882 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



333 gm. and rye 375 gm. of water per gm. of dry substance of grain, and that 

 potatoes require 277.7 gm. of water per gm. of dry substance of the tubers, or 

 66.3 gm. of water per gm. of fresh tubers. On loam soil the water re(iuire- 

 ment of rye is greater in April and May than that of wheat, but from the 

 end of May to the time of harvesting of wheat its water requirement is greater 

 than that of rye. From the end of May to the 21st of June the water require- 

 ment of rye increases very rapidly ; that of wheat less so. Both crops reach 

 a maximum requirement on the 21st of June. The use of water by potatoes 

 increases from the end of May to the 10th of July very rapidly and from this 

 date to the first of August remains always uniform. It then decreases, first 

 rapidly and then more slowly, until the time of harvesting. 



For sandy soils experiments were conducted in the same manner as for loam 

 soils. The results show that rye requires 482.2 gm. and barley 454 gm. of 

 water per gm. of dry substance of grain, and that potatoes require 60 gm. of 

 water per gm. of fresh tubers. 



Plates are included giving a graphical representation of the daily use of water 

 by the plants in each exi)eriment. 



Rural and urban hydraulics, GT. Bechmann (Hydraulique Agricole et Ur- 

 baine. Paris: Librarie roUjtcclinique. 1905, mi. dS-'f. pgs. 373). — The author 

 has comi)iled a general text on the subject. 



The first part of the book is devoted to a treatment of the means of secur- 

 ing, storing, conveying, and lifting water, while the second part takes up the 

 relation of water to agriculture. In the latter connection the physiological 

 role played by water in the gi-owth of plants is considered in some detail, 

 following which is the chapter devoted to the use of water in irrigation with 

 particular reference to the methods of applying water and the conditions gov- 

 erning its distribution, division, and sale. The various units of measurement 

 used in France are explained and their equivalents given. 



The fertilization and improvement of land by the deposition of silt is con- 

 sidered, and pai'ticular attention is given to the reclamation of marshes in 

 relation to the natui'al conditions and special legislation governing the con- 

 struction of such works. Some examples of marsh reclamation in Belgium 

 and elsewhere are described. The subject of drainage occupies a long chap- 

 ter, the theory and methods of construction of drains being given, together with 

 an abstract of the special legislation on the subject. 



In part 3, city water supplies and sewage are considered, the various struc- 

 tures necessary being illustrated and described. 



Good roads bulletin, II. E. Blakeslee {.Jnclcson, Miss.: Dept. Agr. and 

 Com., 1906, pp. 23). — A bulletin published with the "objects of furnishing ac- 

 curate information as to what each county of Mississippi is doing to improve 

 the public roads, and to create a sentiment of rivalry that will assist in a 

 betterment of I'oad conditions in general." 



The number of miles of public roads in each county, the extent, methods, 

 and cost of improvements, and local opinions of the value of different methods 

 are given in tabular form, the bulletin being concluded by some information on 

 the use of road drags, methods of road construction, and cost data. 



The use of alcohol and gasoline in farm engines, C. E. Lucre and S. M. 

 Woodward ( T. <S'. Dcpf. Agr., Farmers' Bill. 277, pp. .'/O, figs. 12). — In response 

 to a widespread demand for informatio? on the adaptability of alcohol as a fuel 

 for use in internal-combustion engines used in farming operations, this Office 

 carried on a series of experiments with a twofold object: (1) To determine what 

 can be done with alcohol in existing engines and (2) to learn what changes in 

 the mechanism of the engine are necessary to secure the highest efficiency in 

 the use of alcohol as a fuel. The present bulletin is a popular discussion of 



