1018.1 SOILS — FEETILIZEES. 519 



protein and pliospliorus content which do not in all cases have a direct 

 relation to the baking quality of the flour milled from the wheats. 



" The same variety of wheat, grown in different localities throughout the 

 State on soils which contain varying amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, 

 does not show the effect of differences in the total supply of phosphorus and 

 nitrogen that is produced in wheat grown on ihe same soil where the nitrogen 

 and phosphorus supply has been modified by the fertilizer treatment." 



Studies on the solubility of phosphoric acid in mineral, calcareous, and 

 basic phosphates and in phosphatic slag, A. Aita {Agr. Mod. [Milan], 23 

 (1917), No. 9, pp. 123, 12Jf). — Experiments are reported and the conclusions 

 drawn that phosphatic slag contains phosphoric acid in the form of tricalcium 

 phosphate, which is fairly soluble in citric acid. In contrast to the mineral 

 phosphates, this is attributed to the specific action of iron and aluminum ions 

 present in the slag. The difference in the solubility of the different slags is 

 attributed to their varying content in iron and aluminum. 



Some factors influencing' the solubility of phosphoric oxid in mixed fer- 

 tilizers containing superphosphates, E. V. Flack {So. African Jour. Sci., 13 

 (1916), No. 5, pp. 201-208; Chem. News, 115 (1911), No. 3004, PP- 291-294; abs. 

 in Jour. Soc. Chem. Indus., 36 (1917), No. 15, p. 897). — Experiments are re- 

 ported from which the following conclusions are drawn : 



" Superphosphate can remain mixed for as long as three weeks with either 

 sulphate of ammonia or sulphate of potash or kainit without an appreciable 

 loss of water-soluble phosphoric oxid, and if mixed with sulphate of ammonia 

 there is a possibility of an actual increase of water-soluble phosphoric oxid 

 in a period of three weeks. If immediate reversion of water-soluble phos- 

 phoric oxid is to be avoided. Government guano should on no account be 

 mixed with superphosphate, for in a mixture of equal parts of the two there 

 is, even after three hours, a total loss of neai'ly 7 per cent of the water- 

 soluble phosphoric oxid. In the case of bone meal there is a loss of 2 per 

 cent of water-soluble phosphoric oxid in three hours, but if left for a period 

 of fourteen days there is considerable loss, amounting to over 14.5 per cent." 



The effect at Borblietta of phosphatic manures on a green crop when ap- 

 plied without other manure (Indian Tea Assoc., Sci. Dc2)t. Quart. Jour., No. 

 4 (1916), pp. 127-129). — Comparative fertilizer experiments with green crops 

 on acid soil are reported, in which basic slag, superphosphate, steamed bone 

 meal, unsteamed bone meal, and bone dust were used at respective rates of 

 364, 194, 190, 190, and 200 lbs. per acre. 



It was found that, per unit of phosphoric acid applied, basic slag gave 

 markedly superior results, while superphosphate, unsteamed bone meal, and 

 bone dust gave results roughly equal. Steamed bone meal gave the poorest 

 results. The difference in the results obtained with steamed and unsteamed 

 bones is attributed to the greater fineness of the latter. The bone products 

 also gave results in the reverse order of their price. The superphosphate gave 

 results characteristic of the effects of acid manure on acid soil. 



The utilization of Thomas-meal phosphoric acid with regard to its citric 

 acid solubility, A. Mitscherlich (Landw. Jahrb., 49 (1916), pp. 661-684; abs. 

 in Chem. Zentbl, 1916, II, p. 765; Chem. Abs., 11 (1917), No. 15, p. 22J5).— Cul- 

 ture experiments on the value of Thomas meal as a fertilizer showed that the 

 plant yields varied approximately as the citric acid solubility of the Thomas 

 meal. It is concluded that there is no reason why Thomas meal should no 

 longer be sold on the citric acid solubility basis. 



Experiments with a new potash-phosphoric acid fertilizer, the double 

 silicates of potassium used in its preparation, and various other comparative 



