SOILS FERTILIZERS. 617 



Sewage disposal, E. D. "Walker {Engineer [Penn. State Col.l, 3 {1910), 

 No. Jf, pp. 193-203) .—This article discusses among other metliods sewage irri- 

 gation. It is pointed out that this method is fairly successful where the soil 

 is saudy and the climate and crops are such that some part of the farm is 

 ready to receive sewage at all seasons. It is one of the oldest methods of 

 sewage disposal and has been developed especially in England, Germany, and 

 France. It has been used for over three centuries at Bunzlau, Germany. 



" The farms at Berlin and Paris which are so often quoted have about 

 reached their limit as to the amounts of sewage to be handled, and it is the 

 opinion of many engineers of prominence who are familiar with the local con- 

 ditions that the day is not far distant when these farms will be discontinued 

 and some of the more modern biological processes adopted instead." 



Sewage irrigation has been tried to some extent in the United States, but 

 has generally been abandoned in favor of other methods except in arid regions 

 where water is especially valuable for farming purposes. Under favorable 

 conditions of soil and climate from 2,000 to 10,000' gal. of raw sewage per acre 

 daily can be taken care of by this method. 



The laying out and operation of sewage irrigation fields, R. Haxjptnek 

 {Tech. Bl. Vrtljschr. Deut. PoJyteeh. Ver. Bohmen, 32 {1910), No. S, pp. 11, 

 figs. 5; abs. in Wasser u. Abwasser, 3 {1911), No., 10, pp. Jf28, 429).— This 

 article deals with the suitability of different kinds of soil for sewage irriga- 

 tion, the crops that may be grown most profitably, the amount of sewage that 

 may be handled, and the cost of sewage irrigation. 



The agricultural utilization of sewage and food hygiene, P. Remlinger 

 and O. NouEi {Hyg. G6n. et Apph, 1910, pp. 421-426; abs. in Wasser u. AUcasser, 

 3 {1911), No. 11, p. 455; Rev. Hyg. et Pol. Sanit., 33 {1911), No. 2, pp. 169, 

 110). — -Investigations on the danger of transmission of disease germs through 

 vegetables grown on sewage irrigation farms are reported, indicating that the 

 danger from this source is probably exaggerated. The results showed that 

 none of the various pathogenic organisms experimented with was taken up in- 

 ternally by the plants, and that the only possible source of danger was from 

 organisms adhering to their surface. It was found that the only organisms 

 which were retained by plants grown under conditions similar to those on 

 well managed sewage irrigation farms were charbon and tetanus, but, as the 

 authors point out, the bacillus of charbon is very rare in sewage water and 

 the ingestion of the tetanus bacillus is harmless. 



SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 



Soil valuation on an agronomic-scientific basis, O. Bauer {Bonitierungsver- 

 such auf Agrononiisch-naturwissenschaftlicher Grundlage. Inaug. Diss. Tech. 

 Hochschule Miinchen, 1909, pp. 100, pis. 3; abs. in Zentbl. Agr. Chem., 39 

 {1910), No. 8, pp. 503-506). — This dissertation gives the methods and results 

 of studies of the topographic, geological, and agricultural conditions of three 

 districts, as well as mechanical analyses and determinations of the calcium 

 carbonate, water capacity, and coherence of the soils. On the basis of the 

 data so obtained the author classifies the soils for scientific and valuation 

 purposes, attempting to correlate the I'esults of the various observations and 

 determinations with the agricultural qualities of the soils. 



Publications of the Bureau of Soils ( U. 8. Dept. Agr., Div. Pubs. Circ. 14, 

 pp. 6). — This is a list of publications of the Bureau of Soils on hand for free 

 distribution in the Division of Publications March 7, 1911. 



Chemical and mechanical analyses of characteristic Idaho soils, J. S. 

 Jones {Idaho 8ta. Bui. 68, pp. 33). — Continuing earlier work (E. S. R., 13, 



