116 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



7, fi(;s. .',). — This paper "outlines the general characteristics of surface waters 

 in Minnesota and the various factors that tend to modify the (luality of the 

 drainage. It includes the results of nearly two years' field and laboratory 

 work done by the United States Geological purvey in cooperation with the 

 Minnesota State board of health. First the general features, both natural and 

 economic, that influence the quality of the meteoric water and impart to the 

 lakes and streams their essential characteristics are reviewed. Next each drain- 

 age area is considered in detail, the streams are described, the sources of pollu- 

 tion are discussed, and the results of chemical analyses and bacteriological 

 examinations are given. Statistics are in-esented regarding practically all of the 

 municipal water supplies in the State and the relative value of the surface and 

 groimd waters for general consumption is discussed. At the end is a description 

 of the laboratory methods employed in tlie chemical and bacteriological work." 



Pollution of Illinois and Mississippi rivers by Chicago sewage, M. O. 

 Leighton ( U. S. Geol. Survey. Water-Siitrply and Irrig. Paper 19.), pp. 369, t>ls. 

 2, figs. 5). — This is a digest of the testimony taken in the case of the State of 

 Missouri v. the State of Illinois and the sanitary district of Chicago, together 

 with the full text of the decision of the Supreme Court on this subject. 



The problem of potable water, E. A. Martel { Prcs.se Med. [Paris], 1907, 

 No. 28, pp. 217-220, figs. J/). — This article discusses the sources of water supply 

 for Paris, subterranean waters in limestone or chalk, wells and water levels, 

 effect of droughts and deforesting, microbiology of the waters, temperature, 

 protection against pollution, purification, and sterilization. 



Water supply and sewage disposal in France (Rec. Hyg. Pub., 35 {1905), 

 pp. 386-.>i66, 635-731). — The character of the water supply and methods of 

 sewage disposal in various towns in France are described in a series of reports 

 to the consulting commission cf public hygiene of France, with detailed tabular 

 statements of chemical and bacteriological examinations, the interpretation of 

 the results of analyses of water, and tests of methods of purification. 



Sewage irrigation at Paris (Rev. 8ci. [Paris], 5. ser., 7 (1907), No. 21, p. 

 666). — This is a note on a recent report to the French Minister of Agriculture 

 on work in the Commune of Acheres. The amount of sewage is increasing 

 beyond the capacity of the area to dispose of it, and a large extension of the 

 area or the introduction of other methods of purification are considered 

 imperative. 



SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 



The influence of soil on vegetation, H. Frickhinger (Ber. Naturir. Ver. 

 Schirabcn u. Neuburg, 37 {1901,-5), pp. 2.'i7-277). — Previous observations on the 

 relation between the character of soils and the vegetation growing on them are 

 briefly reviewed, the importance of mineral matter for plants, with a compila- 

 tion of analyses of typical rocks and minerals from which soils are derived, is 

 discussed, and experiments with 17 so-called silica-loving and lime-loving plants 

 are reported. The soils used were: (1) That in which the plants were found 

 growing naturally; (2) coarse-grained weathered dolomite; (3) a mixture of 

 quartz and weathered gneiss, and (4) a mixture of humus, calcareous loam, and 

 quartz. The plants experimented with were : Spergula arvcnsis, Lycopsis 

 arvensis, Veronica rerita, Sclcranthus annuus, 8. pcrennis, Sarotliamnus vulgaris, 

 Sagina procumbens, Gypsopliila muralis, Farsetia incana. Digitalis purpurea, 

 Helichrysuin arenarium, Arabis liirsuta, Laserpitium latiforium, L. siler, Coro- 

 nilla moniuna. Erysimum cheiranthoides. and Agrostemma githago. 



The results show that a small content of silica and calcium carbonate in the 

 soils did not prevent the plant roots from obtaining the necessary amounts of 



