FERTILIZERS. 539 



attempted lias in many cases been a failure or has been abandoned. Thore are well- 

 established methods in use in the reclamation of salt marshes, and if these were used 

 the work should be successful. There has never been a known case of failure to 

 effect complete reclamation, in which all proper precautions were taken. After recla- 

 mation the lands are very fertile and should repay the expenditure of reclaiming 

 then^.. It is generally conceded that 1 acre of reclaimed salt marsh land is worth 4 

 or 5 acres of ujiland, and, according to the well-sul)stantiated figures quoted from 

 Shaler earlier in this article, the cost of reclamation should not exceed one-fifth of 

 the final value of the land." 



List of soil types established by the Division of Soils in 1899 and 1900, 

 with brief description, M. Whitney ( U. S. Dcpt. .Ujr., Divtsioii of Soils Doc. 40, 

 pp. 11). — This includes all soil names authorized for use on the soil maps of the 

 Division to December 31, 1900. 



FERTILIZERS. 



The action of kainit and hig-h-percentag-e potash salts, INI. Gerlacu (F/(/i/(H^'s 

 Laiidw. Zfff., 50 [1901), .Yon. 11, pp. 377-388; 12, pp. 409-416).— The author reviews 

 the work of other investigators and reports experiments of his own, which show that 

 where the material has to be transported long distances kainit is more expensive 

 than the concentrated salt. The kainit, on account of its large content of soda salts, 

 tends more than the concentrated salt to form a crust on the soil, especially in com- 

 pact soils, although this tendency may be beneficial in loose soils. The concentrated 

 salt is preferable to kainit on soils rich in soda. Kainit is not well suited for use in 

 connection with nitrate of soda because of the excess of soda which will thus be 

 added to the soil. It is also not suited to plants which are sensitive to chlorids, such 

 as potatoes, sugar beets, etc. Cereals, grasses, forage plants, and leguminous plants, 

 however, are apparently not affected. 



It appears from the data reported that the use of soda salts resulted in a saving of 

 potash, i. e., partially replaced it, especially when potash was not present in large 

 amounts. The soda salts also set potash free in the soil, but it is doul)ted whether 

 this was of benefit to the plant, because it is believed that the solvent i:)ower of the 

 roots was greater than that of the weak solution of soda salt present. 



On the assimilation of nitrogen and phosphoric acid by different crops (3 

 cereals and 2 Cruciferee) in three vegetation periods, K. Bieler and K. Aso 

 [Bui. Col. Agr. Imp. Unir. Tokyo, 4 {1901), Xo. 4, pp. 241-2o4). — Experiments with 

 wheat, barley, oats, rape, and mustard grown in porcelain pots containing 6.4 kg. of 

 soil in a glass house during the winter of 1899 are reported. Phosphoric acid in the 

 form of double superphosphate, potash in the form of potassium carbonate, and 

 nitrogen in the form of ammonium sulphate were each applied at rates of 0.25 gm. per 

 pot, or 50 kg. per hectare, with calcium carljonate at the rate of 1 gm. per kilogram 

 of soil. Analyses were made of the i)lants with reference to nitrogen and phos- 

 phoric acid at periods of 2^ months and 4 months after planting and at the bloom- 

 ing period. The data thus secured are tabulated and di-scussed in detail. The cereals 

 and the Cruciferai took up nearly the same amounts of nitrogen during their period of 

 growth. The cereals assimilated less phosphoric acid (as well as total ash) than the 

 other plants. The largest amount of phosphoric acid was taken up by rape, followed 

 by mustard. Of the cereals wheat showed the greatest absorptive capacity for phos- 

 phoric acid, oats standing l)etween wheat and barley in this respect. With wheat 

 and oats the assimilation of i)lant food was distributed throughout the different 

 periods of growth, but with barley it was confined mainly to the earlier stages. The 

 greatest assimilation occurred in case of rape after the earlier stages were passed and con- 

 tinued until the plants blonmed. After that period there wasiif) further assimilation. 



Analyses of comniercial fertilizers, C A. Goessmann {Massachusetts !Sta. Bui. 



