SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 123 



and consumption of peat in the United States and the preparation and use of 

 peat fuel in Europe. 



It is stated that the output of peat fuel in the United States in 1912 was 

 1,300 tons. The production for use as fertilizer was 41,080 tons. Approxi- 

 mately 3,000 tons was used for mixing with prepared stock foods, and 2,000 

 tons for the production of paper stock. The total production for all purposes 

 was 47,380 tons. The imports, mainly peat stable litter from Holland, amounted 

 to 9,058 tons. 



Besults of drilling- manures in Hungary, C. Kerpely {Internat. Inst. Agr. 

 [Rome'], Mo. Bui. A\r;r. Intel, and Plant Diseases, // {1913), No. 11, pp. 1696- 

 1103). — The results of experiments on farms in different parts of Hungary in 

 comparing the effect of drilling and broadcasting superphosphate and other fer< 

 tilizing materials on winter wheat and rye, spring barley, oats, wheat, and 

 sugar beets are summarized in this article. 



It was found, as a rule, that drilling was more effective than broadcasting 

 in Increasing the yield and was more economical of fertilizer. No injurious 

 effect on germination was observed even when quantities as large as 232 lbs. 

 per acre of superphosphate were drilled in with the seed in both wet and dry 

 seasons, although the superiority of drilling was more pronounced in the dry 

 season. The yield of both straw and grain and the quality of the grain was 

 improved by drilling. 



The beneficial effect of drilling was especially marked in the case of sugar 

 beets. In cases in which sugar beets did not respond at all to broadcast ferti- 

 lizing a small quantity of the fertilizers drilled with the seed was very 

 effective. With this crop sodium nitrate and potash salts were used in addi- 

 tion to supei-phosphate. An injurious effect of the nitrate was observed only 

 when it was used in amounts exceeding 93 lbs. per acre. Moderate applica- 

 tions of potash salts applied in the drill had no injurious effect on germina- 

 tion and were more effective than broadcast applications. Drill applications 

 did not decrease the sugar content of the beets, but on the contrary in some 

 cases increased it. 



It is stated that the results were so convincing that it is probable that the 

 system of fertilizing in the drill will be generally adopted in agricultural prac- 

 tice in Hungary. 



Experimental results obtained of recent years by the section of agricul- 

 tural chemistry of the Central Agricultural Experiment Station of Stock- 

 holm, H. G. SoDERBAUM (Internat. Inst. Agr. [Rome], Mo. Bill. Agr. Intel, and 

 Plant Diseases, 4 {1913), No. 11, pp. 1677-1681) .—A brief review is given of 

 experiments with nitrogenous, phosphatic, and miscellaneous fertilizing mate- 

 rials which have been noted from time to time in the Record. 



Do fertilizer salts have an influence in forming soil crusts? H. Hessleb 

 {Besteht ein Einfluss der Diingesalze auf die Verkrustimgf Diss. Univ. 

 Gissen, 1912, pp. .)/)• — ^The coherence was determined of cylinders of soil of 

 different chemical and physical properties which had been mixed with solu- 

 tions of varying strengths of sodium nitrate, salt, kainit, 40 per cent potash 

 salt, and sylviu, as well as with ix>tash and soda solution and tap and dis- 

 tilled water, and then dried at 70° C. 



As a rule the salts tested increased the coherence of the soil, the most active 

 in this respect being salt, followed in descending order by sodium nitrate, 

 sylvin, kainit, and potash. The effect of the salts varied widely with the char- 

 acter of the soil, being especially dependent upon the size of the soil particles 

 and the proportion of colloid substances present. 



50128°— No. 2—14 3 



