718 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.38 



area named was utilized in compiling the data reported. In compiling and 

 analyzing the data particular attention was given to duration, intensity, and 

 distribution df precipitation, the factors which are of most interest to engineers 

 in general and of vital importance in investigations pertaining to flood control. 

 A detailed analysis is given of the time-area-depth relations of 33 important 

 storms, the aggi'egate extent of which reached to nearly every part of the 

 eastern United States. For the benefit of those not especially versed in meteoro- 

 logical matters there is given a brief summary of the well-established meteoro- 

 logical facts which are most necessary for understanding and interpreting the 

 results of the investigation. Snowfall was not considered in the investigation 

 because it has been found to be a negligible quantity in relation to floods in 

 the Miami Valley. 



The primary object of the investigation was to reach safe and logical con- 

 clusions as to the probable size and frequency of floods in the Miami River, 

 with a view to the working out of plans for protecting the valley against floods. 

 The general conclusion reached was that an adequate flood-protection plan 

 should " provide against a hypothetical storm which would cause a maximum 

 flood run-off almost 40 per cent in excess of that of the storm of March 23-27, 

 1913, the latter having caused the greatest rate of run-off during the 100 years 

 of record for the Miami River." 



The desiccation of the earth, C. F. von Herkmann (Science, n. ser., 47 

 (1918), No. 1217, p. 4^7).— This is a brief note referring to the formation of 

 hydrogen by electrical discharges in the atmosphere as a cause of desiccation 

 of the earth. 



SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 



Soil survey of Meriwether County, Ga., M. Baldwin and J. A. Kerb (17. S. 

 Dept. Agr., Adv. Sheets Field Oper. Bur. Soils, 1916, pp. 31, pis. 2, fig. 1, map 

 1). — This survey deals with the soils of an area of 318,720 acres in west-central 

 Georgia lying wholly within the Piedmont Plateau province. The topography 

 is generally rolling, with drainage well established. 



" The soils of the county are derived from igneous and metamorphic rocks, 

 chiefly granite, granite-gneiss, mica schist, hornblende schist, quartz schist, 

 and qnartzite. The upland soils are residual from these rocks, while the allu- 

 vial soils consist of material washed from the uplands and deposited by 

 streams." Eighteen soil types of 8 series are mapped, in addition to meadow 

 (Congaree material). Cecil sandy clay loam and Cecil sandy loam predominate, 

 occupying 32.2 and 19.7 per cent of the total area, respectively. 



Soil survey of Richmond County, Ga., T. M. Bushnell and J. M. Snyder 

 (f7. S. Dept. Agr., Adv. Sheets Field Oper. Bur. Soils, 1916, pp. S8, fig. 1, map 

 1). — This survey deals with the soils of an area of 202,240 acres situated in 

 northeastern Georgia. The greater part of the county lies within the Coastal 

 Plain province, the surface being reduced by stream erosion to a series of 

 valleys and broad, level ridges with gentle to steep slopes. The extreme 

 northern portion of the county, comprising rolling, somewhat broken land, 

 lies in the Piedmont Plateau province, while alluvial flood plains and terraces 

 are extensively developed along the Savannah River, which borders the county 

 on the east. 



Twenty-seven soil types, including two phases, of 16 series have been mapped, 

 in addition to meadow, swamp, and rough broken land. Norfolk sand, including 

 the sand-hill phase, is the chief type, occupying 33.8 per cent of the total area 

 of the county. 



Kane County soils, C. G. Hopkins, J. G. Mosier, E. Van Alstine, and F. W. 

 Gabeett (Illinois Sta. Soil Rpt. 11 (1917), pp. 60, pis. 2, figs. S). — Kane County 



