532 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



and Schneidewind (E. S. R., 8, pp. 761,873; 9, p. 738) is discussed. It is claimed that 

 the denitrifying action of manure and litter in the soil is insignificant unless these 

 materials are applied in excessive amounts. 



Soil bacteria -with special reference to soil inoculation, R. S. MacDoi'call 

 (Tram. Hot. Soc. Edinlurg, 1898, pp. 25-40). 



Some features of bacterial life in the soil, C. Lov£n (Landtmannen, 9 (1S9S), 

 No. 24, pp. 880-383; 25, pp. 397-401). 



FERTILIZERS. 



The home-mixing of fertilizers, C. E. Thorne (Ohio Sta. Bui. 93, 

 pp. 269-289). — This bulletin discusses, iu a popular maimer, the follow- 

 ing topics: The chemistry of fertilizers; carriers of nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid, and potash ; the manufacture of fertilizers — the object of acidula- 

 tion, the acidulation of tankage; the fertilizer trade ; does home-mixing 

 save only the cost of mixing; some objections to home-mixing; and the 

 valuation of fertilizers. An account is also given of an experiment in 

 which a comparison was made " of a few standard brands of factory- 

 mixed fertilizers with home mixtures, made from tankage, acid phos- 

 phate, and muriate of potash, in such manner as to duplicate, as nearly 

 as possible, the percentage composition in ammonia, available and total 

 phosphoric acid, and potash claimed for the proprietary brands." 



"The experiment was located at the northeastern substation, the soil of which is 

 the heavy, white clay of that region. ... A tract of apparently uniform land was 

 selected and divided into three sections of 20 plats each, . . . the plats containing 

 one-twentieth acre each, and a rotation was planned to include the three crops — 

 corn, wheat, and clover, to follow each other in a 3-year course. To start the rota- 

 tion [the first and second], sections Avere planted in corn and [the third] section was 

 sown in soja beans, in order to have a leguminous crop preceding the corn crop of the 

 second year. [The first and second] sections were both fertilized according to plan, 

 thus giving a duplicate test the first year. This proved to be the more important, 

 as [the first] section was found to be in much poorer condition than [the second] 

 section, the latter section having grown clover the previous season." 



While the season was unfavorable to the growth of corn, the results 

 obtained "show as conclusively as a single season's work can show 

 that there is no superiority in the factory-mixed fertilizer over the home 

 mixture of equivalent composition, while the cost of the fertilizer is 

 largely reduced by home mixing." 



Bone . superphosphate, F. Poquillon (Monit. Set., 12 (1898), 

 pp. 408, 409; abs. in Jour. Soc. Ghem. Ind,, 17 (1898), No. 7, pp. 679, 

 680). — It is shown that the determination of nitrogen can not be relied 

 upon to distinguish between bone superphosphate and mineral super- 

 phosphate in cases where the latter are combined with nitrogenous 

 matter. The author found that when bones which had been treated 

 with hot water, carbon bisulphid, or light petroleum were converted 

 into superphosphate by treatment with acid an additional amount of 

 fat was set free. In superphosphate made from bones treated with hot 

 water the amount of fat was from 10 to 12 per cent and from bones 

 treated with petroleum 6.5 per cent of the phosphoric acid. Fat deter- 

 minations in the nitrogenous substances which are likely to be combined 



