No. 1, May, 1921] AGRONOMY 5 



28. Kerle, W. D. Farmers' experiment plots. Maize experiments, 1919-20. Upper 

 north coast district. Agric. Gaz. New South Wales 31:875-881. 1920. — Experiments were 

 conducted on various private farms in the district. In variety trials of maize a 

 maximum yield of 85 bushels per acre was secured from Improved Yellow Dent. The maxi- 

 mum net gain secured by using mineral manures amounted to 25 bushels, or $43.25 per acre. 

 With but one exception, the use of mineral manures showed net gains over land receiving no 

 manure at all. — L. R. Waldron. 



29. Kuo, Tan Hsien. A plan for cotton improvement at the Chinese Cotton Mill Owners 

 Association. Hua-Shang-Sha-Chang-Lien-Ho-Hui-Ki-Kau [China Cotton Jour.] P: -1-8. 

 1920. — A plan is outlined for the establishment of cotton breeding experiment stations, the 

 organization of scientific departments and staffs, and the nature of the contemplated work, 

 with the object of increasing the yield and quality of cotton in China. A five-year program 

 for proposed projects in cotton breeding is also given. — Chimjen C. Chen. 



30. Kuo, Tan Hsien. [Translation of: Todd, John A. The world's cotton crops. A. 

 and C. Black: London, 1914.] Hua-Shang-Sha-Chang-Lien-Ho-Hui-Ki-Kau [China Cotton 

 Jour.] 1^:206-228. 1920. 



31. Lauder. The electrical treatment of seeds. Scottish Jour. Agric. 3 : 340-344. 1920. 

 — Reports of farmers and some early field tests support the claims of the originators of the 

 WoLFRYN process as to greater returns from treated seed. Subsequent tests more carefully 

 made show no such advantage. Treating oats was found unprofitable by A. F. Wilson in 

 West Lothian and by John Walker in Berwickshire and Roxburghshire. Martin H. F. 

 Sutton at Reading compared yields and germinations in seeds of carrots, swedes, cabbages, 

 and mangolds. In each case treated seed was compared with untreated, and with seeds 

 immersed in solutions of salt and sulphate of ammonia. All yield differences were within the 

 limits of experimental error. — H. V. Harlan. 



32. Lemmerman, O. Ueber die Kohlensaureernahrung der Pflanzen. [On the carbonic 

 acid nutrition of plants.] Mitteil. Deutsch. Landw. Ges. 35: 696-699. 1920.— The author 

 refers to Bornemann's theory (see Bot. Absts. 8, Entry 12) that stable and green manures 

 evolve CO2 and that this stimulates growth, and shows that his experiments give no support 

 to the Bornemann theory. He found that the air over pots of soil liberally supplied with 

 organic material contained very small amounts of CO2 but that the air drawn through such 

 pots contained quantities of CO2 approaching the theoretical maxima from the organic 

 material applied. Pot and field experiments were conducted in various ways but in no case 

 was there a larger crop that could be attributed to an increase in the CO2 content of the air. 

 — A. J. Pieters. 



33. LoMANiTZ, S. The oil of the prickly pear seed. Jour. Indust. Eng. Chem. 12: 1174- 

 1175. 1920. — The oil apparently falls into the group of semi-drying oils, and if produced in 

 sufficient quantities might be used in some of the oil-products industries. — Henry Schmitz. 



34. McCauley, C, and L. G. Little. Ploughing experiments at Cowra and Nyngan. 

 Agric. Gaz. New South Wales 31 : 837-840. 1920.— Wheat was grown on land plowed shallow, 

 medium, and deep, by disc and mold board plows, and also upon sub-soiled land. In no 

 case was the more expensive treatment decisively favorable and at Nyngan, particularly, the 

 cheaper methods gave best results. — L. R. Waldron. 



35. McDonald, A. H. E. The saving of seed wheat. Agric. Gaz. New South Wales 31: 

 841-842. 1920. — Suggestions are offered in regard to distribution of proper wheat varieties, 

 following drouth conditions. — L. R. Waldron. 



36. Maiden, J. H. Chats about the prickly pear. No. 7. Agric. Gaz. New South Wales 

 31: 889-893. 1920. — Use and value of different exterminators of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) 

 are discussed, including arsenite of soda and arsenious chloride. Literature is cited. — 

 L. R. Waldro7i. 



