870 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



very luxuriant during the warm, sunny, and moist July. August and 

 September were very wet, the temperature low, and the amount of sun- 

 shine small. Nevertheless the total yield was excellent, although the 

 quality of the beets was below medium. 



:iS9rj. — The planting was somewhat delayed, but was followed by a 

 rapid development during the moist, Avarm, sunny weather of May. 

 Thinning was completed June 8. Thereafter the growth was uninter- 

 rupted and very satisfactory, due to well distributed and abundant 

 rains, with favorable temperature and an abundance of sunshine. The 

 yield was satisfactory and the quality of beets good. 



Meteorological observations at Michigan Agricultural College, 1894, R. C. 



Kkd/av. {^fi<■hi[/an Sin. Rpt. 1S95, pp. 225-251). — Talmlatfd daily and montlily sum- 

 maries are given of observations during 1891, in continuation of those of previous 

 years, on hours of snushine, sunshine and shade temperatun-s, atmospheric pressure, 

 precipitation, relative humidity, wind movement, etc. 



Meteorological observations (C«naf7a Exptl. Farms Rpt. 1S95, pp. 53,327,367- 

 369,412). — Monthly summaries of oliservations on temperature, precipitation, sun- 

 shine, wind movement at the Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa, Experimental 

 Farm for Manitoba, Experimental Farm for the Northwest Territories, and Experi- 

 mental Farm for British Columbia. 



Determination of atmospheric ozone on Mont Blanc, M. pk Thierry (Compt. 

 Bend., 124 (1S97), Xo. 9, pp. 4GO-4CS). 



The gases of the atmosphere : The history of their discovery, W. Ram.say 

 {London : MacmiUan .(■ Co., 1S9G, pp. 240; noted in Xatnre, 55 (1S97). No. 142S, p. 435). 



Influence of meteorological conditions on the grow^th of beets in 1896, 

 L. KuNTZK {Zfschr. Ver. Eiihem. Jnd., 1S97, Feb., pp. 133-140, dgm. 1). 



WATER— SOILS. 



The reduction of nitrates in cultivated soil, P. P. Deherain 



{Compt. Rend., 134 {1897), A"o. 6, jjp. .5/7.9-57.?).— The investigations on 

 this subject, esi)ecially those of Breal' and Wagner ^ on the denitrify- 

 ing organisms which occur in straw and in the solid excrement of farm, 

 animals are briefly reviewed, and experiments by the author, the results 

 of which confirm in general the conclusions of other investigators in this 

 line, are reported. 



In a solution of 200 mg. of potassium nitrate, 250 mg. of starch, and 

 10 mg. of potassium phosphate in 100 cc. of distilled water, to which a 

 solution containing the denitrifying organisms was added and which 

 was kept at 30° C, the nitrates disappeared completely in 18 hours. 

 It was found that a considerable proportion of the nitrogen escaped in 

 the form of protoxid. The reduction was more rapid in closed flasks 

 than in the open air. The fact that in closed flasks the nitrogen escapes 

 principally in the free state indicates that in this case the organisms, 

 being deprived of the necessary oxygen from the air, were forced to 

 appropriate that contained in the nitrates and thus accomplished their 



' Ann. Agron., 22 (1896), p. 32 (E. 8. R., 7, p. fi63). 



" Landw. Vers. Stat., 48 (1897), p. 247 (see p. 873 of this number of the Record). 



