The economy of soil nitrogen in relation to erosion losses in plots submitted to controlled management and conservation practices was studied from 1950 through 1952. Aliquots of the eroded material, runoff water, and rainfall (from rain gauge) were analysed for ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and total nitrogen. The quantity of ammonium and nitric nitrogen removed in the runoff water and in the lost soil was smaller than that found in the rain water. Thus, for the conditions of the experiment, nitrogen introduced in the soil by the rains compensated for the total loss of nitrogen in the runoff water. However, the amount of nitrogen removed in the eroded material far exceeded any losses in the runoff water and the gains from rain water, except for plots that received good conservation practices. No correlation was found between soil management or conservation practices and ammonium and nitric nitrogen content in the runoff water. The relationship between lain water composition and runoff water was not clear. It seems that the nitrates in the runoff water are more closely related to soil nitrification than to rainfall composition. The ammonium nitrogen content in the runoff water and in the eroded material was fairly constant and seemed independent of the rain water composition. This fact is explained as the result of an equilibrium between the solid and liquid phases of the erosion losses.