SOILS — FERTILIZERS. g]5 



ith loference to alkali .u the provlnro of Slml are .loscrihod. a.ul re<-lama- 

 lon expeniucuts extending from 1908 to 1913. inclusive, on 400 aortas of l„an. 

 to sandy loam soil which was typical of the worst areas of kalar (alkali) land 

 In Sind are reportetl. 



It is stated that the alkali problem in Sind is not a difllcult one. "None of 

 the lands so far examined in use for agricultural purposes contain very high 

 percentages of alkali, hut a numher of these contain Just sulllch^nt kalar t.. have 

 an injurious elTect on the yields „f th,. crops." The reclamation experiments 

 included leveling, flooding, and draining of the land, and cropping to hers^vm 

 (Egj-ptian white clover), sorghum, and cotton. 



Considering the cost of reclamation and the crop returns. It is stated that the 

 experimental farm has not paid. The berseem demonstrate<l its ntness as a 

 rotation crop for the country. 



Methods of reclamation, including flooding and cropping to rice and white 

 clover, based mainly on the ability of these crops to withstand large amounts 

 of water, are discussed. 



Technical means of improving alkali soils, L. Kirillov (Klioz(^istvo, No. 

 26 (1913); abs. in Zhur. Opytn. Agron. (Russ. Jour. Expt. Landw.), 15 (1914), 

 No. 2, p. W).—For the improvement of alkali soils the author recommends 

 shallow plowing (1.75 to 3.5 in.) in the fall, followed immediately by <leepen- 

 ing the soil an inch more. For the winter the soil is to be covered by old 

 manure which is plowed under in the spring. The sowing must be early and 

 preferably of broad-leaved plants in rows so that a cultivator can pass through 

 later. It is thought that the effect of .such treatment will last for from three to 

 four years, permitting the growth of perennial gra.sses, like alfalfa, for from 

 four to five years, after which the treatment should be repeated. 



The transformation of sulphur and sulphur compounds in agricultural 

 soil, a contribution to the knowledge of the sulphur cycle, H. Kappen and E. 

 QuENSELL (Landw. Vers. Stat, 86 (1915), No. 1-2, pp. 1-34).— The authors 

 review briefly the work of others bearing on the subject and report experiments 

 on the transformations undergone by sulphids, free sulphur, and sulphites in 

 different soils. 



It is concluded from these experiments that hydrogen sulphid produced in 

 soils by bacterial action or rotting of organic compounds passes into the form 

 of ferrous sulphid which is decomposed in the soil air. the iron being oxidized 

 to iron oxid and the sulphur being sot free. The free sulphur in finely divided 

 condition is then oxidized into sulphites and these into sulphates. The speed 

 of this transformation of free sulphur into sulphates was found to be dependent 

 on the form of sulphur used, the so-called milk of sulphur being the easiest 

 form oxidized. Oxidation of free sulphur took place more quickly in natural 

 than in sterilized soil. This is taken to indicate that bacteria may aid in the 

 the transformation of sulphur compounds in soil, although it is thought that 

 the process is mainly a chemical one since all known methods of soil steriliza- 

 tion are considered to have an effect on the other soil properties. 



It is further concluded that the transformation of sulphur compounds takes 

 place much more rapidly in soils than elsewhere and that different soils exert 

 specific influences on the speed of such transformation. It was also found 

 that sulphids and sulphites are transformed so rapidly in .soils that the germina- 

 tion or development of plants is not injuriouf^ly affected. 



Kich harvests on poor sand soil, A. Koch (Mitt. Deut. Landw. Oesell., SO 

 (1915), No. 21, pp. 311-315, figs. 5). — Pot experiments with clean sand and a 

 mixture of clean sand and clay, both of which were completely fertllize<l and 

 planted to corn, wheat, rye. oats, and buckwheat are reporte<l, the purpose of 



