AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 627 



nients with the sandinji, clayiiifr, and liming of moor soils, fertilizer trials with 

 phosphoric acid aud potash fertilizers for meadows, and variety tests of rye, 

 barley, oats, soiling crops, and roots. 



Analyses of fertilizers, B. W. Kilgore et al. (BuL A'. C. Dept. Agi\, 31 

 (1910), Xo. //, pp. 5-29). — This bulletin records in the usual form the results of 

 fertilizer -inspection in North Carolina during the fall of 1009 and spring of 

 1910. The analyses reported " show fertilizers to be about as heretofore, and 

 to be, generally, what was claimed for them." 



The manufacture of fertilizers in Cairo, H. D. Parodi (Egi/ptc Contem- 

 poraine, 1910, No. 3, pp. 42^-^31, pi. /) .—Establishments utilizing sewage and 

 garbage in the manufacture of fertilizers are described, and the growth and 

 profitableness of this business are pointed out. 



AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 



[Work in plant physiology], W. B, McCallum (Arizona Sita. Rpf. 1909. pp. 

 58-'f-586). — The work reporte<l was for the most part a continuation of studies 

 in tuberization in potatoes and involved investigations of the factors concerned in 

 tuber formation, especially the influence of previous conditions uixm seed tubers. 

 The end desired is a means of shortening the time required for the complete 

 development of the tubers, aud it has been found that green s])routing assists 

 very materially in accomplishing this. 



Other methods have given some promise of successful results, among them 

 stimulating the dormant tubers with substances such as ethyl bromid, carbon 

 tetrachlorid, ammonia, gasoline, ethylene chlorid, and bromin. the best success 

 being obtaiuetl with ethyl bromid. Other substances have been found to stimu- 

 late the buds, but the range between the point of stimulation and death is so 

 narrow as to render their use impracticable. 



Another form of stimulation was found fairly successful. It has been noticed 

 that in very hot weather the potato plants in Arizona run to tops without de- 

 veloping tubers, and under laboratory conditions it was found possible to check 

 the development of excessive top growth with satisfactory results. More prac- 

 tical methods, howerer, consist in directly stimulating the tubers by the appli- 

 cation of certain chemicals. A large number of chemicals were in\estigated 

 and it was found that manganese chlorid and ethyl ether gave remarkable 

 results. Seed tubers treated with these, while showing no difference in the 

 growth of foliage, exhibited a most pronounced acceleration in the formation 

 of tubers. 



The treatment of other plants, especially tomatoes, willi a view to increasitig 

 their fruitfulness during hot weather, has not met with much success, but 

 spraying with iron sulphate to injure the foliage at a time when the plants 

 were producing rank vegetative growth was found to increase fruitfulness to 

 some extent. 



The action of continued galvanic currents on germination, II. Miciieels 

 (Acad. Roy. Belg., Bill. CI. ScL, 1910, No. 1, pp. 51-101, figs. S).—\ report is 

 given on the effect of a galvanic current on the germination of wheat. The 

 seed were placetl to germinate in crystallization glasses with various nutrient 

 solutions and a galvanic current passed through the medium, duplicate lots 

 being kept as checks. 



The greatest differences noted in the cultures were in the percentage of germi- 

 nation and the growth of the roots during a period of about 2 weeks. Where 

 marked increases in growth were noticed they were always fouud in the un- 



