SOILS — FERTILIZERS. 121 



ing the agricultural character of the land. In soil derived from the solid 

 chalk the lime is often completely dissolved, leaving the soil actually deficient 

 in lime." 



Nearly all the surface drifts are deficient in lime. A preliminary survey 

 showed a decrease in percentage of finer particles in the loams and brick 

 earths from east to west and this decrease was reflected in a gradual lowering 

 of the farm rents. 



On the petrographic and soil conditions of the red sandstone (bunter- 

 sandstein) fonnation in Germany, E. Blanck (Jahresh. Ver. VaterluMd, 

 Natiirk. Wiirttcmb., 67 {1911), pp. 1-11 ; abs. in Zenthl. Agr. CJieni:, JfO (1911), 

 No. 10, pp. 651-65Jf). — This is a continuation of a previous article the general 

 scope of which has been noted (E. S. R., 24, p. 315). 



The author distinguishes not only three well-defined strata — the lower, mid- 

 dle, and upper — in the red sandstone of Germany, but also lines of demarcation 

 in the petrographic composition of these strata. On this basis he found that 

 the lower stratum of the lower red sandstone formed clay soil whereas the up- 

 per stratum formed loamy sands. The clay soils are stiff and diflicult to work 

 and must be drained for farming purposes; the loamy sands are good agricul- 

 tural soils except the rougher uplands which are forested. 



The middle red sandstone is distinguished from the lower by the large 

 boulders it contains. In it are distinguished three strata, the lower being 

 mellow and containing boulders ; the middle composed of firm, coarse-grained, 

 and thick sandstones with strands of clay ; and the upper which is part sili- 

 cated and part boulder. 



In the upper red sandstone there are distinguished the sands, clays, and 

 carbonates. It is the typical upper new red sandstone, the so-called " rot," 

 and forms two classes of soils, the field and meadow and the forest soils, the 

 latter being confined to the more broken regions. 



Kelation of calcareous soils to pineapple chlorosis, P. L. Gile (Porto Rico 

 8ta. Bui. 11, pp. Ii5, pis. 2). — The cause of failure of pineapples with the ap- 

 pearance of chlorosis on certain areas in Porto Rico was investigated by means 

 of pot experiments and a chemical survey of the pineapple soils of the island. 



The results show quite clearly that on certain areas the trouble is due to 

 an excessive amount of carbonate of lime in the soil. 



" For ordinarj^ sandy soils about 2 per cent of calcium carbonate renders 

 them unsuitable for pineapples ; smaller amounts than this do not appear to 

 be injurious. 



" Soils composed principally of organic matter may contain about 40 per cent 

 of calcium carbonate and still produce vigorous plants. 



" Pineapple plantings on calcareous soils should be abandoned and the land 

 planted to lime-loving crops. 



" In curing the chlorosis, fertilizers were ineffective, but treatment of the 

 leaves with solutions of iron salts or crystals of ferrous sulphate applied to 

 the roots M^as effective and induced a normal growth. This treatment does 

 not appear to be commercially feasible. 



" The chlorosis is not caused by an organic disease, but is the result of a 

 disturbance in the mineral nutrition of the plant induced by the calcareous 

 character of the soil. 



" It is neither the mere alkalinity of calcareous soils nor the large amount 

 of assimilable lime that causes this disturbance, but the combined action of 

 the two properties. 



" The disturbance in the mineral nutrition of the plant, or the primary cause 

 of the chlorosis, seems to be the lack of iron in the ash or the small amount of 



