SOILS FERTILIZERS. 3 17 



sumption is 220 mg. per liter. The sewage is used for tlie irrigation of grass, 

 beets, potatoes, and garden vegetables. The running expense of the farm in 

 1907 was 4 cents per head of population served. 



SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 



Soils, P. Vageleb {Bodenkunde. Leipsic, 1909, pp. ll.'f). — This is a brief 

 simple presentation of the more important facts relating to the agricultural 

 classification, origin and formation, physics, chemistry, and biology of soils. 



General soil and plant culture, M. Hoffmann (JaJtrcsber. Landw., 23 

 (1908), pp. 1-96, figs. 2). — This is a review, similar to those of previous years, 

 of investigations during 1908 on weather and water; chemistry, physics, and 

 biology of soils; fertilizers; and fertilizing. The review is made up of plain 

 concise statements of the essential facts of practical value developed in the 

 different investigations, but the statements and references are sufficiently 

 explicit to be of value to investigators. 



Keport of the work of the Vienna Agricultural Experiment Station for 

 the year 1908, W. Bersch (Ztsehr. MoorkuUur u. Torfvcrweri., 7 {1909), No. 

 2, lip. 55-12; (lbs. in Chem. Ahs., 3 {1909), No. 23, p. 2.S//S).— Summaries of the 

 results of investigations by Wilk on the absorptive capacity of peat litter 

 (E. S. R., 21, p. 225), and by Miklauz on the effect of alkalis and mineral acids 

 on the humus compounds of peat (E. S. R., 21, p. 220) form a part of this 

 review of the work of the year. 



The present status of soil bacteriolog'y, H. Fischer {Jahresber. Ver. Angeic. 

 Bot., 6 {1908), pp. 31-J,(}, Xr, XVI; abs. in Ccntbl. Bakt. [etc.^, 2. Abt., 25 

 (1909), No. 10-13, pp. 315, 316).— A review with a bibliography. 



The organisms of the soil, E. H. L. Schwarz {Sci. Prog. Twentieth Cent., 

 4 (1909), No. 13, pp. 150-160). — This is a summary of the more important facts 

 brought out by investigations in recent years on algse, molds, fungi, bacteria, 

 and myxomycetes which take part in soil formation, decomposition of soil con- 

 stituents in general, and especially the transformation of nitrogen compounds 

 of the soil and the symbiotic and nonsymbiotic fixation of nitrogen. 



Bacterial population of samples of soils from the Far North (City of 

 Obdorsk and Yamal Peninsula), S. Severin (Vyestmk Bakt. Aghron. Stantzil 

 V. K. Fen-ein, 1909, No. 15, pp. 116-128; Centbl. Bakt. [etc.], 2. Abt., 25 (1909), 

 No. 19-25, pp. JflO-Jfl9). — Examinations of 6 soils from northern Siberia are 

 reported, showing wide variations in the bacterial content. 



The bacterial content appeared to depend directly upon the amount of 

 organic matter in the soil. The largest numbers of organisms were found in a 

 garden soil and in the soil of a high tundra. These soils were also rich in 

 molds. The garden soil contained mainly micro-organisms which peptonized 

 gelatin, but it also contained nitrifying and denitrifying organisms. In samples 

 of soil from a street in Obdorsk bacteria were found which energetically 

 oxidized nitrous to nitric acid but none which oxidized ammonia to nitric acid 

 or which completely decomposed the nitrates. Denitrification to the extent of 

 reducing nitric to nitrous acid was observed in all of the soils. 



Weathering of rocks under the influence of humus substances, A. Niki- 

 forov (Zhiir. Opuitn. Agron. {Russ. .Jour. Expt. Landw.), 9 (1908), No. 3, pp. 

 362-386; abs. in CJiem. Abs., 3 (1909), No. 23, p. 28^7; ZentU. Agr. Chem., 

 38 (1909), No. 11, p. 778). — Examinations of rocks which had undergone 

 weathering in moors showed that under the influence of free humus acids a 

 yellowish-white coating had been formed on the rocks from which nearly all 

 the bases had to a large extent been leached out. There was, however, in 

 some cases a relative increase in potash over that found in the unweathered 



