METEOROLOGY — WATER. 6lO 



This is " a report on the water resources of an important section of central 

 Utah, including a discussion of rainfall, soil, vegetation, streams, and industrial 

 development. The occurrence of ground water is described and its quality con- 

 sidered. Its availability for irrigation, culinary supplies, and boiler supplies 

 is given special attention. Watering places on routes of travel in the vicinity 

 of the Sevier Desert are listed, and the report concludes with detailed descrip- 

 tions of the water resources of the region." 



Quality of the water supplies of Kansas, H. N. Parker ( V. 8. Geol. Survey, 

 Water-8ui)i)Iy Paper No. 273, pp. 0-348, pi. i).— This paper reports the results 

 of an investigation, conducted in cooperation with the Kansas State Board of 

 Health, to determine the quality of the water supplies of the State. It describes 

 briefly the salient geological features in order that their relation to the water 

 supply may be understood and contains 185 tables, giving analyses of the dif- 

 ferent waters. The underground sources are discussed separately, by counties, 

 and the surface streams by river basins. 



Preliminary report on stream pollution by mine waters in southeastem 

 Kansas, E. H. S. Bailky {U. S. (Jvol. .Surrey, Water-Supply Paper No. 273, pp. 

 3-i9-3Gl, fiy. 1). — Analyses of waters from lead, zinc, and coal mines and from 

 concentration mills, as well as some studies of the effects of such waters on fish 

 and on metals are reported. 



Modern methods of water purification, J. Don and J. Chisholm {London, 

 1911, pp. XVI-\-368, illus.; rev. in Nature [London^, 86 (1911), No. 2173, pp. 

 S-iS, SJfJi). — This book deals with sources of supply; causes, detection, and pre- 

 vention of pollution of water; storage, filtration, purification by means of 

 ozone, distillation, and water softening and testing; and household plumbing 

 and appliances. 



Denitrifying bacteria of percolating beds, Lemoigne (Compt. Rend. Acad. 

 Sci. [Paris], 152 {1911), No. 26, pp. 1873-1875; a&s. in Rev. Sei. [Paris], 49 

 { 1911 ) , II, No. 2, p. 61 ) . — Various organisms occurring in percolating beds were 

 isolated and studied. Among these were found several which rapidly destroyed 

 nitric acid. Two species apeared to be particularly abundant. Bacillus subtilis 

 and a closely allied species. It was found that aeration favored denitrification 

 with these bacteria, which were not able to utilize the oxygen of nitrates for 

 their respiration. 



The purification of sewage by the soil and by bacterial beds, A. Mtjntz 

 and E. Lain6 {Compt. Rend. Acad. 8ei. [Paris], 152 {1911), No. 19, pp. 1204- 

 1208; ahs. in Rev. Sci. [Paris], 49 {1911), I, No. 20, p. 635; Jour. Chem. 8oc. 

 [London], 100 {1911), No. 585, II, p. 639; Internat. Inst. Ayr. [Rome], Bui. Bur. 

 Ayr. Intel, and Plant Diseases, 1911, No. 5, pp. 1029, 1030). — In the experi- 

 ments here reported, which were a continuation of those previously noted 

 (E. S. R., 22, p. 421), destruction of organic matter by oxidation with loss of 

 gaseous nitrogen was much less and nitrification was more rapid in the soil 

 than in artificial bacterial beds. In these experiments the loss of nitrogen 

 from sewage was 16.36 per cent during purification by soil and 60 per cent in 

 septic tanks. 



The agricultural use of sewage, A. MtJNTz and E. Lain^ ( Compt. Rend. Acad. 

 Sci. [Paris], 152 {1911), No. 26, pp. 1814-1818; abs. in Rev. Sci. [Paris], 49 

 {1911), II, No. 2, p. 59; Rev. G6n. Ayron., n. ser., 6 {1911), No. 6-7, pp. 241- 

 245). — Attention is called to the fact that the use of sewage for irrigation not 

 only results in its purification but also serves a useful purpose in supplying 

 water and fertilizer to the soil. The authors studied not only the amount of 

 fertilizing matter carried by sewage but also the best amounts of sewage to use 

 for irrigation on different soils and crops. They reached the conclusion that if 

 the sewage waters of Paris could be carried to agricultural areas of sufficient 



