542 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



wind and the birds, and that when a sjiecies is absent in a soil it is (hie to conditions 

 preventing its development. The nitric nitrogen appeared to be assimilated directly 

 and caused in this case a total or relative absence of nodules on the roots. Tlee 

 experiments are to be continued under tield conditions. 



Further researches on the inoculation of soil with Alinit, L. Malpeaux 

 {Avn. Agron.,37 (1901), Xo. 4, pp. 191-206). — Experiments were conducted with oats, 

 corn, and mustard grown on different kinds of soil inoculated with Alinit. The 

 plants in each case were grown in the open soil and in pots. The results confirm 

 the conclusions of previous work in this line, namely, that Alinit is active only in 

 mediums rich in organic matter. The author attributes this influence of Alinit to 

 the active role ))acteria play in breaking up insoluble nitrogenous substances and 

 rendering them soluble. 



A new problem in soil inoculation, J. Stoklasa {Ztschr. Landu: }'ersuchsw. 

 Oesterr., 4 {1901), Xu. 1, j>jj. 10-39, pis. 9, fig. 1). — The author reports a series of 

 experiments on the decomposition of bone meal by various soil organisms, labora- 

 tory and greenhouse trials having been made wdth a number of the more common 

 soil bacteria. Plants were grown in pots whicli received fertilizers, after which they 

 were inoculated with pure cultures of a single species of bacteria. All the pots, 

 except one which was given superphosphate and sodium nitrate, were given bone 

 meal in the same amount. This contained 19.8 per cent phosphoric acid, 5.26 per 

 cent nitrogen, and 1.5 per cent fat. The inoculation material was accompanied by 

 glucose or xylose. The effect of the different inoculation inaterials upon the growth 

 of oats is shown in the following table: 



The effect of soil inoculation on the groirth of oats. 



Inoculation material. 



Not inoculated 

 Do 



B. megatherium. 

 Do 



Fertilizer added. 



Bone meal 



Superphosphate and sodium ni- 

 trate. 



Bone meal 



Bone meal and glucose 



Do i Bone meal and xvlose. 



B. fluorescent tiquifaciens . 



B. protcus vulgaris 



B. hutyricAis 



B. mycoidcs 



B. meseiitericus vulgaius . 



Bone meal and glucose, 

 do 



.do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 



Yield. 



Grain. Straw 



(jrcniis. 

 101. 32 

 213. 98 



246. 79 

 28.5. 88 

 320. 52 

 16.5. 26 

 235. 26 

 230. 79 

 263. 66 

 283. 21 



Grams. 

 213. 81 

 260. 13 



267.85 

 306. 11 

 398.04 

 272. 26 

 289. 03 

 285. 99 

 350.20 

 353. 77 



Total. 



Grams. 

 375. 13 

 474. 11 



514.64 

 .591.99 

 71 8. .50 

 437. .52 

 524. 29 

 516.78 

 613.86 

 636. 98 



Observations on leguminous plants to determine the correlation of their 

 parts, C. Fruwirtii {Jour. Laiidii:., 48 {1900), Xo. 4, pp. 305-316). — Data were col- 

 lected on the percentage relation (by weight) of the different parts of the plants to 

 the entire plant and to each other of Viciafaba, Pisum sativum , Phaseolus vulgaris, 

 Lupinus alhus, L. angustifolius. Lens esculenla, Lathyrus sativus, Ervum ervilia, Cicer 

 nrietinum, and Ornithopus .<!atirus. The results indicate that a heavy weight of the 

 entire plant is correlative with a high total weight and increased number of seeds and 

 pods together, and of seed alone. The correlation of the heavy weight of the entire 

 plant with a greater height of the plant, a thicker stem, higher weight of pods alone, 

 higher average weight of single seeds, higher weight of straw, and the relatively 

 higher proportion of pods with many seeds was not indicated so generally as in the 

 other cases mentioned. The relation between the weight of the entire plant and the 

 percentage of the weight of the seed and of the pods alone, calculated on the weight 

 of the entire plant, could not be established from the data. The number of seeds 

 increased more with the increase in weight of the entire plant than the average 

 weight of single seeds, and consec]uently, in general, heavy plants had relatively 

 light seeds. The rate of increase in the weight of straw of lieavy plants was less 

 than the rate of increase in the total weight of the seeds. 



