SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 625 



the oats gave better results (about equal to those with bone) than did buck- 

 wheat, which yielded much less than with bone. 



Absorption of potash, from zeolites by plants, F. V. Chibikov {Izv. Moskov. 

 t^rlsk. Khoz. Imt. (Amt. Inst. Agron. Moscou), 19 {WIS), No. 2, pp. 300-309, 

 pfl. i).— The zeolite used in these experiments was obtained by extracting 

 sodium zeolite with potassium chlorid solution and contained 11.35 per cent of 

 potash. The potash zeolite so obtained was used alone and with calcium car- 

 bonate and other necessary nutrient salts in pot experiments with barley. It 

 was found that the potash of the zeolite was assimilable only when associated 

 with other substances nec-essary for plant growth. 



Vegetation experiments with potash minerals in 1911, S. I. Kalinkin 

 (Izr. Moskov. Selsk. Khoz. Inst. (Ann. Inst. Agron. Moscou), 19 {1913), No. 2, 

 pp. 287-293, fig. 1). — Biotite, nepbeline, muscovite, and phonolite were tested as 

 sources of potash for buckwheat, flax, and millet, and analyses of the buckwheat 

 and flax indicated that they ranked in this order as to the assimilation of 

 potash, showing that the potash of phonolite is difficultly assimilable by plants. 

 The yield of barley to which glauconite sand had been applied was very low. 

 It is suggested that this may have been due to the ferrous oxid in the glauconite. 



Vegetation experiments with potash minerals in 1912, F. V. Chirikov 

 (Izi\ Moskov. Selsk. Khoz. Inst. {Ann. Inst. Agron. Moscou), 19 {1913), No. 2, 

 pp. 294-299, fig. 1). — Tests of phonolite and glauconite sand indicated a very low 

 value for the.se materials as sources of potash. On the other hand, better 

 results were obtainetl with biotite and nepheline than with potassium chlorid. 



On the action of sodium salts in vegetation experiments, I. V. Iakushkin 

 {Izv. Moskov. Selsk. Khoz. Inst. {Ann. Inst. Agron. Moscou), 19 {1913), No. 2, 

 pp. 315-337, figs. 5). — In sand cultures it was found that the order of tolerance 

 toward sodium salts of the plants experimented with was as follows: Panicum 

 crus-galU, Triticum durum, millet, Mcdicago sativa, and T. spelta. Tlie sodium 

 salts in certain cases promoted to a marked extent the growth of the plants. 

 The addition of sodium chlorid, for example, increased the yield of Japanese 

 millet {P crus-gaUi) 52 per cent; that of sodium sulphsste OS per cent. The 

 addition of the latter salt increased the yield of ordinary millet 23 per cent 

 and of flax 27 per cent. The beneficial effect of the sodium salts was observed 

 in a complete normal solution, thus indicating that the action of the sodium 

 is not due to replacement of potash. 



Gunpowder as fertilizer {Invent. Age, 25 {1913), No. 9, p. 9). — Experiments 

 in which brown gunpowder, now no longer used in the navy, was successfully 

 used as a fertilizer for garden veget<ibles are briefly reported. The powder, 

 which contains about 80 per cent of potassium nitrate, was thoroughly wet and 

 worked into the soil. 



Fresh sludge and decomposed sludge, H. Bach and L. C. Frank {Engin. 

 Rec, 68 {1913), No. 12, pp. 331-333, fig. i ) .—Comparative studies were made of 

 fresh and decomposed sludge from Imhoff tanks for the purpose of ascertaining 

 the changes taking place in the tanks and the relative value of the sludges 

 from the standpoint of utilization as a fertilizer, for recovery of fats, for 

 production of illuminating gas, and for use as fuel. 



The nitrogen, which is the only fertilizing constituent of the sludges reported, 

 varied from 1.6 to 2.4 per cent in the fresh sludge from different tanks and 

 from 1.5 to 2.3 per cent in corresponding decomposed sludge. There was in 

 every case less nitrogen in the decomposed sludge than in the fresh sludge, 

 but it was probably more available. The mechanical condition of the decom- 

 posed sludge was also more favorable for use as a fertilizer. 



The fertilizing value of pond mud, P. Kossowitsch ( Zentbl. Kunst-diinger 

 Indus., IS {.1913), No. 18, pp. 385, 386).— An analysis of the air-dry mud is 



