WATER SOILS. 821 



registers the loss of weight ( water), thus indicating the amount of water 

 which must be added. For protection against excessive rain the author 

 has arranged a large umbrella which opens automatically when the 

 rainfall reaches a certain amount and closes again when the rain is 

 over. The devices used are described. 



The improvement of muck soils, F. T. Shutt (Canada Expt. 

 Farms Rpts. 1890, pp. 188, 189, pi. 1). — A brief report is given of experi- 

 ments with peas grown in pots on a typical muck soil. One pot 

 received no fertilizer, one received wood ashes at the rate of 100 bn. per 

 acre, one wood ashes at the rate of 200 bu. per acre, and one wood ashes 

 at the rate of 50 bu. per acre and marl at the rate of 50 bu. per acre. 



The results indicate that the soils were much improved in fertility by 

 the addition of potash and lime in form of wood ashes and marl. The 

 wood ashes alone appeared to be very effective. 



On the relative influence of phosphatic fertilizer on various 

 soils and on the solubility of the phosphoric acid contained in 

 these soils in a 2 per cent citric acid solution, D. N. Pryan- 

 ishnikov and B. A. Skalov (Izv. Moscoiv Sehkol-hoz. Inst., 3 (1897), 

 II, pp. 58-01). — The experiments appear to show that the degree to 

 which soils are affected by phosphatic fertilizer depends to a certain 

 extent upon the amount of phosphoric acid in the soil soluble in a U per 

 cent solution of citric acid. The soils poorest in phosphoric acid soluble 

 in this reagent were most reacted upon by the phosphatic fertilizer, 

 while the soils richest in phosphoric acid soluble in 2 per cent citric 

 acid were not at all affected by the fertilizer. The soils with a medium 

 content of such phosphoric acid were influenced to a degree inter- 

 mediate between the two extremes. — r. fireman. 



Analyses of drinking water, J. L. Hills, 15. O. ^YH^TE, and C. H. Jones (Ver- 

 mont Sta. Rpt. 1896-97, pp. 31, 32). — A table gives results of chemical examinations 

 with regard to sanitary condition of 13 samples each of spring and well water, 4 of 

 driven well water, and 8 of water from ponds, etc. Brief directions regarding sam- 

 pling and shipping samples are also given. 



Analyses of well waters, 1896, F. T. Shutt {Canada Expt. Farms Rpts. 1S96, pp. 

 216-221, fig. 1). — Analyses with reference to sanitary condition of 44 samples of well 

 water from different parts of Canada are reported and the pollution of wells is briefly 

 discussed. 



Water used for irrigation on the station farm, J. A. Widtsoe (Utah Sta. Rpt. 

 1S97, pp. 30, 31). — Analyses are reported which show the mineral constituents in 

 samples of the wnter used for irrigation in 1892, 1894, and 1895. 



Virgin soils of Canada, F. T. Shutt {Canada Expt. Farms Rpts. 1S96, pp. 184- 

 1S8). — Chemical and partial mechanical analyses of 4 soils with corresponding sub- 

 soils from different localities in British Columbia are reported, with descriptions of 

 the samples and the regions from which they were obtained and explanation of terms 

 used in reporting soil analyses. 



The cultivation of sandy soils in Schleswig-Holstein, Tancre and Jordan 

 (Jahrb. Deut. Landw. Gesell., 12 (1S97), pp. 196-213). — A popular article discussing 

 the cultivation and general management of sandy soils. 



The cultivation of sea marshes on the coasts of the North Sea, Ahsbahs 

 (Jahrb. Deut. Landw. Gesell., 12 (1897), pp. 182-196).— -In connection with the article 

 mechanical and chemical analyses of these soils are given. 



