1919] SOILS FERTILIZERS. 517 



"Available agricultural data thus afford strong evidence in favor of the 

 suitability of sodammonium sulphate as a fertilizer. Its production from niter 

 cake or other acid sodium sulphate represents a very simple process, for the 

 carrying out of which on the large scale the only plant required consists of 

 evaporating pans and crystallizing tanks in addition to the saturators. On 

 the assumption that niter cake is available at a comparatively low price, the 

 cost of fixation of ammonia by the sodammonium process may be expected to 

 be very much smaller than by the ordinary sulphuric acid jirocess." 



Availability of the nitrogen in garbage tankage, F. E. Bear and G. Wal- 

 let {Mo. Bui. Ohio Sta., 4 (lifW), No. 6, pp. 191, 192).— In a contribution from 

 the department of agricultural chemistry and soils, Ohio State University, 

 the authors describe observations on the availability of the nitrogen in garbage 

 tankage from the Municipal Reducing Plant of Columbus, by means of the 

 alkaline permanganate method and by nitrification tests. The results are held 

 to indicate that nitrogen from this source is only very slowly available, requir- 

 ing liberal applications for marked results. 



Study of nitrification of leather and oil cake, R. Guillin (Bui. Soc. Agr. 

 France, 1917, Dec, pp. 357-360, fig. 1). — Comparative studies of the nitrification 

 of dried blood, tanned leather, chrome leather, burnt leather, leather dissolved 

 in sulphuric acid, and oil cal<e in a calcareous clay soil showed an increase in 

 nitrate in all cases except where the chrome leather was used, in which case 

 there was a marked decrease in nitrate. 



Pot experiments with wheat in which chrome leather and dissolved leather 

 were added showed that considering the weight of the crop obtained from the 

 unfertilized soil as 100 the weight of crop where chrome leather was used was 

 only 30, indicating an injurious effect of the chrome leather. The crop was 

 increased to 115 where dissolved leather was used, showing that this has some 

 fertilizing value. 



It is concluded that chrome leather has no fertilizing value and that further- 

 more it is injurious to crops. Neither tanned or burnt leather are considered 

 to have much fertilizing value, while the value of dissolved leather is considered 

 to be relatively high. No marked difference was noted between dissolved 

 leather in liquid or pasty conditions. 



The peat deposits of Minnesota, E. K. Sopee (Univ. Minn., Geol. Survey Bui. 

 16 {1919), pp. IX-\-261, pis. 21, figs. 9; abs. in Jour. Amer. Peat Soc, 11 (1918), 

 No. 4, pp. 227-243, figs. 8). — This is a report of a survey of the peat deposits of 

 Minnesota, from which it is estimated that Minnesota had originally about 

 7,000,000 acres of peat land containing peat deposits varying in thickness from 

 a few inches to 30 ft. or more. Of this area about 5,217,000 acres are covered 

 with peat at least 5 ft. thick. The deposits as a whole vary in thickness from 

 a few Inches to 63 ft. 



The following types of peat are recognized: (1) Deposits which represent 

 filled lakes or ponds; (2) deposits representing accumulations built up on moist 

 depressions, or flat, undrained areas; (3) deposits which represent combinations 

 of types 1 and 2 which consist of lake or pond peat, in the lower portion, and 

 swamp, of sphagnum peat, above; and (4) deposits which occur on flats and 

 lowlands along river valleys. 



The prevailing color of Minnesota peat is brown. The commonest texture is 

 fibrous or mossy. 



Chemical analyses of 29 samples of typical peat are reported, the most note- 

 worthy features of which are the high average nitrogen content and the com- 

 paratively low ash content. These are considered to indicate peat of excellent 



