130 AGRONOMY [Bot. Absts., Vol. VI, 



892. Keitt, T. E., and A. W. Mueeay. The influence of certain factors on the time of 

 opening of cotton. Georgia Agric. Exp. Sta. Bull. 130: 17-34. 3 fig. 1919. — Information 

 relative to the development of the cotton plant and the early opening of the flower is impor- 

 tant owing to the rapid advance of the boll weevil. In the variety tests six strains of Cleve- 

 land Big Boll led all others. On heavy clay the largest yield was obtained with 600 pounds 

 3-8-2 fertilizer. This gave also the highest yield to October 1st, on this type of soil, and the 

 highest per cent open October 1st. The highest yield on the medium clay was obtained where 

 600 pounds of an 8-3-9-formula was used. On this soil the highest yield to October was with 

 600 pounds of an 8-3-6. This result shows that on this type of soil the farmers should con- 

 tinue to use potash under heavy boll weevil infestations. The highest yield on the sandy soil 

 was obtained where 600 pounds of an 8-3-6-formula were used, but the largest yield to October 

 1st, was where 600 pounds of 8-3-3-formula were used. Acid phosphate has hastened the 

 maturity of cotton. This is also true of Tennessee blue rock phosphate. Ground or raw rock 

 phosphate seemed, in the main, to hasten maturity. Where lime was used with acid phos- 

 phate the maturity was delayed. For the season of 1919 late topdressing with a mixture of 

 ammonia and nitrate of soda gave profitable increases in yield. The addition of potash to 

 nitrogen in topdressing did not seem to delay maturity, although the results do not indicate 

 a profit from this practice. — T. H. McHatton. 



893. Koch, L. De waarde van stekken en van knol unitloopers als bibit voor het planten 

 van bataten. [Value of cuttings from mature stems of grown plants and from sprouts of sweet 

 potatoes, for planting purposes.] Korte Ber. Landbouwvoorlichtingsd., Dept. Landb., Nijver- 

 heid en Handel. (Selectie-en zaadtuin) (Buitenzorg) 19: 1-6. 1919. — Both methods of propa- 

 gation proved equally good, but the latter was found to be of greater practical value. — L. 

 Koch. 



894. Piola-Caselli, (E.). Les associations agricoles pour 1' irrigation des terrains d'apres 

 le type italien des consorzii. [Agricultural associations for irrigation after the Italian co-opera- 

 tive type.] Bull. Inst. d'Egypte 1: 71-85. 1919. — A brief resume of the history of irrigation 

 in Italy is given. The organization of the different kinds of cooperative associations, both 

 public and private, is discussed, and the laws governing them are cited. Finally, the particu- 

 lar suitability to Egyptian conditions of cooperative associations for the development and 

 operation of plants for irrigation by pumping is emphasized. — Geo. F. Freeman. 



S95. Russell, E. J. The Ithaca agricultural experiment station. [Rev. of reports for the 

 years 1914-17.] Nature 104: 482-483. 1920. — Summarizes some results of work on soy-bean 

 nodule organism (Mem. Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Sta. [Ithaca] Bull. 386), direct assimilation 

 of certain carbohydrates by green plants (Ibid. 9), costs of production of farm crops (Ibid. 

 Bull. 377), and fertile and infertile soils. — O. A. Stevens. 



896. Sifton, H. B. Longevity of the seeds of cereals, clovers and timothy. Amer. Jour. 

 Bot. 7: 243-251. 5 fig. 1920. — The longevity of seeds of wheat, oats, timothy, alsike and red 

 clover was studied by storing samples from crops of these plants grown in representative parts 

 of Canada and making a germination test on a small portion of each sample every year. From 

 17 to 19 such annual tests have been made on each crop. With wheat, there is no decrease in 

 the percentage of germination for five years, and but little for eleven years. From 11 to 15 

 years, however, there is a very rapid loss of germinative power and then a somewhat slower 

 loss, until after 18 years no seeds at all will grow. In the case of oats, there is a slight increase 

 in germinative power for 7 or 8 years and then a gradual decrease which is much slower than 

 that in wheat. 41 per cent of the seeds were still alive after 19 years. Timothy differs from 

 wheat and oats in that the germinative power begins to fall off at once. After 7 years it drops 

 rapidly and after the 12th year slows up again. Practically all seeds were dead at 17 years. 

 Alsike and red clover show a regular and steady decline from the very first. After 17 years, 

 however, a small proportion of seeds of both were still alive. — E. W. Sinnott. 



