722 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



same volume of water at the time of planting- and during the early- 

 period of growth, when transpiration is very low, that is required by 

 the cane later in development, incurs a great loss of water and of soil 

 constituents that the water removes." 



The fertilization of cultivated legumes, C. Fruwirth (Ueber 

 BefrucMungsverhaltnisse bei Siilsenfriichten. Plieningen: FriedricJi 

 Find, 1898, pp. 50). — The floral biology of the cultivated legumes in 

 general is discussed and a detailed study according to the methods of 

 Darwin, Herman Midler, and Delpino is made of about 30 species of 

 economic importance, and notes given on adaptation to cross fertiliza- 

 tion and on insect visitors. Three brief series of experiments were per- 

 formed to determine to what extent cross fertilization is necessary for 

 each species, (1) legumes grown in the field being covered with netting, 

 (2) single plants grown in an inclosed space, and (3) single flowers in 

 the field covered. The results of these experiments are given in the 

 individual discussion of each species. Various notes on order of open- 

 ing of the inflorescence, crossing, and setting of fruit are interspersed. 

 These investigations developed the fact that in most species of legumes 

 self-fertilization takes place quite readily. It was found that a rela- 

 tively small setting of fruit in many species is not due so much to lack 

 of insect visitors as to exceptional causes. Covering the plants does 

 not exclude small creeping insects, and probably these are important 

 agents in cross fertilization. Of those species in which self fertilization 

 could not be demonstrated much less fruit set on covered plants than 

 on others. 



Alinit, Gerlach (Chem. Ztg., 22 {1898), No. 77, p. 789).— A brief 

 abstract of a paper read before the German Association of Naturalists 

 and Physicians. An examination of samples of this material showed 

 that instead of being a pure culture, as is claimed, various organisms 

 were present, among which are mentioned a bacillus similar to the hay 

 bacillus, a sarcina, a species of red yeast, and an organism similar to 

 the potato bacillus. 



Culture experiments were undertaken to test the effect of this sub- 

 stance in growing barley, rye, wheat, and white mustard, but no improve- 

 ment due to the inoculating substance was found. In the discussion 

 following the reading of tlie paper, Tacke, Wilfarth, and Nobbe, agreed 

 with the author that Alinit was without beneficial effect in aiding in 

 the nitrogen assimilation of cereals, etc. 



Experiments with Nitragin, E. Wollny ( Vrtljschr. Bayer. Landw. 

 Rath., 3 (1898), No. 2, pp. 171-184). — The author concludes from his inves- 

 tigations that soil inoculation with Nitragin or material from fields 

 where leguminous crops have been successfully grown gives little or no 

 increased yield in humus soils. Upon poor soils and especially upon 

 sandy soils inoculation may prove successful, but similar or even more 

 striking results might have been obtained with fertilizers. Inoculation 

 where yellow lupiues, serradella, or other calcifugous Leguininosre are 



