1919] BOILS — FERTILIZERS. 



in organic matter. Ovor 4o per cenl <>f the soils bad l< sv than 2,500 lbs. of 

 nitrogen per acre, more than 80 per cenl showed a need of lime, while over 7.". 

 jxt cenl contained more than 20,000 lbs. of potassium per acre. 



Effect of farm manure in stimulating the yields of irrigated field crops. 

 c. S. Scofield {Jour. Agr. Research [V. g.], ir, (1918), No. 9, pp. | I. -Ex- 



periments are reported to tins article, a contribution from the Bureau of Planl 

 Industry <>f the U.S. I department of Agriculture, In which " the effect of manure 

 on the yields of Irish potatoes and sugar beets under Irrigation has been tested 

 for six years In seven rotations nt each of three different stations In the north- 

 ern Great Plains. Comparison is made between the yields of these crops when 

 grown in rotations without -manure and when grown In the same sequence In 

 other rotations in which manure Is applied at the rate of J.2 tons per acre once 

 during the cycle of the rotation. 



" It is concluded that the effort of tho manure has been to increase the yield of 

 potatoes about 40 bu. per acre at Scottsbluff, Nehr., about 34 bu. at P.ollefourehe, 

 S. Dak., and about 20 bu. at Huntley, Mont. The proportion of marketable pota- 

 toes was increased about 8 por cent at Scottsbluff and about 7 per cent at Belle- 

 fourehe, while at Huntley the proportion of marketable potatoes was not influ- 

 enced materially. The yield of sugar beets was increased 4.3 tons per acre at 

 Scottsbluff. 1.0 tons at Bellefourclie, and 2.0 tons at Huntley, without material 

 change in the sugar content of the beets in any of these localities. 



" In five Of the seven rotations considered, the increased yields were from the 

 crop immediately following the application of the manure. In the other two 

 rotations the yields were from crops produced the second season after the 

 manure was applied. The Increases in yield shown in these two cases, as well as 

 the effects observed with other crops grown in these rotations, show that the 

 benefit of the manure was appreciable for two years or more after it was 

 applied." 



Plant products and chemical fertilizers, S. H. Cot/lins (London: Bailliere 

 Tindall d- Cox, 1918, /</>• XVI+286, fig. I : rev. in Sci. Prog. [London'], IS {1919), 

 No. 51, pp. 500, . r i0l). — This is one of a series of volumes, edited by S. Rideal. 

 designed to give a comprehensive survey of the applications of chemistry in 

 industry and to serve as a guide to the standard literature on the subject. It is 

 not Intended to be a textbook-, hut to serve as an adjunct to the ordinary text- 

 book. 



The plan of the book is to "pick up the story of those industrial waste prod- 

 ucts which are useful as fertilizers, and carry it on through the soil and crops, 

 until new products are available for industrial uses." It is divided into four 

 parts, namely, fertilizers, soils, crops, and the production of meat, and the 

 topics discussed vary from the properties and uses of the various fertilizers, to 

 the chemistry, characteristics, and uses of the crops produced. There are also 

 sections devoted to the calorific value of foods, the future prospects of scientifi- 

 cally controlled agriculture, and to the discussion of labor difficulties and edu- 

 cation of land workers. Special bibliographies are Included in each section and 

 a general bibliography is given for the whole volume. 



[Fertilizers in relation to agricultural production in the United States in 

 1919] (U. S. Dept. A fir.. Off. Sec. Cirr. ur> (1919), p. 28).— Discussing agricul- 

 tural production in 1010. with special reference to crops and live stock, it is 

 stated that for the first six months of 101S there was produced in the United 

 States approximately 5,500,000 tons of mixed fertilizers and 1.400,000 tons of 

 acid phosphate, practically all of which was used on the spring crops of that 

 year, with little carry-over for fall use. 



"The prospects of aderpiate supplies of fertilizer for use this sprint are 

 good. The supplies of nitrogenous materials will probably be ample. Th( 



