FIELD CROPS. 869 



40 and 42.3 per cent, respectively. Treatment with wet Bordeaux mixture was uni- 

 formly beneficial, giving an average increase per acre of 86 bu. of merchantable pota- 

 toes. This treatment proved more effective than the use of dry Bordeaux mixture, 

 which gave an increase of only 4ti bu. 



The cost of 3 or 4 applications of wet Bordeaux mixture varied from $3 to $5 per 

 acre, while the cost of treating with dry Bordeaux mixture was much less. A pound 

 of Paris green to 125 gal. of Bordeaux mixture gave satisfactory results in killing 

 potato hugs. Directions for corrosive sublimate and formalin treatment for the pre- 

 vention of scal> an- given, and the method of exposing the tubers to full sunlight 

 tor several weeks before planting in order to destroy the seal) germs is recommended. 



The manuring 1 of swedes, potatoes, and mangels, C. B. Jones ( < 'outitii < 'onnrilx 

 Cumberland, Durham, and Northumberland, Ayr. Dept. Durham (hi. Sci., Ami. Rpt. 12 

 (1903), pp. 35-53). — Cooperative experiments on the manuring of swedes were con- 

 ducted to ascertain the special requirements of the crop and to compare different 

 fertilizers. 



Phosphoric acid was apparently the most important plant food element, followed 

 by nitrogen and potash in the order mentioned. Superphosphate gave a slightly 

 better average crop than basic slag, but was not as profitable. A mixture of the two 

 substances gave better returns than either used alone. Barnyard manure alone was 

 not so profitable as the use of commercial fertilizers alone, but the two applied 

 together resulted in a loss which was less marked when the commercial fertilizers 

 furnished the 3 essential plant food elements. 



The results with potatoes indicated that potash was most needed and that it was 

 best applied in the form of the muriate. Complete applications of commercial fer- 

 tilizers, whether applied alone or with barnyard manure, are recommended. Experi- 

 ments conducted with mangels showed that nitrogen was the most important ferti- 

 lizer ingredient, while phosphoric acid and potash apparently had but little effect. 



Description of several types of sugar beets, S. Janasz (Mitt. Landw. Inst. 

 Univ. Breslau, ..' (1904), No. 5, pp. 913-970, pi. 1). — The literature on the history and 

 culture of the sugar beet is discussed and some of the more important results obtained 

 by different investigators are given. In addition, the author reports the results of 

 investigations with 25 different types of sugar beets. In studying each type its 

 morphology, anatomy, and physiology were considered. The summary of the results 

 is here given in full. 



The fat content of the seed bolls of sugar beets varied in the different types under 

 investigation, but it seemed also to be affected by the environment of the growing 

 plant. The sugar content was not influenced by the content of fat. The reddish 

 coloring of the crown appeared in the first stages of growth and differed in intensity 

 with the different types. Polycotyledonous plants are abnormal and their number, 

 varying with the type, ranges from 0.05 to 0.10 per cent. 



In studying the leaf characters of a type it was found that the length of the leaf, 

 inclusive of the petiole, and its maximum width may be readily determined, while 

 data with reference to leaf surface and to life duration of the organ are unreliable. 

 In describing the different leaves it is recommended that they be measured in the 

 order of their appearance and that for the determination of the leaf type only the 

 larger ones be considered. Although it was impossible to ascertain, with accuracy 

 the leaf surface active in assimilation, marked differences in the size of the leaf 

 between different types were apparent. The type of leaf from a morphological 

 standpoint can be determined only from an entire field, or at least, a large number 

 of plants growing closely together. 



The differences in the types of beets are discernible mainly in luxuriance of growth, 

 density of foliage, curliness of leaf, thickness and coloration of leaf stems, color, 

 thickness, and length of root, and size and shape of the crown. Within the type the 



