218 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECORD. [Vol.43 



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take place in the course of a few hours (but usually requiring 24 hours at 

 least for appreciable reproduction to take place), the whole life cycle of many 

 protozoa may be completed in the soil. 



A list of 40 references to literature bearing on the subject is included. 



The value of barnyard manure on Utah soils, F. S. Harris {Utah Sta. Bui. 

 112 (1920), pp. S-21, figs. 12). — Experiments on the value of farm manure in in- 

 creasing the yield of sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, oats, and corn on irrigated 

 and dry-farm soils in Utah are reported. Most of the experiments were con- 

 ducted ofi deep rather fertile limestone soil. 



It was found that manure applied to sugar beets at the rate of 10 tons to the 

 acre gave an increase In yield of about 1 ton of beets for each ton of manure. 

 Five tons to the acre gave nearly 2 tons of beets for each ton of manure, but 

 where as much as 40 tons to the acre were applied the increase was only about 

 0.4 ton of beets for each ton of manure. Where potatoes were manured at the 

 rate of 5 tons to the acre the yield was increased by nearly 13 bu. for each ton 

 of manure, but where 40 tons were applied the increase was only 4.3 bu. for each 

 ton. Manure applied to wheat gave an increased yield of 2 bu. for each ton of 

 manure where 5 tons were applied, 1.13 bu. where 15 tons were applied, and only 

 0.33 bu. for each ton of manure where 40 tons were applied. Manure applied to 

 oats gave an increase of 1.65, 1.21, and 0.36 bu. of grain, respectively, for each 

 ton of manure when 5, 15, and 40 tons of manure to the acre were applied. The 

 average of nine years of manure applied to corn gave an increase of 3.83 bu. of 

 grain and 428 lbs. of stover, and 1.61 bu. of grain and 214 lbs. of stover, respec- 

 tively, for each ton of manure when 5 and 15 tons were applied to the land 

 each year. 



The use of farm manure under dry-farming conditions did not seem to be so 

 immediately profitable as under irrigation, but the residual effect of manure 

 under dry farming was very marked. The use of manure on expensive crops, 

 such as sugar beets and potatoes, gave a higher return for each ton of manure 

 than when it was applied to wheat and oats. 



Utilizing soil potash by means of intermediary crops, A. W. Blair {Proc. 

 Soc. Prom. Agr. Sci., 39 {1919), pp. 69-74). — Pot experiments with loam and 

 sandy loam soil, conducted at the New Jersey Experiment Stations, are reported 

 to determine the utilization of soil potash by rape, field peas, barley, buckwheat, 

 and soy beans. The soils were limed and fertilized except with potash. It was 

 found that the dry weights of these crops grown without potash were es-sentially 

 the same as when grown with potassium sulphate on both soils. 



" It appears that soy beans and perhaps some other plants have the habit of 

 storing up an abnormal supply of potash where this is supplied in readily 

 available form. . . . Here, then, are crops that can use rather large amounts 

 of the soil potash when forced to do so, but if permitted, will also use additional 

 commercial potash for which apparently there is no return. Such plants should 

 be more widely used to liberate the locked-up potash of the mineral particles 

 of soils rich in potash." 



Nitrogen Products Committee. — Final report {London: Min. Munitions 

 War, 1919, pp. Vl-{-35t, pis. 17, fig. 1; abs. in Chem. Trade Jour, and Chem. 

 Engin., 66 {1920), Nos. 1705, pp. 91-97; 1706, pp. 125-130).— This is the final 

 report of the Nitrogen Products Committee, appointed in June, 1916, of which 

 H. E. P. Goold-Adams was chairman, and including among others representa- 

 tives from the Board of Agi-iculture and Fisheries, (1) to consider the rela- 

 tive advantages for England and for the British Empire of the various meth- 

 ods for the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, from the point of view both of 

 war and peace purposes, to ascertain their relative costs, and to advise on pro- 



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