354 



labor between the two, the Dresden Station has more to do with the 

 application of the results of abstract inquiry. Accordingly for some 

 time to come the box experiments are to be devoted to the study of the 

 accumuhition of nitrogen in soil in which leguminous plants (in this 

 case lupines) are grown. The purpose is tx) make an accurate practi- 

 cal test of the teachings of late experimental inquiry regarding the 

 ac(]iiisition of atmospheric nitrogen by the aid of bacteria. Two kinds 

 of soil are to be used, one sandy, the other a loam, each in ten boxes. 

 As the i)urpose is to investigate as thorouglily as may be the changes 

 in nitrogen content of the soil in the presence of the plants, it is desira- 

 ble to use soil in which no plants have grown. Accordingly in taking 

 the samples for experiment the surface soil is removed as far down as 

 the roots of the plants upon it extend and tlie soil below is used. 

 For trials with each soil two rows of boxes, with live in each row, will be 

 used. One row will be treated with extract from a soil in which lujjincs 

 have grown, while the other will be left without this treatment, in or<lcr 

 to oltscrvc the ctt'ccts of inoculation. Mhich has been lately observed to 

 produce such remarkable effects upon the gr(>wth of Icgnnu's and the 

 acquisition of nitrogen. Analyses of the soil will be made at the out- 

 set and from time to tiiiu^ during the ])rogrcss of the research, and the 

 amcmnts of water supplied and removed, the comi>osition of the drain- 

 age wat«r, and the amounts and composition of the ]U()duce wdl be 

 (h'tei-miued. The data thus obtained, together with tin* meteorological 

 and other observations made in connection willi the experinu'Uts, will 

 give the desired statistics of the gain and loss of nitrogen. If the 

 investigation meets with the suci-ess which is hoped loj-, it will throw 

 light upon one of the most imi)ortant]>rol)leins in agricultural science. — 

 [W. O. A.j 



Concerning the fermentation of tobacco, E. Suchsland ( /w r. <1. 

 dcuf. hoi. (its.. H (/>.''/). jij). ;.'/->/i. — This is a pieliininary report of 

 investigations made by the autii(»r untler the jtersonal direction of 

 ]*rofessor Zo])f. The autlior e\i)Iains that a \er> important i)art in the 

 curing of tobacco is its ferm«'ntati()n, which (»ccins during the jtrocess 

 known as bulking. The cured tobaccf* is ])acked closely together in 

 large ]>iles, and after a longer or short<'r time. «lepending upon the 

 amount of moisture tlu' tobacco coniaius.the mass heats, the toba<'co is 

 said to '' sweat,'' and the aromatic an<l other <'om|>ounds which con- 

 tribute to the taste and odor of the leaf and give it tone, are fornu'd. 

 It was to study these changes and to disc<»\ «'r if jtossible the organisms 

 belie\e«l to be the «'ause of the fermentatitui that the author made the 

 investigations here icported. The results of his work, which are (»nly 

 given in brief, he believes to be of considerable ])ractical interest. 

 Tobacco from Havana, St. Domingo, Kentucky, Brazil, Turkey, Greece, 

 Kussia, Alsace Lorraiiu\ and other parts of lMiroi>e was studied, and in 

 all cases large quantities of bacteria were found on the fernu'uting 

 material, although the number of forms was small — usually only two or 



