586 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



District, Government Elvaterinoslav, on tlie influence of irrigation on the life 

 of cereals. 



Some of the main conclusions are as follows: (1) Too heavy soils should 

 not be irrigated before the coming up of the seeds, since the crust forming after 

 the irrigation hinders this process. (2) In the cultivation of root crops the 

 careful mellowing of the soil between the rows is very important after irriga- 

 tion. (3) Plants irrigated at the end of a period of drought give a poorer 

 yield than plants irrigated at the beginning. (4) For summer cereals 2 Irriga- 

 tions are suflicient — before stool ing and before heading — provided the weather 

 during the vegetation period is favorable for growth; for winter cereals 3 irri- 

 gations are necessary — 1 in the fall and 2 in the spring; and fodder plants — 

 alfalfa, clover, esparcet, and root crops — as well as flax and hemp, require 3 to 

 4 irrigations. (5) The amount of water required for one irrigation fluctuates 

 between 450 to 1,800 cu. ft. per acre, varying with the soil, plant, and' 

 weathei'. 



Swamp and overflowed lands in the United States, J. O. Wright (U. S. 

 Dei)t. Agr., Office Expt. Stas. Circ. 76. pp. 23, pJ. 1 ) . — This circular describes the 

 cession of the swamp lands of the United States by the Federal Government to 

 the respective States within which the lands are situated ; gives the results of a 

 canvass from which it is estimated that there are in the eastern portion of the 

 United States 77,000,000 acres of swamp lauds that can be reclaimed and made 

 fit for cultivation ; discusses the fertility of wet lands and the cost of reclaiming 

 them ; gives some history of early attempts at drainage in this country ; dis- 

 cusses the legal phases of organization for drainage improvements, the pro- 

 cedure to be followed in inaugurating the work, and methods of assessing and 

 collecting the cost of the work; and compares the different State laws which 

 have been adopted for this purpose. A map shows t)ie distribution of swamp 

 land in the eastern portion of the United States. 



Thrashing by electricity, G. Coupan and Vuaillet (Bui. Soc. Nat. Agr. 

 France, 67 (1907), No. 7, pp. 637-6.'i2; abs. in Rev. Gen. Agron., n. ser., 2 (1907), 

 No. 9, pp. 360, 361). — Tests of efficiency and economy of electric power for 

 thrashing wheat are reported. 



RURAL ECONOMICS. 



Is rural depopulation on the decrease? (Braiinsclnrcig. Lamliv. Ztg., 75 

 (1907), No. 33, pp. 1^5, l.'i6). — This is a discussion of the question as applied 

 to the whole of Germany, and the losses in population from rural districts for 

 definite periods are given as follows : From 1882-1895, average annual decrease 

 209,000; from 1895-1900, 496,000; and from 1900-1904, 270,000. These figures 

 are regarded as indicating no cessation of the movement of the people from 

 the land to the cities, and it is claimed that this tendency, more than any 

 imaginary conflict between large and small capitalists, is constantly augmenting 

 the ranks of the proletarians in the large industrial centers of Germany. 



The agrarian question in Ireland at the beginning of the twentieth cen- 

 tury, E. Bechaux (La Question Agraire en Irlande au Conimencenient du 

 Yingiieme Siecle. Paris, 1906, pp. 472; rev. in Polit. Sci Quart., 22 (1907), 

 No. 3, pp. 52^-526). — This book deals with the history of the agrarian move- 

 ment in Ireland and its economic and social effects. 



The author traces the development of the Irish land-tenure system from its 

 origin to the present century and describes the efforts made by the British 

 government to ameliorate the condition of Irish agricultural laborers, particular 

 stress being laid on the law of 1903 which, as applied to agriculture, is charac- 

 terized as a law of " social and economic reconstruction." The reason so many 



