SOILS FEETILIZERS. 325 



sulphate and ammonium nitrate increased ttie availability of the phosphoric 

 acid of the soil and of the phosphates but did not always increase the yield. 

 Calcium carbonate reduced the availability of calcium phosphate. On nearly 

 neutral soils such as were used in these experiments, containing little free 

 organic acids stronger than carbon dioxid, calcium carbonate slightly increased 

 the availability of aluminum and iron phosphates. 



Agricultural value of calciaied and ground mineral phosphates, M. de 

 MoLiNARi and O. Ligot (Ann. Gcnihloux, 20 {1910), A'o. 11, pp. 601-607, pis. 

 2). — Two samples of such phosphate, containing 24.8 and 18.3 per cent of phos- 

 phoric acid, respectively, of which only a small proportion was soluble in am- 

 monium citrate or citric acid, were compared with Thomas slag in pot experi- 

 ments with oats grown on soil and sand. In no case did the calcined phosphate 

 show any appreciable effect, while the Thomas slag showed a marked benefit. 



Gypsum deposits of New York, D. H. Newland and H. Leighton (iV. Y. 

 State Mas. Bnl. l-'/S, pp. 94, pis. 18, figs. 8, maps //). — This bulletin deals quite 

 fully with the history of the gypsum industry in New York, the composition, 

 character, and uses of gypsum, the general geology, distribution, and character 

 of the gypsum deposits of New York, the permanence of the gypsum supply, 

 the methods of prospecting and exploiting gypsum deposits, the origin of gyp- 

 sum, the properties of gypsum and theory of its transformation to plasters, 

 and the technology of gypsum plasters. It also contains a bibliography of 

 papers and reports relating to the gypsum deposits of New York, 



It is stated that " the most important use of raw gypsum is as a soil amend- 

 ment, for which purpose the rock, pure or impure as it may be, is simply 

 crushed and ground to a powder." 



The use of land plaster is very ancient, but recently there has been a decided 

 falling off in the land plaster industry, probably due to the development of 

 other uses of gypsum. 



Can the lime of calcium silicate serve as plant food? H. Mieth {Lnndio. 

 Vers. Stat., 74 (1910), No. 1-2, pp. 81-120).— The author reviews other investi- ' 

 gations bearing on this subject and reports water culture experiments on oats 

 in which part of the lime of tlie culture solution was supplied by different forms 

 of calcium silicate. 



The lime of the silicate wms taken up readily and without injury by the 

 plant. There was no marked difference in growth with the different silicates 

 used. The plants took up much more silicic acid than lime. The silicates 

 were apparently decomposed by the life activities of the plant (excretion of 

 carbon dioxid by the roots) with the prodviction of free silicic acid and cal- 

 cium carbonate. That the r»lant tried to obtain silicic acid was shown by the 

 fact that those not supplied with this substance in the culture solution took up 

 a small amount from the glass of the vessels in which the experiments were 

 amde. Account should be taken of easily decomposable calcium silicate as a 

 source both of lime and silicic acid. 



The use of gas liquor for fertilizing purposes, H. Rygard (Jour. OasheleucM., 

 53 (1910), pp. 21,6, 247; abs. in Cheni. Zentbl., 1910. I, No. 26, p. 2132).— The 

 gas liquor was neutralized with sulphuric acid, mixed with peat, and used only 

 after it had been allowed to decompose for some time. 



Report on commercial fertilizers, 1910, E. H. Jenkins and J. P. Street 

 (Connecticut State Sta. Rpt. 1909-10, pt. 5, pp. 375-430, 4//2-//54 ) .— This report 

 gives the results of analyses and valuations of 661 samples of mixed fertilizers 

 and fertilizing materials examined during the year. 



The fertilizing materials included 22 samples of nitrate of soda, in which 

 the average percentage of nitrogen was 15.24, the average cost of nitrogen per 

 pound being 16.1 cts. ; and 157 samples of cotton-seed meal, in which the average 



