soils. 343 



tions to equipment, kite observations on land and sea, with descriptions <>f kites and 

 instruments used in exploration of the air, and studies of the effect of meteorological 

 conditions on audibility. 



Climate: Its physical basis and controlling factors, W. L. Moore ( U.S. Dept. 

 Agr., Weather Bureau Bui. 34, pp. 19, fig. 1) ■ — A reprint of an article prepared for Ency- 

 clopedia Americana. 



Smoke as a preventive of frost, T. Haynes ( U. S. Dept. Com. and Labor, Mo. 

 Consular Rpts., 75 (1904), No. 285, p. 104"). — A brief note on successful experiments 

 in France in preventing frost in vineyards by means of smudges, especially those pro- 

 duced by burning gas tar. 



Annual precipitation in Oklahoma, C. M. Strom; ( Oklahoma Sta. Rpt. 1904, j>- 

 63). — A summary of all available data for annual precipitation during the period 

 1889-1903 at 25 places in the State. 



SOILS. 



Some observations on the "ortstein" formations of southern Russia, V. N. 

 Sckachev (Pochvovyedenie [Pedologie], 5 (1903), pp. 213-220; abs. in Zhur. Opuitn. 

 Agron. [Jour. Expt. Landw.], 5 {1904), No. 1, p. 77). — The author describes "ortstein" 

 formations observed by him at 6 places in the Kharkov and Kursk governments. 

 The fact of the occurrence of "ortstein" in those localities shows, according to the 

 author, that for its formation an abundance of water is not necessary, the humidity 

 which is found in the forest soils of the steppes being sufficient. 



In all places where " ortstein " was observed the soils appeared to have been 

 leached out and had been covered by w y oods, probably oak, while the subsoils were 

 to a great extent sandy. Thus the processes of " ortstein " formation were here 

 favored by the sandy nature of the soil and the oak forests, the latter yielding a 

 litter rich in tannic acid. The mere presence of " ortstein, " in the absence of all 

 other soil characteristics, is, according to the author, a sure indication of the exist- 

 ence Of WOods. P. FIREMAN. 



Laterites and red soils of tropical and subtropical latitudes and allied soils 

 of temperate latitudes, K. D. Glinka (Pochvovyedenie [Pedologie], 5 (190.3), No. 3, 

 pp. 235-264; abs. in Zhur. Opuitn. Agron. [.four. Expt. Landw.], 5 (1904), No. 2, p. 

 241). — The author discusses the occurrence of laterites under evergreen forests and 

 savannahs, the formation, composition, and structure of such soils, and the changes 

 which they undergo under different conditions of climate, etc. To the article is 

 appended a list of 50 titles not included in the bibliography of Dubois on this sub- 

 ject. — P. FIREMAN. 



The useful properties of clays, A. S. Cushman ( U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Chem- 

 istry Circ. 17, pp. 12). — This circular discusses the formation of clays, and the pro- 

 duction and importation of clays, and describes the kinds and physical properties 

 of clays, including plasticity, binding power (tensile strength), slaking, air shrink- 

 age, tiring qualities (distortion, fusibility, and color), and absorptiveness. Notes are 

 also given on the various uses of clays and on testing and examination of clays. 



The humus calcareous soils ( rendzinas ) of the Vistula region, J. Masanovski 

 (Zhur. Opuitn. Agron. [Jour. Expt. Landw.], 4 (1903), No. 5, pp. 528-545) .—This 

 article presents a survey of the literature on a kind of soil very widely distributed 

 in Poland and known there under the names of "rendzina" and "borovina." 

 These soils have been formed on rocks rich in lime, e. g., on limestones and marls, 

 with the simultaneous action of leaf-bearing forests. They are rich in humus (3 to 

 8 percent), in most cases very heavy, but very fertile. They are best adapted to 

 the cultivation of wheat and barley. — p. fireman. 



The effect of the long-continued use of sodium nitrate on the constitution 

 of the soils, A. D. Hall (Jour. Chem. Soc. [London], 85 (1904), No. 501, pp. 964- 

 971). — "By the mechanical analysis of soils from the five experimental fields at 



