1032 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



examined during the year were as follows: Total nitrogen, 2.45; total 

 phosphoric acid, 10.G0; available phosphoric acid, 8.37; insoluble phos- 

 phoric acid, 2.32; potash, 5.3S per cent; station valuation, 810.90; sell- 

 ing price, $28.58; actual difference, $8.GS; percentage difference, 43. G 

 per cent. A comparison of these figures with similar data for previous 

 years (E. S. E., 0, p. 035) shows that the composition of the average fer- 

 tilizer has been remarkably uniform for the past 8 years. 



The average cost per pound of nitrogen in the samples (12) of nitrate 

 of soda examined was 12.33 cts. ; of sulphate of ammonia (1 sample), 

 14.02 cts.; dried blood (0 samples), 11.52 cts.; ground fish (0 samples), 

 11.54 cts.; and ground bone (15 samples), fine, 11.10, and coarse, 8.20 

 cts. The average cost per poui.a of available phosphoric acid in plain 

 superphosphate (15 analyses) was 3.34 cts. The average cost per pound 

 of potash in muriate of potash (12 samples) was 3.82 cts.; in kainit (3 

 samples), 4.04 cts. 



Virginia marls, W. B. Ellett and A. T. Eskridoe ( Virginia Six. 

 Bid. 78, pp. 65-70). — This bulletin reports analyses of 3G samples of 

 marl from different parts of Virginia, accompanied by a brief review of 

 the history of the use of marls in Virginia and a discussion of their value 

 as a fertilizer. The analyses are grouped in three classes : (1) Marls con- 

 taining upward of 20 per cent of lime (10 samples), (2) marls containing 

 over 1 per cent of phosphoric acid (12 samples), and (3) marls contain- 

 ing over 1 per cent of phosphoric acid (5 samples). "The analyses 

 make it clear that there are marls of high fertilizing value to be found 

 in some sections of the State." 



Investigations on the fertilizing value of carbon bisulphid, E. 

 Wollny (Vrtljschr. Bayer. Landw. Itiith., 1898, Xo. 3, pp. 319-312). — 

 This is an account of experiments in pots and in the field with a variety 

 of crops, extending over several years and designed to test not only the 

 direct, but the after-effect of carbon bisulphid. Two series of experi- 

 ments were made; one in which the bisulphid was applied during the 

 growing period of the plants and the other in which the bisulphid was 

 applied some months before the planting of the crops. The results 

 showed that in the former case the plants were either killed or their 

 growth checked and the yield reduced, while in the latter case the 

 yield was considerably increased. However, the yields the second or 

 third year, if no fertilizer was applied, were smaller on those soils which 

 had received the carbon bisulphid the previous year than on those 

 which had not received an application of this substance. The causes 

 of the peculiar action of the bisulphid were not explained by these 

 experiments. The activity of the nitrifying organisms of the soils and 

 of the organisms of the root tubercles of leguminous plants was 

 checked, but the organisms were not killed even by the use of consid- 

 erable quantities of bisulphid. The crops experimented with were 

 beans, peas, carrots, beets, potatoes, rye, maize, mixed grasses, flax, 

 clover, alfalfa, camelina, and rape. In the pot experiments 10 cc. of 

 carbon bisulphid was used in each - pot (containing 4.15 kg. of soil). 



