236 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Literature on the races of rice in India {Agr. Ledger, J DIG, No. 1 (Vcg. Prod. 

 Ser., No. 113), pp. 33't). — This is an index to the literature on the races of rice 

 in India. 



The chemical structure and its influence on the sugar content of Beta 

 vulgaris, O. Claassen {Chcni. Ztg., 3Jf (1910), No. U9, pp. J 829, 1830).— A 

 study was made of beets characterized by an exceptionally heavy root forma- 

 tion and of the api)earance in the root of concentric, dark, or dark blue rings 

 containing cell sap bitter to the taste. The roots of these beets were also mal- 

 formed in other ways but mainly through many divisions. 



The results of chemical analyses showed that the beets were exceptionally low 

 in sugar and very high in nonsugars, but in moisture content there were no 

 great differences as compared with normal beets. It was further found that 

 as regards the mineral constituents the normal and the abnormal beets differed 

 materially only in the content of potash, silicic acid, and chlorin. As it has 

 been observed that when the calcium content is reduced the potash content is 

 increased, the author believes that the high moisture requirements of the beet 

 cause a heavy growth of secondary roots, and that with the water-soluble sub- 

 stances, which are the first to enter the beet, potash salts, and in part chlorids 

 of potash, are taken up. As this increases the chlorin content the possibility 

 for the lime to enter into combination in the beet is reduced. This explanation 

 is given for the low sugar content of the abnormal beet which would result 

 from the formation of calcium saccharids and saccharates, and from the par- 

 ticular form of the potash salts. 



The influence of light on the composition of the sugar beet, F. Strohmee, 

 H. Briem, and O. Faixada (Osterr. Ungar. Ztsclir. Zuckerinclus. u. Landw., 

 JjO (1911), No. 1, pp. 11-28). — The results are given of experiments with sugar 

 beets in which the beets were so planted that part of them were shaded in the 

 morning and part in the afternoon by trees. 



It was found that the foliage growth of the shaded beets was greatly in- 

 creased and at the expense of the root development. The shaded beets produced, 

 in comparison with unshaded ones otherwise grown under like conditions, very 

 small quantities of dry matter in the roots, and this loss of dry matter for 

 the most part occurred in the sugar content, while on the other hand, the nitro- 

 gen content of the roots of the shaded beets was the higher. The leaves of the 

 shaded beets contained appreciably larger quantities of oxalic acid than similar 

 unshaded plants, and the ash content of both roots and leaves was increased by 

 shading. Especially was the moA-ement of the chlorids accelerated. 



The authors, therefore, conclude that the shading of sugar beets is injurious 

 to their development for sugar making, and that meteorological observations 

 for the sugar-beet grower ought to include the measuring of the light intensity 

 of the locality under consideration. 

 A bibliography is appended. 



Report of an experiment on the manuring of swedes at several centers in 

 the county, during 1907 and 1908, E. Porter and R. C. Gaut (County Council, 

 Lancaster, Ed. Com., Agr. Dept., Farmers' Bui. 16, pp. 12). — This bulletin 

 reports the results of fertilizer tests of swedes at four centers in 1907 and at 

 six in llioS. In each instance the plats were fertilized with 10 tons of farm- 

 yard manure per acre. 



The average calculated profits at the ten centers indicate that the application 

 of 10 tons more of manure resulted in a loss of 7 shillings 5 pence and that the 

 highest gain after deducting the cost of the fertilizer followed an application 

 of li hundredweight of niti'ate of soda. 4 hundredweight of superphosphate, 

 complete fertilizers gave larger results than the incomplete mixtures. 



