SOILS FERTILIZERS. 419 



]ir('ripit;ilinn (hiring i'.M'2 .niKl a portion of l!li;> al tli(> varions siihslations in 

 (UnVreiit parts of Canada. 



[Weather conditions in the British Isles in 1914] (Nature [London], D/f 

 {1915), No. 2359, pp. 53S, 539). — This is a brief note on a summary of weather 

 conditions issued by the British Meteorolojrical Office. It sliows that there was 

 au excess of temperatui'o during tlie year in all parts of tlie Rritisli Isles, tills 

 excess being greatest in east and northeast England and in tlie midland coun- 

 ties. The highest temperature (90° F.) occurred in southeast England; tlie 

 lowest (7°) in the east of Scotland. The rainfall was largest (49.31 in.) in 

 the north of Scotland; and least (24.82 in.) in the northeast of England. The 

 only districts with an appreciable deficiency of rainfall were the west and 

 north of Scotland, 91 to 94 per cent of the average respectively. The greatest 

 excess over the average was in southeast England. The distribution of rainy 

 days was substantially normal. There was a slight excess of sunshine in the 

 eastern districts, but about the average amount in the western districts. 



Meteorolog'y, J. W. Leather (lipt. Agr. Research Inst, and Col. Piisa, 1912- 

 13, pp. 17-20, fig. 1). — This is a brief note based upon observations at Pusa. 

 Lyallpur, and Madras on evaporation from the water surface and on soil 

 temperature. 



The annual evaporation at the three places named was 6.4, 4.1. and 0.3 ft. 

 respectively. This evaporation is much larger than that observed for fallow 

 soil, which was ajiproximately 28 In. at Pusa and 18 in. at Cawnpore. With 

 a maximum air temperature of 110° F. it was found that the temperature of a 

 fallow soil was 109° at 1 in. below the surface, 10G° at 2 in., 102° at 3 in., and 

 97° at 6 in. Attention is called to the fact that in many places in India a 

 maximum air temperature of 115 to 120° is regularly registered for some weeks 

 (luring the hot season, and it is suggested that this may have an important 

 effect upon biological changes occurring in the soil in accordance with the theo- 

 ries of Russell and Hutchinson. 



Nig'ht radiation, I. Y. Tochidlox SKJii {Nochnoe Luelieispuskanie. Odessa, 

 1912; ahs. in ZInir. Opytn. Agron. iRiiss. Jour. Expt. Lgnd.w.), IJf {1913), No. 

 //, /). .'i.'i3). — The loss of heat during the night from different surfaces was 

 studied by means of an AngstrJim actlnometer. It was found that a square 

 centimeter of mowed grass lost 0.124 gram calories per minute, chernozem soil 

 0.120. 



The fertilizing value of rain and snow, F. T. Shutt (Canada Expt. Farms 

 Rpts. 1913, pp. 225, 265-26S). — "The total precipitation, as recorded at the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm, Ottawa, for the year ending February 28, 1913, was 

 39.30 in., 9.02 in. falling in the form of snow. Analysis showed that this fur- 

 nished 0.144 lbs. of nitrogen, per acre, in forms readily available for crop use. 

 Records taken here indicate that the proportions of this amount furnished 

 respectively by the rain and snow have not appreciably varied for the past four 

 years, about eight-tenths of the nitrogen compounds being found in the rain." 



SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 



Petrography of various soils derived from volcanic ejecta, W. H. Fry 

 (Jour. Amer. Hoe. Agron., 6 (1914), No. 4-5, pp. 164-171).— Mechanical and 

 niineralogical analyses of a number of soils definitely known to be volcanic ash 

 or directly derived from lava are reported. It is stated that soils derived 

 mainly from volcanic ejecta can be generally recognized by the presence of 

 glass particles when such particles occur in noticeable quantities. 



The data indicate that the soils examined fall into three gcMioral classes, 

 namely, (1) very silicious soils containing large proi>ortions of isotropic ma- 



