662 



Dr. Loges, director of the Posen Station, rejiorts that out of 30 samples of rape 

 cake meal examined only 6 were found pure. The remainder contained either no 

 rape or only .such small amounts that they could not properly be termed rape cake 

 meal. Wild radish seed was the principal adulterant found. 



Beets for eeeding. — Herr Simons, a farmer near Cologne, is reported (Sachs, 

 landw. Zeitsch., 1892, p. 68) to have succeeded by continued selection in considerably 

 increasing the percentages of sugar and of dry matter in the ordinary field beet used 

 for feeding cattle. Two varieties have been produced, Simons, Lanker and Simons, 

 Ovoide des Herres. These contain over 11 per cent of sugar and only 82.2 per cent 

 of water, as compared with 8-9 per cent of sugar and 88 per cent of water in the 

 varieties commonly grown for feeding. The improved varieties are said to equal the 

 older varieties in yield, and resemble the sugar beet in form. An analysis of the 

 Lanker showed, besides the sugar, 4.58 per cent of nitrogen-free extract, 0.1 per cent 

 of fat, 1 per cent of protein, and 0.8 per cent of ash in the fi-esh material. Simons 

 recommends manuring for beets with barnyard manure to which ground bone has 

 been added, but not with nitrate of soda, which he says is disadvantageous to the 

 'production of food material and to keeping quality of the roots. 



Cooperative expeiuments in tobacco culture. — In accordance with an invi- 

 tation from the German Potash Syndicate, representatives of the Governments of 

 Prussia, Bavaria, Wiirtemberg, Baden, Hess, and Alsace-Lorraine, including in most 

 cases the directors of experiment stations in the several states, and of the German 

 Agricultural Society, the Mannheim Tobacco Union, and the German Pota.sh Syndi- 

 cate, met in conference at Carlsruhe, Baden, December 14, 1891, to consider the (|ne8- 

 tion of inaugurating a series of cooi)erative experiments on tobacco culture. After 

 a protracted discussion the following articles were agreed upon: 



(1) The experiments are all to be made on one general plan, the details of which 

 are to be worked out by a special commission previous to the beginning of the 

 experiments. 



(2) The cost of each individual experiment is to be borne by the State or society 

 under the auspices of which it is conducted. There is to be no centralization of 

 funds for this purpose. 



(3) The exj)eriments are to commence in the sj)riug of 1892 and continue for 4 

 successive years. 



(4) A central oflice is to be establislietl, the duty of which sliuU be to purchase 

 seeds and fertilizing materials for and at the expense of the individual exjierimen- 

 ters; have general supervisioii of all the experiments; test the tobacco pro<luced as 

 to (]uality, commercial value, and chemical composition; and to collect data at dif- 

 ferent stages of each experiment, compile them, and send copies to the coiiperators. 



(5) The expense of su)>)iortiiig lliis central oflice is to be borne by the Pota.sh Syn- 

 dicate up to 3.3(X) marks ($825) per year; beyond this the syndicate pays 10 per 

 cent and the Italanco is to be made up by an assessment of the coiiperating States 

 and societies. 



(G) Representatives of the States and societies oofiperating in these experimeuto 

 are to meet annn.illy to eonsider the results already rea<"hed and to make any changes 

 in the general plan which these results may seem to warrant. 



