RECENT WORK IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE 



CHEMISTRY. 



Annual report on the progress in agricultural chemistry, 1903, A. Hilger, 

 T. Dietrich, et al. (Jahresber. Ayr. Chem., 3. ser., 6 {1903), pp. XXXVI "4- 661). — 

 As in previous years this contains abstracts of the more important articles on agri- 

 cultural chemistry published during the year, with titles of the articles of less 

 importance. 



A report on the progress in analytical chemistry during the year 1904, 

 A. Skrabal (Oesterr. Chem. Ztg., 8 (1905), No. 7, pp. 148-152) . — This is a brief 

 review of investigations bearing on analytical methods and processes. 



Report from committee on uniformity in analysis, I, W. F. Hillebrand et al. 

 (Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc, 26 (1904), No. 12, pp. 1644-1653; abs. in Join-. Chem. Soc. 

 [London], 88 (1905), No. 509, II, p. 197). — A statement of the objects of this com- 

 mittee and of the policy adopted for the guidance of its work. 



A text-book of physiological chemistry for students of medicine and phy- 

 sicians, C. E. Simon (London: J. and A. Churchill, 1905, jip. 500; rev. in Lancet 

 [London], 1905, I, No. 14, pp. 934, 935). — A second edition of this text-book, which 

 the publishers state has been revised and enlarged. 



Chemical research in agriculture, F. T. Siiutt ( Ottawa: Parliament, 1904, pp. 

 85-112). — A summary of the work of the chemical division of the Canada Experi- 

 mental Farms during the past year. Among other topics data were presented regard- 

 ing the composition of ground pea chips, pea dust, ground pea bran, and a number 

 of other feeding stuffs. 



Annual report for 1904 of the consulting chemist, J. A. Voelcker {Jour. 

 Roy. Ayr. Soc. England, 65 (1904), pp. 248-257). — Data are given regarding the 

 analytical work performed during the year, and analyses are reported of feeding 

 stuffs and fertilizers, including decorticated and undecorticated cotton-seed cake, 

 maize, pig meal (which was found to be an oat offal), basic slag, Peruvian guano, 

 town refuse, and ground lime. 



Quantitative determination of the carbon dioxid secreted by roots during 

 growth, P. Kossovich (Zhur. Opuitn. Ayron. [Russ. Jour. Expt. Landic], 5 (1904), 

 No. 4, pp. 482-493). — The estimation of the carbon dioxid set free by the roots of 

 plants during the cycle of their development was undertaken by the author as a con- 

 tribution to the general study of the part played by root secretions of carbon dioxid 

 in rendering plant food of the soil available. In these experiments the plants were 

 grown in nutritive solutions which were made to pass through the pots containing 

 the plants and in contact with the roots, and we're then collected and the carbon 

 di< ixid determined. About 5 liters of the solution flowed through the pots in 24 hours. 

 The solution contained per liter 0.085 gm. sodium nitrate, 0.02 gm. potassium chlorid, 

 0.02 gm. calcium chlorid (CaCl 2 4-6H 2 0), 0.02 gm. magnesium sulphate, and 0.0383 

 gm. monopotassium phosphate. The plant experimented with was mustard. Seven 

 plants were raised in one pot. A check pot without plants served to determine the 

 carbon dioxid which was present in the solution itself aside from that secreted by the 

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