RFXENT WORK IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— AGROTECHNY. 



The relation of some of the rarer elements in soils and plants, W. O. Rob- 

 inson, L. A. Steinkoenig, and C. F. Miller {U. S. Dcpt. Agr. Bui. 600 {1911), 

 pp. 25, figs. 3). — An earlier publication (E. S. R., 31, p. 719) included a chemi- 

 cal analysis of certain important American soil types for the presence of the 

 rarer elements. The purpose of the present bulletin was to determine the con- 

 tent of the rarer elements present in plants grown in soil of known composi- 

 tion and to establish the relationship between soil and plant composition. 

 References to previous work along the same line are included. 



So far as possible, the plants selected had grown on soils previously analyzed 

 and differing widely in composition. Legumes, vegetables, grasses, trees, and 

 shrubs were included in the investigations. The methods of analysis are given 

 in detail and the results tabulated. In order to keep the temperature fairly 

 uniform during the ashing an electric furnace with a temperature regulator was 

 designed. The essential part of the automatic control was a couple consisting 

 of a quartz tube closed at one end, inside of which was placed a nickel rod. 

 Diagrams and a description of the furnace and regulating devices are given. 



Of the rarer elements, lithium was found in all the plants examined, rubi- 

 dium in the majority of cases, csesium in the ash of timothy, raspberry, and 

 beets grown in localities where the soil is known to contain cresium beryls. 

 Chromium was found occasionally but in small amounts, vanadium in only a 

 few cases, and molybdenum not at all. Barium was present in all plants 

 and strontium in all except bean seeds. Titanium was found In very small 

 amounts in all plants, and aluminum in all but two, pine needles being very 

 high in this element. 



It was found that manganese in plants varied in amount more than most of 

 the other elements and that a large amount of rare alkalis was generally ac- 

 companied by an abnormal amount of manganese. There were wide variations 

 in the composition of the same kind of plant, but it is the opinion of the 

 authors that " the most profound influence the composition of the soil has on 

 the plant is not on the composition of the plant but on the occurrence of that 

 plant on the soil." 



With the possible exception of sulphur, chlorin, and manganese, there was 

 no indication that the elements determined, except those commonly used, need 

 be considered in fertilizers. 



The influence of carbon monoxid on the velocity of catalytic hydrogena- 

 tion, E. B. Maxted (Trans. Faraday Soc, IS (1917), No. 1-2, pp. 36-42, figs. 4; 

 Chem. News, in (1918), No. S03S, pp. 73-75, figs. ^).— This article reports the 

 results of investigations on the effect of carbon monoxid on the velocity of 

 catalytic hydrogenation. The subject is of importance on account of the pres- 

 ence of a small amount of carbon monoxid in hydrogen prepared commercially 

 from water gas. Carefully neutralized olive oil was hydrogenated with mix- 

 tures of the purest electrolytic hydrogen and varying amounts of carbon 



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