1910] FIELD CHOPS. 439 



Scientific potato culture, A. .1. XbUNG, SB, i II unliv/ton Beach, f'ul.: Hunt- 

 ington Beach News [1918], pp. 90, flu*. 15). — A concise discussion of the potato 

 and its production, designed especially for the potato growers of California. 



The effect of inoculation, fertilizer treatment, and certain minerals on the 

 yield, composition, and nodule formation of soy beans, 0. It. ETkuxbs [Boil 

 Sci., 6 (1918), No, ..', pp. 81 129, flys. 5).— Greenhouse pot tests and field plat 

 experiments conducted at the New Jersey Experiment sua inns are described. 

 Black Eyebrow soy beans were grown without inoculation, and also with Inocu- 

 lation from soil, different commercial cultures, and from a pure culture of 

 Bacillus radicicola isolated from a soy bean nodule, to .study the effect of Inocu- 

 lation upon yield, nodule formation, and composition of seed, with particular 

 reference to its effect upon the protein and oil content. Similar observations 

 were made of the effect of different quantities of burnt lime, ground limestone, 

 and ground oyster shell, and of fertilizers and salts used alone and in varying 

 combinations, including acid phosphate, sodium nitrate, potassium chlorld, 

 calcium carbonate, manganese sulphate, sulphur, calcium sulphate, zinc sul- 

 phate, and ferric sulphate. The data are presented in tabular form, fully dis- 

 cussed, and conclusions reached as follows: 



Certain commercial cultures of legume bacteria were found to be unreliable 

 for inoculating soy beans, while others were as efficient in nodule production ;is 

 freshly isolated cultures of li. radicicola or well-infected soil. Inoculation 

 resulted in a substantial increase in the yield of both the total dry matter and 



the s 1 in every case. An average decrease of 3 per cent in the oil content of 



soy bean seeds followed inoculation, while the protein content was Increased 7 

 per cent, tlie respective decreases and increases being in direct proportion to the 

 thoroughness of inoculation of the plants. No differences were observed in the 

 drying power of the oil extracted from the seeds of inoculated and uninoculated 

 plants. It is stated that the spread of natural inoculation in the soil appeared 

 to be very small, unless B. radicicola was transferred by means of wind, water, 

 animals, etc. 



Ground oyster shells and burnt lime were both found to be very efficient in 

 increasing the yield and total dry matter of soy beans on acid soils, the increases 

 varying from 30 to 50 per cent. Small applications (1,000 to 2,000 lbs. per acre) 

 were nearly as beneficial as large amounts, and are deemed preferable to a Blngle 

 large application if made at intervals of a few years. Liming seemed to stimu- 

 late nodule production by as much as 1,500 per cent in some case-, appearing to 

 be nearly as important as inoculation, although it is stated that both should be 

 practiced for the best results. Nodule development did not take place readily on 

 acid soil, even when the root-infecting organisms were plentiful in the soil. The 

 oil content of the seeds decreased in direct proportion to the Increased amounts 

 of lime applied, while the protein content Increased. The average decrease in 

 the oil content following liming was 2.8 per cent. Small amounts of lime were 

 nearly as effective in raising the protein conlent as larger applications. 



Immature and small seeds were lower in oil content than mature seeds. This 

 is thought to be due possibly to the failure of the reserve carbohydrates in the 

 seed to be fully transformed into oil. 



The yield of total dry matter and seed and the oil content of the seed was 

 materially Increased with small applications of acid phosphate, especially when 

 the soils were well limed, from 100 to 200 lbs. per acre appearing to be as bene- 

 ficial as larger applications. < hi acid soils acid phosphate failed to show any 

 appreciable increase. Nodule production was also stimulated on limed soils by 

 acid phosphate, but this effect was not so marked on acid soils. Acid phosphate 

 112S74°— 19 1 



