SOILS — FERTILIZERS. 723 



with sterilized than with untreated night soil on both normal and sterilized 

 soil. 



Report of Leteensuo Moor Experiment Station, 1912, E. F. Simola (Finslca 

 Mosskiiltiirfor. Arsbok, JG (1[)12), No. 1, pp. 92-116, figs. 9).— A descripiton is 

 given of the station and its equipment, and brief mention is made of the 

 fertilizer trials and other experiments in progress. 



Report of the South Oesterbotten Moor Experiment Station, 1912, A. E. 

 Rautakoski {Finska MosskuUurfor. Arsbok, 16 {1912), No. 1, pp. 117~l.'i7, 

 figs. 10). — A report similar to that of tlie Leteensuo Moor Experiment Station 

 referred to above. 



The nitrate of soda industry of Chile, B. D. Ossa {Orig. Cominitn. 8. Inter- 

 nat. Cong. Appl. C'ltcni. [Washington and Xcic York], 2 {1912), Sect. II, pp. 

 187-20-i, figs. 10). — This article contains substantially the same information 

 given in a previous article which has already been noted (E. S. R., 24. p. ;")26). 



The author concludes that the Chilean nitrate deposits are capable of fur- 

 nishing all of the nitrogen required by the world for a century. The technique 

 of the industry is being developed and improved so that the price of nitrogen 

 in nitrate of soda can be still further reduced. 



The use of nitrate of soda in commercial fertilizers, C. S. Catiicart {New 

 Jersey Stas. Rpt. 1910, pp. ///-.'/8). — The essential features of this article have 

 been noted from another source ( E. S. II., 25, p. 120). 



The availability of nitrog'enous materials as measured by ammonification, 

 J. G. LiPiiAN, P. E. Bkown, and I. L. Owen {New Jersey titus. Rpt. 1910, pp. 

 121-182). — The availability of nitrogen in dried blood, tankage, ground fish, 

 corn meal, rice, wheat, and rye flours, cotton-seed meal, linseed meal, cowpea 

 meal, and soy-bean meal was measured by vegetation experiments and de- 

 termined by ammonia formation under different conditions by the following 

 method : 



"A large quantity of air-dry, silt loam was sifted and thoroughly mixed 

 so as to furnish a uniform medium for bacterial growth. One hundred gm. 

 quantities of this soil were placed in tumblers, the nitrogenous material 

 was added and carefully mixed with the soil, and the latter was then moistened 

 with a quantity of water or fresh soil infusion, sufficient to establish optimum 

 moisture conditions. The tumblers were covered with Petri dish covers and 

 kept in the incut)ator at 27° C for a definite period. Subsequently the differ- 

 ent soil portions were transferred to copper flasks, about 200 cc. of water 

 and mague.sia were added, and the ammonia was distilled off and titrated 

 against standard hydrochloric acid." 



The availability of the nitrogen of the vegetable substances was also de- 

 termined by their rate of nitrification. In general the results of the nitrifi- 

 cation experiments were in agreement with those of the ammonification ex- 

 periments. "Both methods distinguished between available and unavailable 

 nitrogen comjwunds in so far as the micro-organisms as well as the higher 

 plants are concerned. They possess, therefore, a direct value for both ex- 

 perimental and control work." 



In experiments with combinations of i>eat and dried blood it was found 

 that "the nitrogen compounds in the peat were so inert as to be scarcely 

 affected in their decomposition by the presence of readily assimilable nitrogen 

 compounds. On the other hand, the latter were unfavorably affected by the 

 peat, for they furnished less nitrogen to the plants when the peat was mixed 

 with them." 



The method was found to be applicable to the determination of the avail- 

 ability of nitrogen in mixed substances and complete fertilizers. 

 67421°— No. S— 13 -c5 



