214 . EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



The floods of 1913 in the rivers of the Ohio and lower Mississippi valleys, 

 A. J. Heney (U. S. Dept. Agr., Weather Bwr. Bui. Z {1913), pp. 117, pis. 22, 

 figs. S). — This bulletin reports on the floods of March and April, 1913, in the 

 States of Ohio and Indiana and on the resulting floods in the Ohio and Mis- 

 sissippi rivers, comparesi these with floods of previous years, and gives a number 

 of tables, diagrams, and illustrations. 



The March, 1913, flood is attributed to the existing meteorological conditions 

 previously reported (E. S. R., 29, p. 510) which show that in the space of 72 

 hours 7.5 in. of rain fell. Conclusions as to flood frequency in the Ohio River 

 are that it " is primarily due to the distribution of precipitation as regards 

 both time and space, and that there is urgent need of accurate measurements 

 both of precipitation and stream flow for the next 50 years or longer before con- 

 clusions the one way or the other may be reached." 



, Detailed reports on the 1913 floods by districts are as follows : Precipitation 

 and Floods in Ohio, March, 1913, by J. W. Smith ; The Flood at Dayton, Ohio, 

 by H. C. Alps ; The Flood at McConnellsville, Ohio, by C. H. Morris ; Flood in 

 the White River of Indiana, March, 1913, by C. E. Norquest; Flood in the 

 Wabash River of Indiana, March, 1913, by W. R. Cade; Flood in the Illinois 

 River, by M. W. Hayes ; The Flood in the Ohio River in the Louisville District, 

 by F. J. Walz; The Flood in the Ohio River in the Evausville District, by 

 A. Brand; The Flood in the Mississippi River in the Memphis District, S. C. 

 Emery; The Floods in the Mississippi River in the Vicksburg District, W. E. 

 Barron; Floods in the Arkansas and White Rivers of Arkansas, by H. F. 

 Alciatore; Floods in the Mississippi River below Vicksburg, and in the 

 Atchafalaya River in the Spring of 1913, by I. M. Cline; The Flood in the 

 Hudson River, March, 1913, by G. T. Todd ; Floods in New York State, by R. E. 

 Horton; Supplemental Note on Frequency of Recurrence of Hudson River 

 Floods, by R. E. Horton ; and Floods in the Connecticut Valley and in Vermont, 

 March, 1913, by W. W. Neifert. 



The weather of the past agricultural year, F. J. Bkodie (Jour. Roy. Agr. 

 Soc. England, 74 (1913), pp. ^30-439).— The character of the season is described 

 and meteorological data relating to rainfall, temperature, and sunshine for dif- 

 ferent parts of the British Isles are reported. 



The effect of climate and weather on the soil, E. J. Russell (Jour. Roy. 

 Agr. Soc. England, 74 (1913), pp. 1-21, pis. 3, fig. i).— This article discusses the 

 effect of climate on the formation of the mineral framework of the soil and on 

 the organic matter of the soil; soil losses; the correlation of soil belts and 

 climatic zones; the effect of weather (seasonal variations) on the soil and 

 the crop ; and the means of overcoming the effetcs of a bad season. 



It is shown that climate plays a great part in determining the general char- 

 acter of the soil as regards both its mineral framework and its organic con- 

 stituents, but that the general character may be modifled considerably from 

 year to year by variations of season or weather. The ways in which this is 

 done are considered in some detail. The three groups of injurious effects of a 

 bad season considered are (1) injury to the texture of the soil, (2) interfer- 

 ence with the preparation of available plant food, and (3) loss of nitrate. 

 Systematic catch cropping or green manuring is suggested as a hopeful method 

 of overcoming these difficulties. 



Water conservation, W. McCulloh (New Haven, Conn., and London, 1913, 

 pp. X+99, pis. 22, figs. IS). — This consists of a set of lectures on water storage 

 conservation, discussing (1) basic data essential to a comprehensive study of 

 water storage, (2) water power, (3) water storage for water supplies, sani- 

 tation, and irrigation, and (4) the water resources of New York State. 



