226 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



Influence of CaCOs and MgCOo on the soil and plants, P. S. Kossovich and 

 L. Althausex (Tntditi ilcndclycvsk. Syczda Obshch. i Phkl. Ehim., 1 (1907), 

 pp. 490; ais. in Zhur. Opuitn. Agron. {Russ. Jour. Expt. Landic). 10 (1909), 

 yo. 5. pp. 693-695). — From the results of pot experiments carried on for sev- 

 eral years the following conclusions are drawn : 



(1) The liming of acid soils of a decidedly podzol nature, without addition 

 of other nutritive substances, strikingly increased the yield of various plants; 

 on soils of a less pronounced podzol nature the influence of liming was weaker; 

 on a gray forest clay it produced almost no favorable influence; and on cher- 

 nozem the liming either did not at all increase the yield or raised it very 

 slightly. (2) The increase of yield on the same acid podzol soil was less when 

 the lime (CaO and CaCOs) was applied at the same time that other fertilizers 

 furnishing nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash were added. (3) The favor- 

 able action of calcium carbonate on acid podzol soils increased with the 

 amounts of this fertilizer up to a certain limit, which was close to the amount 

 of lime requisite for the neutralization of the soil; further additions of lime, 

 according to the kind of plant, either remained without essential influence on 

 the yield or perceptibly lowered it; in some cases a large quantity of lime en- 

 tirely ruined the plants. The in.1urious action was shown in delayed sprout- 

 ing, death of the seedlings, and the browning of the leaves at the borders and 

 their final drying up. However, at the same time that the majority of the 

 [ilants in a pot were injured or killed, individual plants occasionally developed 

 almost normally. (4) Mustard and clover proved to be more sensitive to the 

 acidity of the soil, especially the former ; accordingly the liming strongly in- 

 creased the yields of these plants. An excess of lime, however, affected them 

 very injuriously. Buckwheat, vetches, peas, and rye were less affected by the 

 acidity of the soil and an excess of lime injured them less. Barley, though not 

 particularly sensitive to the acidity of the soil, was benefited by liming and 

 stood excessive quantities of calcium carbonate quite well. (5) The most 

 probable injurious compounds formed in strongly acid soils upon excessive lim- 

 ing are the normal carbonates of sodium and calcium. The clearly alkaline 

 reaction of the soils which rec-eived an excess of lime and also the nature of 

 the development of the plants, seem to support this assumption. (6) In gen- 

 eral, calcium oxid. precipitated lime, marble, dolomite, magnesite. and basic 

 magnesium carbonate acted like calcium carbonate. However, the different 

 forms varied in harmfulness when applied in excessive quantities on soils of 

 strongly podzol nature, basic magnesium carbonate acting most intensely in 

 this respect and dolomite least. (7) The time of the introduction of the lime 

 (immediately before sowing or 30 days before sowing) did not modify the 

 influence of excessive liming; the result was similar when the same plants 

 were sown again on the soils which had received lime the preceding year. 

 Vetches and buckwheat, which were used in these experiments, suffered to the 

 same extent each year. 



The use of boron as a catalytic fertilizer, H. Agtxhox (Compt. Rend. Acad. 

 Sci. [Paris], 150 (1910), No. 5. pp. 288-291; abs. in Rev. Sci. [Paris], 48 

 {1910), I, No. 7, p. 220; Ann. Gembloux, 20 (1910), No. 5. pp. 303. 30//).— This 

 article summarizes some of the facts more fully presented in a thesis by the 

 author (see p. 230) on the presence and role of boron in plants. 



The investigations reported indicate that boron is a useful element of higher 

 plants. The addition of small quantities either to a synthetic culture solution 

 or to a natural soil increased appreciably the weight of dry matter produced. 

 The cultural value of the boron appears to be quite similar to that of manga- 

 nese. Its use in practical agriculture would seem to be feasible because the 

 small amounts necessary can be supplied at slight cost. 



