SOILS FERTILIZERS. 125 



found in the stable manure were identical with those isolated from the soil by 

 Winogradsky, and which, contrary to the opinion held by some investigators, 

 are able to develop in the presence of fermenting organic matter. 



Preservation of manure with a view to suspending' and producing' heating' 

 when desired, (Jimel (BuI. Soc. Nat. Apr. France, 69 {1909), No. 10, pp. 962- 

 96o). — Investigations undertaken at the suggestion of a practical mushroom 

 grower are reported. The purpose of these investigations was to find some 

 means of arresting fermentation and so taking advantage of favorable condi- 

 tions for securing a supply of the material and keeping it without deterioration 

 until actually needed. 



Comparative tests were made of formol, sulphurous acid, and sulphuric acid. 

 The first two arrested fermentation but it was not possible to remove them and 

 to start up fermentation again when desired. Efficient preservation of the 

 manure was secured by sprinkling it with a solution of sulphuric acid (10 gm. 

 l)er liter), and active fermentation was readily started in it at any time by 

 neutralizing the acid with a solution of potassium carbonate. 



Supplementing' manure with fertilizers, A. Vivien and E. Robert {Sucr. 

 Iniliff. ct Colon., 75 (1910), No. 13, pp. 296-300; Jour. Apr. Prat., n. ser., 19 

 {1910), No. 11, pp. 335-337). — This is a discussion of the kind and amount of 

 manuring which may be reasonably required of tenants by landlords. 



The conclusion is reached that dui'ing the last 4 years of the lease the re- 

 quirements should be that the tenant must apply to one-fourth of the farm 

 each year 30.000 kg. per hectare (about 13.3 tons per acre) of manure furnish- 

 ing 120 kg. of assimilable nitrogen, GO kg. of assimilable phosphoric acid, and 

 144 kg. of assimilable i)Otash. or any other green, organic, or chemical manure 

 furnishing like amounts of tlie.se constituents. Not more than one-half of tlie 

 nitrogen should be in minei'al form, that is, one-fourth ammonia and one- 

 fourth nitrate. 



Summary of results of the Poltava Experiment Field for twenty years, 

 1886-1906.— II, Cereals, K. T. ]\L\nkovski (ftoglii Robot PoUav.skagho Opait- 

 napho Poll/a za Dradtzat Lijct, 1S86-1S06. — //. Zrrnorule KhlycJm. Poltava, 

 1909, pp. X+J,10+l.'iJf. pi. 1: rev. in Zulu: Opiiitn. Apron. {Russ. Jour. E.rpt. 

 Landir.). 10 {1909), No. 6. pp. H57-S6-'i). — During this period the station gave 

 attention mainly to three lines of work: (1) The time of plowing fallow fields, 

 (2) utilization of manure, and (3) study of varieties, mainly of winter and 

 sunuiier cereals. 



It is stated that continued cultivation year after year of the same cereal on 

 the same field gave larger yields of grain and straw than the cultivation of 

 these cereals in a three-course rotation with May fallow. 



With resiiect to the influence of manure some of the general conclusions are 

 as follows: Tlie influence of manure freshly plowed under on the moisture of 

 the soil during the period of fallow can not be considered as favorable. If. 

 however, in wet periods the moisture of the tilled layer of the soil on the 

 manured fallows is the higher, the drying out of the upper layer of the soil on 

 these fallows is more rapid during a period of drought, and about the time of 

 sowing they are dryer than the unmanured fallows. The manure apparently 

 produced no appreciable influence on the moisture of the deeper layers of the 

 soils. It considerably increased the yields of the winter cereals as well as of 

 the succeeding summer cereals, the increase in the latter case being even more 

 marked than in the former. 



The composition of commercial fertilizers, M. Whitney {IJ. S. Dcpt. .ipr.. 

 Bur. ISoil.s Bui. 5S, pp. 39). — This bulletin discusses Ijriefly the composition of 

 commercial fertilizers and our iiresent knowledge with reference to their use, 

 and gives extracts from standard works on fertilizers with a summary of guar- 



