
American Chemical Society, in July,
1911.
Not all of those connected with
the beet sugar industry fully realize
the great importance Of proper nj
trogcn supply for beet land. 1t is
safe to say that among the elements
which are essential for plant life, nj
trogcn plays the most prominent
part. While nitrogen is considered
10 be one of the most useful constitu-
cnts of soil organic matter or humus,
it is the available nitrogen which is
OF especial value. The young beet
lets, first of all. are badly in need Of
available nitrogen in order to get a
good, vigorous start. In later per-
iods of their growth. too. they are
what is termed nitrogen-hungry, mas
much as they need the nitrogen for
various life functions. However. it
is not the quantity only that counts.
Though the atmospheric ocean sur
rounding the earth contains countless
millions of tons OF nitrogen, it is. as
with the exception of the legumes-
are not able to utilize the free nitro
gen of the air. 1t is the combined
nitrogen only that is OF agricultural
value.
Important as is the quantity of nj
troyen present in the soil, OF still
greater moment is the quality OF the
nitrogen. Thus, for instance. Mich
igan peat lands contain as much as ?
and 3 per cent OF nitrogen and even
more. calculated upon the oven-dried
soil, but considerable portion of il
is not available. Other soils contain
less nitrogen but in available form
that is to say. the sugar beet, as any
other plant. is able to take UP such
nitrogen and to assimilate it.
The data laid down in the above
mentioned publications and elsewhere
show that the amount OF available
forms of nitrogen occurring in soils
is quite small. Thus, the quantity of
ammonia ranges from few thou
sandths to few hundredths of per
cent. Why is it? Simply because
the ammonia. formed through decom-
position of organic nitrogenous ma
tcrials, is easily oxidizcd to nitrites.
The proportion of the latter. too is
very small because of their ready
transformation into nitrates. There
is a tendency on the part OF nitrates
only to accumulate in the soil. under
certain conditions. However, in the
great majority OF cases the percent
age of nitrates is insignificant, being
but few thousandths OF per cent
and less, which Is true OF the Iowa
soils and Michigan peat soils exam
ined by the writer. The reason for
this phenomenon Is to be found in
the fact that the nitrates because OF
their ready solubility In water are
either taken up by plants or leached
out from the soil by rain, dew. snow
and other atmospheric precipitations
AS consequence. practically all of
the nitrogen occurring in soils is of