636 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Cultivation of ramie in foreign countries (Spec. [U. S.~] Consular Bpts., 15 

 (1898), pp. 111-130). — Reports are given by the United States consuls on the culti- 

 vation of ramie at Amoy, Chefoo, Chungking, Fuchau, and Hankau, China; Calcutta, 

 India; Yokohama, Japan ; Seoul, Korea; Jamaica, and Guatemala. 



Sugar beets, W. A. Withers (North Carolina Sta. Spec. Bui. 49, folio). — Direc- 

 tions for growing sugar beets, given with a view to conducting cooperative culture 

 experiments. 



Sugar-beet investigations, J. L. Stone, L. A. Clinton, G. C. Caldwell, et al. 

 (New York Cornell Sta. Rpt. 1S9S, pp. 493-574, figs. 9).— A reprint of Bulletin 143 

 of the station (E. S. R., 10, p. 143). 



Notes on field experiments -with tobacco in Massachusetts, 1893-1896, 

 C. A. Goessmann (Massachusetts Hatch Sta. Bpt. 1897, pp. 128-136). — The experiments 

 are briefly described and the results tabulated. These experiments were reported 

 in a former bulletin of the station (E. S. R., 9, p. 345). 



Winter oats, Schacht (Deut. Landw. Bresse, 25 (1898), No. 73, p. 789).— Practical 

 notes on growing winter oats with reference to seed and fertilizers. 



Variations in the water content of shelled corn (Deut. Landw. Bresse, 25 

 (1898), No. 9S, p. 1017). — The quality of the grain, the weather, and the methods of 

 storing are given as the factors which influence the water content. The variations 

 in the water content for each month are given. It is stated that considering the 

 normal water content of Hungarian varieties of corn to be 12 per cent, their starch 

 content varies from 57 to 65 per cent. 



Experiments with alinit, 0. Lehmann (Deut. Landw. Bresse, 25 (1898), No. 85, pp. 

 905,900). — Oats aud barley were inoculated with alinit before sowing and the effect 

 of alinit as a fertilizer compared witli that of nitrate of soda. The oats plats 

 received a general application of kainit and Thomas slag, and the barley plats 

 received combinations of Thomas slag, quicklime, and kainit, in addition to alinit 

 or nitrate of soda. The results show that alinit failed to increase the yield of either 

 crop perceptibly, while nitrate of soda in both cases gave an increase in yield in 

 proportion to the amount applied. 



Two tests of alinit, J. Lutoslawski (Deut. Landw. Bresse, 25 (1898), No. 87, p. 

 920). — Seed wheat was inoculated with alinit and the resultiug crop compared with 

 wheat grown from uninoculated seed. The tests were made by two different parties. 

 In one case the inoculated seed gave a smaller and in the other a larger yield than 

 the uninoculated seed. 



Concerning alinit, Salfeld (Deut. Landw. Bresse, 25 (1898), No. 91, p. 963).— A 

 note stating that quicklime applied as a fertilizer is not detrimental to the action 

 of alinit or inoculating soils. 



Alinit, V. Alpe (Brog. Agr. et Tit., 30 (1898), No. 51, pp. 739-741).— The author 

 quotes the investigations of a number of experimenters with this substance and con- 

 cludes it is probably without practical value. Comparing it with nitrate of soda as 

 a fertilizer the yield of rye was 3 times as great where soda was used as where alinit 

 was employed. Dr. Gerlach is quoted as having found it, instead of a pure culture 

 as is claimed, a mixture of at least 5 distinct species of bacteria. 



HORTICULTURE. 



Fertilizers for garden crops, W. P. Brooks (Massachusetts Hatch 

 Sta. Rpt. 1897, pp. 23-26). — This is a report of an experiment with peas, 

 beets, squashes, and celery to compare sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of 

 soda, aud dried blood as sources of nitrogen, and sulphate of potash 

 with muriate of potash as sources of potash. Phosphoric acid was 

 furnished in all cases in the form of dissolved boueblack. The fertili- 

 zers in each case supplied phosphoric acid at the rate of 50.4 lbs., nitro- 



