120 CHARLES B. LIPMAN 



magnesia, and he found that it delayed markedly the ripening 

 of oats. A similar appHcation of the so-called ''gray" lime gave 

 much less marked results. The difference in the action of these 

 two forms of lime is ascribed by Ulbricht to the magnesia which 

 is found in the gray lime. He found further that caustic mag- 

 nesia (burnt magnesite), as well as magnesium carbonate, were 

 highly injurious to oats. Moreover, he found that the injurious 

 effects of such magnesia applications were not always prevented 

 by the simultaneous appUcations of caustic lime or of calcium 

 carbonate. He found that barley was more resistant to the in- 

 jurious action of magnesia than oats. 



In the second paper, ^'^ the same author studied the relation- 

 ship of lime applications to the yellow lupine and to other plants. 

 He found that the yellow lupines were injured by lime and that 

 che latter was particularly injurious when it contained 40% of 

 magnesia. The magnesia was found by him to be especially 

 poisonous, and he found it besides poisonous not only to lupines, 

 but to barley, vetch, and radishes. The effects of the applica- 

 tion of magnesia extended over at least two years, when radishes 

 followed the lupines on the same land. 



In investigations carried out about the same time by Schrei- 

 ber,^^ two complete fertilizers were tested. The first contained 

 CaH3(P04)2 plus calcium sulphate and magnesium carbonate. 

 The second contained phosphate of soda with magnesium car- 

 bonate and calcium carbonate. The experiments were made 

 with oats and turnips on sandy, humus, and loam soils, and the 

 fertilizers were applied to the first crop only. In every case the 

 yield was much lowered with the second fertilizer above described, 

 and Schreiber claims that this is due to the fact that the action 

 of the carbonates of lime and magnesium in making phosphoric 

 acid insoluble renders difficult the proper nutrition of the plant. 

 The differences were noted to be more marked in the case of 

 turnips because, in Schreiber's opinion, the retrograde action 

 had become more complete. 



««Landw. vers. Stat., vol. 52, p. 383. 



" Rev. Agron. Lowain, vol. 4, p. 66. Cited from E. S. R., vol. 7, p. 104, 1895-6. 



