442 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [VoL 35 



conducted in which lupines were grown on sand and clay with different lime 

 content and treated with light and heavy applications of carbonate, bisulphate, 

 and chlorid of potash. The data obtained are tabulated and discussed in 

 detail. 



The conclusion is reached that the injurious effects of lime on the lupine 

 are due to a specific sensitiveness of the plant toward the substance, and 

 are not the result of a general sensitiveness toward alkalinity. The data 

 brought together showed that basic as compared with acid soil fertilization 

 had the more favorable effect on the development of the plants ; in fact, acid 

 fertilization had a marked injurious influence. The author believes that this 

 specific sensitiveness to lime is due to the solvent action of the lupine and its 

 capacity to take up lime, and that if the lime content of the soil is high the 

 plant makes use of these properties and takes up a large quantity of lime at 

 the expense of the nutrients necessary for its development. It was found in 

 these experiments that by means of applications of carbonate of potash and 

 chlorid of potash the quantity of lime taken up can be reduced and the 

 injurious effect to a certain extent controlled. The investigation further indi- 

 cated that lime not only influenced the lupine unfavorably but that the par- 

 ticular nodule bacteria were also injuriously affected, suffering a reduction 

 in their activity. 



Some recent investigations in sugar beet breeding, F. J. Pritchakd (Abs. 

 in Science, n. ser., JfS (.1916), No. 1102, p. 219). — Data secured in ten years' 

 experiments in sugar beet breeding indicate that differences in the size, total 

 sugar content, and percentage of sugar of individual beet roots show no evi- 

 dence of inheritance, and that there is no correlation between percentage or 

 quantity of sugar of roots of ordinary sizes and their yield of seed, nor between 

 their yield of seed and the average percentage of sugar in their pi-ogeny. 

 Discontinuance of selection for one generation caused no deterioration but 

 some apparent gain in percentage of sugar, and no improvement was obtained 

 in yield or percentage of sugar from continuous selection. Fluctuations in 

 percentage and yield of sugar are regarded as due chiefly to lack of soil 

 uniformity. Real differences between strains and varieties are thus obscured, 

 but may be distinguished by planting each variety or family a large number 

 of times. 



Breaking the leaves of the sugar beet as a means of increasing the yield, 

 T. Remy {Bl. Zuckerrubenbau, 22 (1915), No. 11, pp. 189-193) .—Vlats of Dippe 

 red-crowned sugar beet and Eckendorf original field beet were planted April 

 22 and on August 7. The lateral leaves of the plants on two of the plats were 

 broken near the stem, but not removed, for the purpose of observing the 

 effect of this treatment on the yield. In comparison with the check plats 

 the sugar beets showed a reduction in yield of 3,213 lbs. and the field beets 

 of 7,229 lbs. per acre. 



Making beet seed germination tests, H. Plahn (Bl. Zuckerrubenbau, 22 

 (1915), No. 16, pp. m-lSl). — Several methods of making beet seed germination 

 tests are described and compared and the liability of error inherent in the 

 different plans is pointed out. 



The author describes and proposes a method based on the size of the seed 

 bolls and their weight per hundred for which he claims greater accuracy than 

 can be secured with the other methods discussed. The method proposed con- 

 sists essentially of separating the seed sample into the different sizes of 

 bolls by means of sieves of 2, 3, 4, and 5 mm. mesh, determining what per- 

 centage by weight each size forms of the sample, taking from each size five 

 lots of 100 bolls each for the determination of the weight per hundred bolls, 



