765 



to prevent their drying. At tlie eud of 1 month and again at the end 

 of 2 months determinations were made of the amount of phosphoric 

 acid in the soils dissolved by neutral ammonium citrate solution of 1.09 

 specitic gravity at 30-40° C. in 30 minutes. The results of these determi- 

 nations "prove plainly that in the top soil of the i)addy field thei)resence 

 of lime had an action decidedly' beneficial to the preservation of the 

 assimilability of the phosphoric acid applied in a soluble form, and that 

 under the conditions of our experiment the maximum effect was obtained 

 with from 1 to 2.5 per cent of lime in the air-dry soil." Where 1 per 

 cent of lime was added there was nearly twice as much phosphoric acid 

 soluble in ammonium citrate solution as where no lime was added. 

 " It even appears that upon a longer action of the lime, after 2 months, 

 some of the phosphate previously precipitated in a more insoluble form 

 was rendered soluble in citrate solution by the presence of 0.25 gram 

 of lime per bottle, i. c. 2.5 per cent. * * * Contrary to its beneficial 

 action on the phosphates in the paddy soil, lime did not aft'ect them to 

 any appreciable extent in the irrigated subsoil from the dry field." As 

 the two soils are of the same geological formation and differ only with 

 respect to humus, which is abundant in the paddy soil, but almost 

 entirely wanting in the yellow subsoil, the author believes the difference 

 ii^'the action of the lime in the two soils is traceable to the humus, which, 

 together with the carbonic acid, " united with the lime at once and thus 

 preserved it in a state in which it could still act on the soluble phos- 

 phates." But he does not believe that the lime will be without action 

 on all soils poor in humus, and states that " in the majority of cases, as 

 in sand3', clayey, and ordinary loam soils of paddy fields, a moderate 

 dressing with lime previous to the application of superphosphates 

 will certainly secure a good effect of the phosphoric acid on the crop, 

 especially if the soils are ferruginous and would otherwise favor the 

 formation of less assimilable basic phosphates of iron and alumina. 

 For the same reasons in overlimed soils superphosphates are sure to 

 have a good effect." 



Experiments on the cultivation of Lespedeza bicolor, Turcz. (hagi), as a for- 

 age crop, 0. Kellner, T. Yoshii, and M. Nagaoka (pp. 2G-43). — The authors 

 describe this plant as a " wild leguminous plant which is found in all 

 parts of Japan, on cultivated land in the plains as well as in the 

 mountains, up to a considerable height. Its stems grow 1 to 2 meters 

 high, and if allowed to stand for several years, attain a diameter of 

 1 to 1.5 centimetres (0.4-O.G inch) and become so wood}' and ramified 

 that the plant has much the appearance of a shrub." The Japanese 

 farmers "occasionally collect it from uncultivated lands, though they 

 have never tried to raise it in the fields." 



The yields are given of three separate cuttings each year since 1886, 

 and the composition of each cutting. The authors find that "hagi 

 hay has very nearly the same composition as hay of lucern. * * * 

 Whenever an easily digestible fodder rich in protein is desired from 



