624 EXPERIMENT STATION RE(H)RD. 



urges tlie importanco of the consorvatiou of iili<)si)h!ites, and calls atton<ion to 

 certain locislation i)on(lins in rongros-'s ivganlinf!; this matter. 



Rational use of lime on land, A. Acee {Penn. Dept. Agr. h'jil.. I 'i (l'.ii)S). 

 pp. SOS-Sit; Bui. 117, pp. 6S-1I). — An attempt is made to show that the 

 tendency of soils is toward lime deficiency. I'hen limestone soils gradually 

 lose available lime, and maximum crops can only be obtained on alkaline soils. 

 As soils crow old more and moio lime is required to keep them sweet. 



Fertilizing with carbon dioxid. E. A. Mitscherlich {Landw. Jahrb., 39 

 (1910), No. /, pp. l.')7-166). — Pot experiments with oats grown on sandy hunnu^ 

 loam and moor soils are reported. \'arions fertilizer combinations were used 

 and in certain series of the experiments the soils were treated with water 

 saturated with carbon dioxid. 



The results showed that no increase in yield followed an increase in the carbon 

 dioxid content of the soils. Apparently the soil is so well supplied with carbon 

 dioxid excreted by the plant roots or derived from the decomposition of hunnis 

 substances that a further addition of this substance does not increase the solu- 

 bility and utilization of the soil constituents. 



Inspection and analyses of cotton-seed meal on sale in Mississippi, W. F. 

 Hand ft al. (Ml'^-'^is-'tippi Sta. Bui. 121. pp. -'/7). — This bulletin summarizes the 

 results of inspection of cotton-seed meal offered for sale in Mississippi during 

 the season of 1908-9. and discusses the comparative value of different grades of 

 meal. The analyses show "that some manufacturers supply an excellent prod- 

 uct on a guaranty of fi.18 per cent nitrogen, while others make an effort to sell 

 n meal containing only a small margin over 6.18 per cent. In endeavoring to 

 keep this margin within reasonable limits cases are numerous in which meals 

 guarantied to contain 6.18 per cent nitrogen carry from about 5.8 to 6.18 per 

 cent and more." 



Report on commercial fertilizers, 1909, E. H. Jenkins and J. P. Street 

 (Connecticut State Sta. Rpt. 1909-10, pt. 1, pp. 1 11+VIII).— The results of in- 

 spection of 737 samples of commercial fertilizers and miscellaneous fertilizing 

 materials, including factory-mixed and home-mixed fertilizers and standard 

 and miscellaneous fertilizing materials, are reported. The miscellaneous ma- 

 terials of which analyses are reported include limekiln ashes, lime, calcium 

 carbonate, soot, pulverized sheep manure, tobacco stems and tobacco dust, salt 

 waste, plaster, lava fertilizer, and peat or swamp muck. 



Inspection and analyses of commercial fertilizers on sale in the State, 

 Yv'. F. Hand et al. ( Mi.'isissippi Sta. Bid. 12(1. jip. 95). — This is the complete 

 report on insjiection of fertilizers in Mississippi during the season of 1908-9, 

 partial reports having been previously noted (E. S. R., 21. p. 12.5), and con- 

 tains analyses and valuations of 880 samples of fertilizers and fertilizing 

 materials. 



Discussing the quality of fertilizers sold in the State, the bulletin warns 

 farmers against the purchase of low-grade fertilizers. The analyses show that 

 very few of the fertilizers examined were deficient as much as 6 per cent in 

 relative commercial value, but "it appears evident that a few manufacturers 

 are operating on close margins, and as long as this is the case unsatisfactory 

 results can not be prevented." 



The most marked deficiencies observed were in nitrogen. " It is true that 

 the excess in phosphoric acid in very many cases prevents a too great depres- 

 sion in relative commercial values when nitrogen determinations are low, but a 

 compensation of this kind is allowable to only a limited extent. The essential 

 character of a fertilizer ought not to be modified even though the final results 

 give a value equal to the guaranty." 



