824 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



3 in. in depth, two in furrows G in. in depth, and two in furrows 9 in. in depth. 

 All were given a 6-in. cultivation. The average loss by evaporation during 

 28-day periods was as follows: From the surface-flooded tanks, 0.985 in.; from 

 the 3-in. furrows, 0.94 in. ; from the G-in. furrows, 0.72 in. ; and from the 9-in. 

 furrows, 0.0 in." 



The water-raising capacity of soils, P. S. KossovicH {Dnevn. XII. 8"^?da 

 Russ. Est.-Isp. i Vrach [Moscow], p. 634; al)S. in Zhur. Opytn. Agron. (Russ. 

 Jour. Expt. Landic), 11 (1910), No. 5, p. 73//). — Experiments with air-dried 

 sand, loess clay, and moor clay soils were undertaken to study the height and 

 velocity of the rise of water and the influence of readily soluble salts on these 

 phenomena. Glass tubes 3 cm. in diameter were filled with the sifted soils. 

 The sand contained 0.77 per cent of fine silt and clay particles, the loess clay 

 25.89 per cent, a id the moor clay 27.05 per cent. The rise of distilled water, of 

 a decinormal solution of common salt, and of a decinormal solution of sodium 

 carbonate was observed. 



The greatest height, 291 cm., was obtained in the loess clay with the solution 

 of common salt. After the first 24 hours th water rose 82 cm. in the sand, 30 

 cm. in the loess clay, and 21 cm. in the moo clay. After 100 days the respec- 

 tive heights were 182 cm., 172 cm., and 106 cm., and at the end of 17 months 

 220, 280, and 169 cm. The influence of the salts was not marked on the sand 

 but more pronounced on the clays. Common salt hastened the rise of the 

 water while sodium carbonate impeded it. 



Lysimeter experiments, S S. Peck (Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Sta., Agr. 

 and Chem. Bui. 37, pp. 5-38, charts 3).— This bulletin reports the results of 2 

 series of lysimeter experiments to study the effect on the formation of nitric 

 nitrogen of various forms of lime on acid wet mauka (upland) soil, and of 

 various fertilizer salts alone and in combination on an alkaline dry makai 

 (lowland) soil. Mechanical, chemical, and bio-chemical analyses of the soils 

 used are reported. 



In an upland soil which was rich in organic matter, poor in soluble lime and 

 potash, and acid to litmus, " calcium additions as oxid, carbonate, or sulphate, 

 increase the nitrification of the soil nitrogen or nitrogen added as sulphate of 

 ammonia. Calcium additions as oxid, carbonate or sulphate, increase the 

 amounts of lime and potash soluble in water and recovered in the drainage. 

 Calcium sulphate was more effective in all three respects than calcium oxid or 

 carbonate. The acidity of the soil did not seem the controlling factor as regards 

 nitrification, the water-soluble calcium seemed of greater significance. Fertiliz- 

 ing with water-soluble phosphoric acid and sulphate of potassium produced a 

 slight increase in the nitrification of ammonium sulphate. Any increase in 

 nitrification was generally accompanied by an increase in lime in the drainage." 



In a lowland soil containing a moderate amount of organic matter, rich in 

 soluble calcium, and alkaline to litmus, "additions of fertilizing materials, as 

 double superphosphate, tricalcic phosphate and sulphate of potassium, increased 

 the amount of nitric nitrogen formed .from the soil nitrogen. The best results 

 in this respect followed the use of double superphosphate or tricalcic phosphate. 

 A decrease in nitrification resulted from the use of potash and phosphoric fer- 

 tilizers in lysimeters to which nitrogen as ammonium sulphate was added. The 

 greatest depression in this respect followed the addition of double superphos- 

 phate. Liming with caustic lime depressed greatly the amount of nitric nitro- 

 gen obtained from sulphate of ammonia. No difference was observed between 

 the nitric nitrogen in the drainage obtained from equal applications of nitrogen 

 as sodium nitrate and calcium nitrate. Both nitrate fertilizations yielded less 

 nitric nitrogen in the drainage than was obtained from an equal amount of 

 nitrogen as ammonium sulphate." 



