SOILS FERTILIZERS. 7 19 



connoissance survey of Mariuette County, Wis., by S. Weidman and P. O. Wood; 

 Rice County, Minn., by E. T. A. Burke and L. A. Kolbe; Atchison County, Mo., 

 by C. J. Mann and II. Kruseliopf; Cedar County, Mo., by E. B. Watson and 

 H. F. Williams ; Cooper County, Mo., by A. T. Sweet, E. S. Vanatta, and B. W. 

 Tillman; reconnoissance survey of western South Dalsota, by G. N. Coffey et 

 al. ; Fallon area, Nov., by A. T. Strahorn and C. Van Duyne; reconnoissance 

 survey of the eastern part of the Puget Sound basin. Wash., by A. W. Mangum 

 et al. ; Marshfield area, Oreg., by C. W. Mann and J. E. Ferguson ; Woodland 

 area, Cal., by C. W. Mann, J. F. Warner, H. L. Westover, and J. E. Ferguson ; 

 and Marysville area, Cal., by A. T. Strahoni. W. W. Mackie, H. L. Westover, 

 L. C. Holmes, and C. Van Duyne. 



During the calendar year 1909, 24.188 square miles, or 15,480,320 acres, were 

 surveyed and mapped in detail on a scale of 1 in. to the mile, making the total 

 area surveyed and mapped up to the end of that year 195.975 square miles, or 

 125,424,000 acres. 



In addition to the detailed surveys, there were conducted hi 1909 reconnois- 

 sance surveys in Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Washing- 

 ton covering a total area of 78.104 square miles, or 40,986,560 acres. Plans 

 were formulated for taking up the same kind of work in the Ozark region of 

 Missouri and Arkansas. 



Analyses of Arg'entina soils (In Esposizione Internazionale delle Industrie 

 e del Lavtjro di Torino, 1911, Catalogo Speciale Ufficiale delV Esposizione delta 

 Republica Argentina. Buenos Aires, 1911, pp. 80-83). — The results of mechani- 

 cal and chemical analyses of cultivated and forest soils from different sec- 

 tions of the country are reiwrted and briefly discussed. 



Mechanical analyses of tropical soils, E. C. J. Mohr (BuJ. D^pt. Agr. Indes 

 Necrhtnd., 1911, Xo. 47, pp. 73, pis. 4, figs. 65). — The author reports a compara- 

 tive study of the physical composition, as determined by mechanical analyses, 

 of soils derived from the different kinds of rocks of Java. The resnlts in gen- 

 eral confirmed the principle that rocks which contain the highest percentages 

 of the weather resistant minerals form the lighter classes of soil. 



The mechanical analysis of arid soils, W. Beam {Rpt. Wellcome Research 

 Labs. Gordon Mem. Col. Khartoiun, /, {1911), B. Gen. ScL, pp. 3^-45, figs. 3).— 

 This has been noted from another source (E. S. R., 25, p. 513). 



Soils of the Gezira, W. Beam {Rpt. Wellcome Research Lais. Gordon Mem. 

 Col. Khartoum, // {1911), B. Gen. Sci., pp. li5-59, figs. //). — Noted from another 

 source (E. S. R., 25, p. 722). 



Notes on some Catlin's River soils, B. C. Aston {Jour. 'New Zeal. Dept. 

 Agr., 3 {1911), No. 6, pp. 478-482, figs. 2). — Mechanical and chemical analyses 

 of samples of soil from the region are reported and briefly discussed. 



The results showed that the soils were well supplied with total nitrogen and 

 contained large quantities of available potash and phosphoric acid, but were 

 poor in lime and humus. All showed an acid reaction to litmus. 



The distribution of bacteria in certain New York soils, H. J. Conn (A 6s. 

 in Science, n. ser., 35 {1912), No. S93, pp. 226, 227).— " Extensive work for 2 

 years with a certain clay loam at Ithaca has resulted in the isolation and study 

 of about 500 cultures. These cultures have been classified into 34 types, which 

 are essentially species. Grouping these types into 6 easily distinguished classes, 

 their relative frequency can be thus stated : 



" Five to 10 per cent spore-producing liquefiers, large rods (e. g.. Bacillus 

 subtilis and B. mycoides) ; 5 to 10 per cent nonspore-producing, rapid liquefiers, 

 small rods with polar flagella (e. g., Pseudomonas fluorescens) ; 40 to 70 per 

 cent nonspore-producing, slow liquefiers, short rods, immotile (except one with 

 polar flagella), growing very poorly in ordinary laboratory media; about 10 per 



