SOILS FERTILIZERS. 621 



fallow contained 2 per cent less moisture. June fallow contained as much mois- 

 ture as the vii'gin soil, but in neither case was it available for plants. Depth of 

 plowing had no effect upon the soil moisture. The yields of cereal crops during 

 the first year on the virgin soils were very small. 



Reports on investigation of the soils of Asiatic Russia, K. D. Glinka et al. 

 {Trudy Pochv.-Botan, Eksped. Izslied. Kolon. Ralnov Aziat. Ross. I, Pochv. 

 Iszlied., 1908; ahs. in Zhur. Opytn. Agron. (Russ. Jour. Expt. Landic), 12 

 (1911), Nos. 2, pp. 209, 210, 211-21.',, 21Ji-218, 219-222; 3, pp. Sol-S-W).— 

 Abstracts are here given of soil investigations made by expeditions organized 

 by the Colonization Administration of Russia in 1908, under the direction of 

 the author. 



Descriptions of soils of Asiatic Russia, N. V. Blagovieshcenskii and B. A. 

 Skalov Mater. Izslied. Kolon. Raionov Aziat. Ross., 1910; abs. in Zhur. 

 Skalov (Mater. Izslied. Kolon. Rawnov Aziat. Ross., 1910; abs. in Zhur. 

 Opytn. Agron. {Russ. Jour. Expt. Landw.), 12 {1911), Nos. 2, pp. 222, 223; 3, pp. 

 3o9-361). — Abstracts are here given of reports of soil investigations made under 

 the direction of K. D. Glinka by esi»editions organized by the Colonization 

 Administration of Russia In 1908. 



Water and soils of the Neva drainage basin, A. A. Inostrantsev (Abs. in 

 Zhur. Opytn. Agron. (Russ. Jour. Expt. Landw.), 12 (1911), No. 2, p. 223). — 

 This is an abstract of a report of a study of the soils and of the spring, stream, 

 and soil waters of this basin, as well as of the geological formations of the 

 region. 



Classification of Turkestan soils, K. D. Glinka (PochvoviMienie (Pcdologie), 



1910, No. 4j «&«• *» Zhur. Opytn. Agron. {Russ. Jour. Expt. Landiv.), 12 

 (1911). No. 3, pp. 361-363). — A classificatiou based upon the character and 

 arrangement of vertical soil zones is given. 



A contribution to the question of the utilization of inferior sandy soils, 

 J. KtJHN and H. Bode (Ber. Physiol. Lab. u. Vers. Anst. Landw. Inst. Halle, 



1911, No. 20, pp. 155-217, fig. 1). — An account is given of experiments in build- 

 ing up a tract of land of the deforested belt of inferior sandy soils ou the estate 

 of the late Julius Kiihn. 



Experience showed that cutting the original forests destroyed the stand and 

 that the soil was not suited to the production of cultivated crops. It was de- 

 cided, therefore, to test the feasibility of improving these lands by growing 

 legumes with an application of mineral fertilizers. The amounts of fertilizers 

 applied never exceeded 53 lbs. of phosphoric acid, 71 lbs. of potash, 35 lbs. of 

 nitrogen, and 534 lbs. of lime per acre. After several years, during which the 

 legumes were grown extensively, the land produced profitable crops of rye and 

 potatoes, and it was possible to maintain a number of dairy cows and sheep 

 on the feed produced. An effort was made to grow broom corn in conjunction 

 with other grasses for sheep pasture but without success. The soil, however, 

 was believed to be in favorable condition for reforestation since much organic 

 matter had been incorporated. 



The report includes the results of mechanical and chemical analyses of a 

 large number of samples of typical sandy forest soils and of the ashes of 

 different parts of forest trees, made with a view of studying the proportion of 

 plant food constituents in the soil and in the trees growing on it. 



The results in general point to phosphoric acid as the limiting element of 

 plant food in the growth of the trees. 



Plant food in relation to soil fertility, C. G. Hopkins (Illinois Sta. Circ. 155, 

 pp. 10). — This is an address delivered at the Washington meeting of the Ameri- 

 can Association for the Advancement of Science. It answers affirmatively the 

 question of whether the plant food applied increases plant yields in harmony 

 with recognized soil deficiencies and crop requirements, and negatively the 



