FIELD CROPS. 731 



industrial works, tlie author states tliat pines, especially the younger ones in 

 the ueighboihood, showed a progressive diminution in growth, attributable to 

 gas and smoke. 



Soil bacteriology, C. M. Hutchinson (Rpt. Agr. Research Inst, and Col. 

 Pusa, 1912-13, pp. 83-90). — This is a part of the more general report of the 

 bacteriologist, and deals, as the principal subject of inquiry, with the nitrogen 

 supply in the soil as affected by the intervention of bacteria. 



Azotobacter was found in all Indian soils examined, pure cultures exhibiting 

 nitrogen-fixing power very similar to that from European strains, and its physio- 

 logical activity depending upon the supplies of water, air, lime, and especially 

 of carbohydrate food. Successful use of a green manure crop was found to 

 depend almost entirely upon the rainfall after turning under the crop. Field 

 experiments with green manure in 1912-13 showed no increase from the plats 

 tested, but in some cases a decided falling off. The nitrate formed from buried 

 tissues increased for eight weeks provided the soil water supply was kept up to 

 at least 16 per cent, but decreased thereafter. 



A new medium for the quantitative determination of bacteria in soil, H. J. 

 Conn (Science, n. so:, 39 (WW, No. 1012, pp. 763, 76^).— As a result of com- 

 parative tests of an asparaginate agar containing chemicals of known composi- 

 tion, a soil extract gelatin, and three special media for soil work proposed by 

 Fischer (E. S. R., 22, p. 723), and by Lipman and Brown ( E. S. R., 22, p. 723), 

 the asparaginate agar is highly recommended. " The only medium which seems 

 better, either in respect to count or to the colony differentiation, is soil-extract 

 gelatin ; and because of the addition of soil extract this gelatin is not one that 

 can be readily duplicated. The only one of the media investigated which gives a 

 higher count than either of these is Fischer's soil-extract agar, which does not 

 allow good colony differentiation." 



Flora of southeastern Washington and adjacent Idaho, C V. Pipee and 

 R. K. Beattie (Lancaster, Pa., 191 Jf, pp. XI-\-296, pi. 1). — This is an extension 

 of the flora of the Palouse Region published by the authors in 1901 (E. S. R., 

 13, p. 620). The area covered by this new edition has been enlarged so as to 

 include about a half dozen counties of eastern and southeastern Washington and 

 parts of three counties in Idaho. The list of species given is 1,139, an increase 

 of 476 over that of the previous publication. 



Mistletoe in Great Britain and Ireland, C. voN Ttjbexjf (Naturw. Ztschr. 

 Forst u. Landw., 12 (1914), No. 5, pp. 211-214). — This is a brief discussion with 

 a list of occurrences of mistletoe on oaks in England from 1857 to the present 

 time. 



Mistletoe in England, W. Somerville (Naturw. Ztschr. Forst u. Landw., 12 

 (1914), ^0. 5, pp. 207-211). — This is a condensed account of observations by 

 15 persons reporting from as many places in England on cases of parasitism, 

 natural or artificially induced, by mistletoe on various hosts named, with a list 

 of trees which appear not to be attacked. 



FIELD CROPS. 



[Field experiments], J. M. Scott (Florida Sta. Rpt. 1913, pp. XIX-XXTI).— 

 In a four-year fertilizer experiment with Japanese cane, the use of sulphate 

 of potash gave an average increased yield of 0.9 ton per acre over that of 

 muriate of potash; sulphate of ammonia an increased yield of 1.1 tons per 

 acre over dried blood; dried blood and muriate of potash an increased yield of 

 1.56 tons per acre over muriate of potash and acid phosphate ; ground limestone 

 an increase of 2.99 tons per acre; and dried blood and muriate of potash an 

 increase of 3.19 tons per acre over dried blood and acid phosphate. There was 



