W ATE R SOILS. 129 



The plants experimented with were black and white mustard, beets, 

 mangel-wurzels, rape, carrots, white lupines, common bean, Windsor 

 bean, winter vetch, crimson clover, alfalfa, pearl millet, wheat, maize, 

 oats, and barley. The results show that all the cruciferous plants and 

 clovers succumbed at once to the acid. Although certain of the legu 

 minous plants and Graminese made considerable growth, only pearl 

 millet reached normal development. "Its growth was steady and 

 quite normal as compared with a plat of millet growing in a held near 

 by, which it actually exceeded in development." 



Soil humus, E. F. Ladd {Xorth Dakota Sta. Bui. 32, pp. 272-276).— 

 A brief explanation is given of "what is meant by the term soil humus 

 and iu what way its presence in the soil is beneficial," based in part 

 upon results of the author's own investigations and in part on results 

 obtained at other stations. "The average of fifty-four determinations 

 gave 13.79 per cent of organic matter for North Dakota soils and 4.55 

 per cent of humus." In eight analyses of North Dakota soils 41 per 

 cent of the phosphates was found in the humus, the proportion ranging 

 from 10 to 91 per cent. From 46 to 80 per cent of the total nitrogen 

 was found in the humus, the average proportion being 61 per cent. 



The objects and methods of soil analysis, E. W. Hilgard (Proc. 

 Soc. Prom. Agr. Sci., 1897, pp. 20-25). — This is a plea for the complete 

 analysis (at least for the determination of lime, magnesia, iron, and 

 soluble silica in addition to nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash) of 

 the strong acid solution of soils. It is claimed that analysis must not 

 only show whether "nitrogen, phosphoric acid, or potash are deficient 

 or abundant, but it must also show what, from the general character of 

 the soil, is the form in which these substances should be applied, and 

 in what manner." This information can be obtained only by the deter- 

 mination of other constituents besides nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and 

 potash. 



It is questioned whether the sulphuric-acid method proposed by Goss 

 has any advantages over the nitric acid method heretofore practiced. 

 The use of dilute hydrochloric acid for determining available potash 

 and phosphoric acid in soils, as proposed by Goss, is believed to be a 

 promising method. 



"The remarkable effect of calcium chlorid, however, causes me to suggest that 

 the effect of neutralization would, in the case of HC1, be quite different from that of 

 citric acid, so far as potash is concerned; for in many cases the amount of calcium 

 chlorid formed by neutralization will greatly exceed in its effects that of the HC1 

 itself, and it would therefore seem that as a general reagent for the determination of 

 available potash the latter is unavailable for the great majority of soils." 



Drinking waters, E. F. Ladd (North Dakota Sta. Bui. 32, pp. 267-270) .—The total 

 solids and sodium chlorid in twenty samples of artesian water and complete mineral 

 analyses of three of the samples are reported, with notes on the interpretation of 

 results of water analyses. 



The underground waters of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado, G. K. 

 Gilbert ( U. S. Geol. Survey Bpt. 17, pt. 2, pp. 551-601; aos. in Tech. Quart., 11 {1898), 

 No. 1, Rev. Chem., p. 23). 



