SOILS FERTILIZEES. 513 



in soils, while in the case of plant nutrition a good deal of attention continues 

 to be given to the question of stimulants." 



Soil problems, J. W. Leather {Rpt. Agr. Research Inst, and Col. Pusa, 

 1913-U. pp. 16-18).— In continuation of investigations (E. S. R., 22, p. 20) on 

 the relations existing between the amount of carbon dioxid in soils and the 

 amounts of lime and magnesia in solution, it was found that if magnesium 

 carbonate is present in more than very small quantities, calcium carbonate 

 becomes practically insoluble. Dolomite was found to dissolve as a double 

 salt in carbon dioxid, but the presence of either calcium carbonate or mag- 

 nesium carbonate was found to protect thq dolomite from the action of the 

 carbon dioxid. " This work has shown that no fertile soil can contain material 

 proportions of magnesium carbonate, for if it did, the lime would become 

 practically insoluble and the plant would die of lime starvation." 



Analyses of samples of the alluvial soils from the lands irrigated by the 

 upper and lower Swat River canals in India indicated that the lime content 

 varies from high to low, potash is abundant, and there is an occasional defi- 

 ciency in available phosphoric acid and a general deficiency in organic nitro- 

 genous matter. 



The movement of soluble salts with the soil moisture, F. S. Hakeis ( Utah 

 Sta. Bui. 139 {1915), pp. 119-12^, figs. 2). — Experiments with small sections of 

 soil containing various quantities of soluble salts and through which water 

 was passed horizontally and vertically are reported, the purpose of the exi>eri- 

 ment being to determine the movement of salts with water through the soil. 



The results indicate th-at soluble salts in the soil verj- i-eadily move hori- 

 zontally and vertically with the current of soil moisture. It was found that 

 salts moving horizontally with the soil moisture accumulated at the end of the 

 test tank where evaporation took place, and that in general the salts increased 

 in the soil from the end where water was added to the other end. The upward 

 movement of salts and their accumulation at the surface were especially marked 

 in soils containing a large amount of salt. It is concluded in general from 

 these experiments that " lowlands will continue to be ruined by the accumu- 

 lation of alkali salts as long as the uplands are overirrigated." 



The role of colloids in agricultural soil, L. G. den Beegee {Teysmannia, 24 

 {1913), Nos. 7, pp. 438-450; 8-9, pp. 512-520; 11-12, pp. 689-701; 25 {1914), 

 Nos. 1, pp. 45-53; 2, pp. 65-67; 3, pp. 145-152; 5-6, pp. 251-255).— This article 

 describes the common properties of colloids, particularly their powers of 

 absoriJtion, and discusses the soil colloids in some detail, with particular refer- 

 ence to their origin and influence under different conditions on the physical, 

 chemical, and biological properties of soils and on plant growth. 



Some data on the question of the form of nitrogen in the soil, A. Shmuk 

 {Zhur. Opytn. Agron. {Russ. Jour. Expt. Landw.), 15 {1914), No. 2, pp. 139- 

 153, figs. 2; abs. in Chem. Abs., 9 {1915), No. 7, p. 946; Zentbl. Agr. Chem., 44 

 {1915), No. 1, p. 9). — Investigations are reported which indicate that the dis- 

 tribution of amid compounds in podzol and chernozem soils is much the same 

 as in protein. While the ratio of proteid nitrogen to the total organic matter 

 of soils varied widely, the ratio to total nitrogen was quite similar in all 

 tests. Podzol soil was found to contain a considerable proportion of water- 

 soluble amid compounds. The distribution of different forms of nitrogen was 

 quite similar in chernozem and podzol soils, but was quite different from that 

 observed in the case of laterite soil. 



Soil bacteriology, C. M. Hutchinson {Rpt. Agr. Research Inst, and Col, 

 Pusa, 1913-14, PP- 81-88). — This is a brief review of investigations which have 

 already been noted in part from other sources (E. S. R., 31, pp. 722, 731). 



