SOILS FERTILIZERS. 129 



open. A third series was treated with water saturated with carbon dioxid. 

 The more important results obtained are summarized as follows: 



" Different substances have very different rates of diffusion and in considera- 

 tion of the salts used in this investigation the most diffusible salt of any is 

 calcium sulphate, magnesium carbonate is considerably less diffusible than cal- 

 cium sulphate, calcium carbonate is less diffusible than magnesium carbonate, 

 calcium oxid is but little less diffusible than calcium carbonate, calcium phos- 

 phate less than either the carbonate or oxid, and barium hydrate considerably 

 less than either of the six salts studied. 



"The rapidity of diffusion depends on the difference in the concentration of 

 the salts, the greater the difference the more marked the effect will be. 



" Diffusion is considerably influenced by temperature, and becomes more 

 rapid in respect to some salts as the temperature rises. 



"Of the tliree soils used, salts diffuse most rapidly through the sand soil, 

 less rapidly through the loam soil, and only to a slight extent through the clay 

 soil. 



" The movements of salts in a soil are to a large extent governed by the 

 physical constitution of the soil, the soil having the coarser particles allowing 

 the salts to diffuse more rapidly than the soil with many small particles. 



" The amount of lime removed from the soil by the drainage water is the 

 greatest source of loss of lime to the soil, and the extent of this loss depends 

 entirely on the kind of lime added to the soil and the kind of soil limed. 



" The carbonic acid in a soil plays no insignificant part on the influence of 

 diff'usion of lime in the soil, checking the movement of calcium oxid by forming 

 insoluble carbonates, and forming more soluble salts with the insoluble forms as 

 calcium phosphate, carbonate, sulphate, and magnesium carbonate. 



" The amount of lime removed from the soil by the crop is in the most part 

 \ery small, yet it is one of the principal means by which lime is taken from the 

 land. In considering the exhaustion of the soil by the crop it is readily seen that 

 exhaustion by this means Is in no way so great as is suff"ered by depletion." 



The role of the infinitely small in agriculture, G. Bertrand ( Trans, and 

 Oryan. 8. Internat. Cong. Appl. Chem. [Washington and New York], 28 (1912), 

 PI). 30-.'f9). — This is the original address (in French) on this subject, which 

 has already been noted from other sources (E. S. R., 28, p. 125). 



Fertilizing value of certain industrial wastes (Sta. Agron. Aisne Bui., 

 1912, pp. 16-25). — This article reports analyses and briefly discusses the fer- 

 tilizing value of wool, leather and tannex'y, tallow and wax, starch and sugar 

 factory, and jute wastes, horn, dried blood, marc, hog bristles, clippings from 

 I'abbit skins, bat and bird guauos, pigeon manure, dried wine lees, bone, meat, 

 poudrelte, soot, garbage, mud, and pyritie cinder. 



The waste liquors from the sulphite-cellulose industry and their use in 

 agriculture, A. Stutzer {FiUilirig's Landw. Ztg., 62 {1913), No. ^, pp. 139- 

 lJt6). — Investigations by others on this subject,- especially Nitsche (E. S. R., 

 28, p. 222), are referred to. 



Experiments made under the author's direction showed that neutral calcium 

 sulphite (which occurs in sulphite liquors) was not injurious to plants on loam 

 or sandy soils, but was injurious on moor soils. Field experiments with potatoes 

 and pot experiments with mustard to which dried sulphite-cellulose extract was 

 applied indicated that this material may pei-haps be used with advantage on 

 soils poor in humus and nitrogen. From a hygienic standpoint it is very de- 

 sirable to find some such use for these liquors and thus prevent their discharge 

 into the water courses. 



New mineral fertilizer, C. D. Woods {Maine Sta. Bui. 209, pp. 12). — This 

 bulletin reports an experiment in which corn and potatoes were grown without 



