72 SOIL SCIENCE ' [BoT. Absts., Vol. VII, 



469. Gardner, Willard. A capillary transmission constant and methods of determining 

 it experimentally. Soil Sci. 10: 103-126. Fig. 1-8 B. 1920. — A capillary-transmission-con- 

 stant similar to the specific conductivity of metals and the specific thermal conductivity of 

 heat conductors is defined, and methods for its measurement are described. Using this con- 

 stant, a calculation is made which shows that in a certain soil 12 inches of water may be 

 available from a 12 foot water-table in 30 days. — W. J. Robbins. 



470. Karraker, p. E. The effect of the initial moisture in a soil on moisture movement. 

 Soil Sci. 10: 143-152. 1920. — Soils were placed in vertical tubes with their lower ends in 

 water, and the penetration of water was determined. The rate of water movement was 

 about as great in air or oven dry soils as in soils containing up to about 6 per cent initial 

 moisture. In saturated sand the movement was 1.56 times that in air-dry sand. — W. J. 

 Robbins. 



471. Livingston, Burton E., and Riichiro Koketsu. The water-supplying power of 

 the soil as related to the wilting of plants. Soil Sci. 9: 469-485. 1920.— See Bot. Absts. 7, 

 Entry 399. 



472. WoLKOFF, M. I. Effect of various soluble salts and lime on evaporation. Capillary 

 rise and distribution of water in some agricultural soils. Soil Sci. 9: 409-436. 4 fig- 1920. — 

 Soluble salts added to soil materially decreased the evaporation of soil moisture. The 

 eflSciency of a salt in decreasing evaporation was shown to depend upon the osmotic concen- 

 tration of salts in the surface inch of soil. The soils from which the least water evaporated 

 showed the greatest osmotic concentration in the first inch. There was practically no 

 diffusion of the salts downward against the rise of capillary water. In two agricultural soils 

 used, sodium chloride decreased the capillary rise of water. Calcium oxide in drab clay and 

 potassium phosphate in brown silt loam accelerated water rise. In these soils the addition 

 of the salts increased the water content in the first 8 inches, as compared with untreat'.d 

 soil. The crust formed on the surface of the soil by some of the salts did not retard evapora- 

 tion. With untreated soils, the texture of the soil influences the extent of evaporation. Soils 

 having a greater amount of fine material show greater loss of water by evaporation. — Dorothy 

 Wilson. 



PEAT 



473. Alwat, F. J. Chemical requirements of peat soils in the light of European experience. 

 Jour. Amer. Peat Soc. 13:327-341. 1920.— European peat soils are placed in two classes, 

 those with (1) low lime requirement, and (2) high lime requirement. — G. B. Rigg. 



474. Levin, E. The use of peat as a fertilizer in Michigan. Jour. Amer. Peat Soc. 13: 

 319-327. 1920.— Fertilizer prepared by composting peat and manure gave good results on 

 uplands. — G. B. Rigg. 



475. Ptjchner, H. Hysteresis of aqueous solutions of peat soil. Jour. Amer. Peat Soc. 

 13: 351. 1920. — An aqueous extraction of peat soil contained gels of silicic acid, ferric 

 hydroxide, and alumina. On ignition the extract yielded alumina, ferric oxide, manganese 

 oxides, lime, magnesia, sulphate, phosphate, and silicate. — G. B. Rigg. 



476. RosT, C. O. Pyrites and its toxic oxidation products in peat soils. Jour. Amer. 

 Peat Soc. 13: 303-306. 1920.— Iron sulphide is widely distributed in peat soils. It appears 

 mostly as pyrite, which is insoluble in water. In air it is oxidized to ferrous sulphate and 

 sulphuric acid, both of which are soluble and toxic to plants. — G. B. Rigg. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



477. L'inhart, G. A. A new and simplified method for the statistical interpretation of 

 biometrical data. Univ. California Publ. Agric. Sci. 4: 159-181. 12 fig. 1920.— See Bot. 

 Absts. 7, Entry 396. 



