536 



EXPERIMENT STATION KECOKD. 

 Weight of seeds of soy beans of various types. 



[Vol. 38 



Type of pod. 



Early 

 Brown. 



Wilson. 



Ito San. 



Average. 



Pod 

 average. 



1-seeded 



2-sceded base. . 



3-secded tip 



."-seeded base. . 

 3-sceded middle 

 3-seeded tip 



Averages . 



Gm. 

 0.210 

 .177 

 .199 



.1S8 

 .209 

 .201 



Gm. 

 0.141 

 .139 

 .142 

 .124 

 .140 

 .132 



Gm. 

 0.200 

 .190 

 .190 

 .167 

 .187 

 .187 



Gm. 



0. 184 

 .169 

 .177 

 .160 

 .179 

 .173 



Gm. 

 0.184 



.173 



'.'lii 



,197 



.136 



.187 



. 17.35 



The author suggost.s the possibility of obtaining from persons in widely 

 separated regions valuable contributions to a luiowledge of the seed weights 

 of wild plants bearing their seeds in pods. 



Sudan grass, T. H. Loughee (Estac. Expt. Agron. Cuba Boh SO {1916), pp. 

 19, pis. 6). — The introduction of Sudan grass into Cuba is briefly noted and 

 the production of the crop for hay and seed discussed. 



Experiments with the sugar beet in South Africa, C. F. Jueitz {So. 

 African Jour. ScL, 13 {1916), No. 4, pp. 167-177).— Field tests with sugar beets 

 and mangels conducted subsequent to those previously noted (B. S. R., 29, p. 

 432) are briefly reported. Analyses of sugar beets grown during 1911 and 1912 

 showed a variation of from 3.04 to 17.46 per cent of sugar, depending upon the 

 maturity of the roots. 



Regarding .successful mangel production as an index to the possibilities of 

 sugar-beet growing, the author presents analyses of five varieties of mangels 

 grown during 1913 and 1914. 



Four varieties of sugar beets were tested by E. T. L. Edmeades during 

 1915-16 with the average total sugar content varying from 15.89 to 18.43 per 

 cent. An analysis of the external portion of the average beets of each variety 

 to a thickness of approximately 1 in. showed a slightly higher percentage of 

 sugar over the remaining portion of the root. Comparative analy.ses of roots 

 under the average with those over the average sustained the generally accepted 

 view that small beets contain more sugar than large ones of the same class. 



An increase in the sucrose content of sugar beets after their removal from 

 the soil, F. G. Weichmann {Sugar [Chicago-], 19 {1917), No. 6, pp. 220-22]^).— 

 While engaged in the study and development of a process for obtaining sugar 

 beet cossettes capable of being stored for a long period without sufi'ering decay 

 or material deterioration, the author found that the processed cossettes con- 

 tained more sucrose than was evidenced by the analysis of the fresh sugar 

 beets. Experiments are reported in an effort to study this phenomenon and 

 to discover a means for the practical application of the results obtained. A 

 method of analysis of dehydrated cossettes based on the international method 

 of hot-water digestion (E. S. R., 81, p. 815) has been developed by the author 

 and is fully described, and its application to the analysis of fresh sugar beets 

 and dehydrated cossettes is discussed. 



It is concluded that the transformation of reserve food products in the cells 

 of the sugar beet shows an enzymatic action, while a close parallelism was 

 observed between the manner of action of enzyms and of inorganic catalysts. 

 In both agents was noted a selective action, the prime importance of tempera- 

 ture conditions, the necessity of optimum moisture conditions, and the reversi- 

 bility of the reactions. Preliminary experiments indicated that a temperature 

 range of from 40 to 50° C. was more favorable for an increase of sucrose than 



