1917] SOILS FERTILIZERS. 511 



of the State for the purpose of studying the relation of different methods of 

 chemical examination to crop-producing power. 



" The soils were submitted to chemical examination by different methods : 

 (1) Complete analysis; (2) a determination of the material soluble in hydro- 

 chloric acid of the specific gravity of 1.115 by the A. O. A. C. method; (3) a 

 determination of the materials rendered soluble by continued leaching for 10 

 days with water, N/200 HCl and N/25 HCl; [and] (4) a determination of the 

 soluble material obtained by shaking five hours with water, N/200 HCl, and 

 N/25 HCl. 



•' These soils showed by the vegetation tests greatly unlike crop-producing 

 capacity, the dry matter produced varying in two years from 161.5 gm. per box 

 to 9.4 gm. per box. By no one of the methods of chemical examination was 

 there established any relation between the amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid, and potash, either total or soluble, and crop-producing capacity. There 

 appeared to be some relation between the total soluble matter in the soil and 

 productiveness, to the extent that the two soils giving a very low yield of bar- 

 ley showed greatly less solubility than did the others. This relation, however, 

 was not consistent throughout." The general conclusion reached was that the 

 laboratory methods so far devised are not capable of measuring the fertility of 

 soils. 



Concerning tillage, R. T. BtrKmcK (Vermont Sta. Bui. 198 {1916), pp. 50-83, 

 figs. 19). — This article deals with the principles and practice of tillage. Twenty- 

 three references to literature cited are included. 



Soil survey of Clay County, Alabama, A. E. Tayloe, E. S. Vanatta, N. E. 

 Bell, and J. L. Andress (U. S. Dept. Agr., Advance Sheets Field Operations 

 Bur. Soils, 1915, pp. Jfl, fig. 1, map 1). — This survey, made in cooperation with 

 the State of Alabama, and issued December 30, 1916, deals with the soils of an 

 area of 385,280 acres in the Piedmont Plateau and Appalachian Mountain 

 provinces in east-central Alabama. " The topography is undulating to moun- 

 tainous, and consists largely of parallel ridges and valleys, with broad rolling 

 areas. . . . There are no large streams, but all parts of the county are reached 

 by drainage ways. . . . 



"About 96 per cent of the soil is residual In origin, about 3 per cent alluvial, 

 and about 1 per cent colluvial. The loam and stony loam types of soil predomi- 

 nate." Including rough stony land, 23 soil types of 12 series are mapped, of 

 which the Louisa loam and stony loam and the Talladega and Louisa slate 

 loams cover 18, 17, 11.7, and 8.3 per cent of the area, respectively. The Louisa 

 series is the most extensive, covering about 56 per cent of the area. 



Soil survey of Clinton County, New York, E. T. Maxon and W. R. Cone 

 {N. Y. State Col. Agr., Cornell Vniv. Ext. Bui. 3 (1916), pp. 30-65, pi. 1, fig. 1).— 

 This survey has been previously noted from another source (E. S. R., 35, p. 18). 



The soils of Cuba, J. T. Crawley (Estac. Expt. Agron. Cuba Bol. 28 (1916), 

 pp. 86, pis. 19). — This bulletin discusses in some detail the more important 

 physical, chemical, and biological factors of soils, and reports the results of 

 chemical analyses of about 305 samples of typical Cuban soils and chemical 

 analyses of about 28 samples of Cuban waters. 



Microbiological investigation of the soil in connection with crop yields, 

 A. VoiTKEvicH (A. WojTKiEwicz) (Viestnik Bakt. Agron. Sta. V. K. Ferrehi, 

 No. 21 (1914), PP- 153-179). — Studies in all four seasons of the year of bacterial 

 numbers, nitrogen-fixing power, nitrification, denitrification, putrefaction, urea 

 decomposition, and carbon dioxid production in certain fallow soils and soils 

 planted to winter crops, root crops, clover, and oats are reported. 



The bacterial numbers were greatest in the spring and were only slightly 

 higher in summer than in winter. No striking differences in bacterial numbers 



