FIELD CROPS. 135 



the root, such as to make it resistant, or upon the organism can not yet be 

 stated." 



Can sodium replace potash as a nutrient for sugar beets? Krugee {Deut. 

 Zucketindus., 39 (1914), ^o. Jf7, pp. 951-953). — This article describes an experi- 

 ment in which sodium was applied as a fertilizer in place of potash. The 

 results showed that the sugar and potash contents of the beets followed closely 

 the quantities of potash applied with little reference to the quantities of sodium. 

 The author believes, however, that the presence of the sodium increased the 

 effectiveness of the potash. 



Loss in tonnage of sugar beets by drying, H. B. Shaw {U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Bui. 199 {1915), pp. 12, figs. 5). — This bulletin gives results of experiments to 

 determine the amount of loss of sugar beets by evaporation in the field. 



The weights of sugar beets pulled at Ogden, Utah, on October 17, 1912, and 

 left spread out, not topped, for 24 hours showed a loss of 10.32 per cent in a 

 mean temperature of 43.29° F. When pulled, topped, and left in rather small 

 piles in a mean temperature of 50° for 3§ hours the roots lost 0.54 per cent in 

 weight. In another similar test in a temperature of 62° for 6i hours the 

 roots lost 2.42 per cent in weight. 



In a test at Garden City, Kans., in which the roots were placed in medium- 

 sized piles and left exposed from November 10 to November 14, there was a 

 mean daily loss of 6.48 per cent in weight. A similar experiment in which the 

 roots were thrown into large piles (500 lbs.) showed a total loss when covered 

 with the beet tops of 4.18 per cent in one series and 4.85 per cent in another. 

 When left exposed the losses were 15.06 and 14.14 per cent, respectively. 



In testing the effect of drying upon the sugar content of beets laboratory 

 results showed that the percentage of sucrose increases as the water is with- 

 drawn by evaporation. It was also shown that some inversion and decomposi- 

 tion take place even during so short a period as about 30 hours. 



Beets in large open piles containing 11 tons 900 lbs., 16 tons 1,700 lbs., and 

 28 tons 190 lbs., respectively, and left from November 3, 1912, to January 4, 

 1913, lost 4.1 per cent in weight during the two months. The mean tempera- 

 ture was 36.72°. 



The relation of shrinkage to money loss is discussed. 



Variation in the content of sugar in beets during the second year, O. 

 MuNERATi, G. Mezzadeoli, and T. V. Zappaboli (Stais. Sper. Agr. Ital., 47 

 {1914), No. 5, pp. 317-336, figs. 6).— This article gives results of a study to 

 determine the variation of sugar in beets during their seed-producing period. 

 Beets were analyzed in March, 1913, at the time of transplanting and again at 

 different dates in September, October, and December, just before, during, and 

 after the maturation of the seeds. 



The tabulated data show a wide variation in the content of individual beets 

 and that many had a relatively high sugar content at the end of the season, 

 even higher in some cases than before the growth of the seed stalk ; that there 

 is a class of roots that nearly maintains its quality, form, and weight; that 

 there is another class that substantially changes in quality and increases 

 more or less in weight by new growth ; and that there is an intermediate class. 



Contribution on the biology and valuation of beet seeds, M. Plaut {Jahres- 

 hcr. Ver. Angew. Bot., 11 {1913), No. 2, pp. 168-217).— This article reviews 

 work of previous investigators, and gives results of work performed at the 

 experiment station at Hohenheim, Germany, respecting methods of sampling, 

 testing, and estimating the agricultural values of beet seeds. The method of 

 sampling that proved to be the most exact is that termed the " count-percentage 

 method" (Zahlprozentmethode), with modifications in averaging originally 



