SOILS FERTILIZERS. 21 



soils, in which the former produced 15 per cent higher yields than the latter 

 at a considerably lower cost; and further trials of the effect of artificial fer- 

 tilizers on the quality of potatoes and root crops. The results of cooperative 

 fertilizer trials similar to those of earlier years on meadows, small grains, peas, 

 potatoes, and root crops are also reported. 



The value of the Albert plant food salts for pot cultures, K. Brehmek 

 {Gartenivclt, J 2 (inos), .To. /7. [ij). 193-197, figs. 9 ) .—Experiments, mainly 

 with a number of ornamental plants, are reported in which various combina- 

 tions of these salts were used in solution and also in solid form. The best 

 results were as a rule obtained by two applications per week of 1 gm. each 

 per pot of a solution of mixed salts containing from 6.5 to 12 per cent of phos- 

 phoric acid, 13 to 15 per cent of nitrogen, and 3.5 to 11 per cent of potash. 



Further experiments with various kinds of nitrate, J. Sebelien {Jour. 

 Landw., 55 (1907), No. J,, pp. 293-297; ahs. in Chem. ZentU., 1908, I, No. 3, p. 

 286; Jour. Chcm. Soc. [London], 94 (1908), No. 543, II, p. 61).— Fot experi- 

 ments with mustard in 1905 having shown that excessive applications of nitrate 

 of soda slightly depressed the yield while similar applications of basic lime 

 nitrate showed no such injurious effects, pot experiments with still larger 

 applications of basic lime nitrate and sodium nitrate, as well as of " sulphate- 

 nitrate," a mixture of calcium nitrate with ammonium sulphate, were made with 

 the same crop grown in sand in 1000. 



The results show that the yields were five times as great with the basic lime 

 nitrate- and the sulphate-nitrate mixture as with sodium nitrate. 



In similar experiments with oats grown in sand and soil of good quality the 

 basic lime nitrate and sodium nitrate gave equally good results. 



It is stated that the object of mixing calcium nitrate with ammonium sul- 

 phate is to avoid difficulty in the use of the nitrate due to its deliquescence. 

 The mixing of the two substances results in a recombination producing am- 

 monium nitrate and gypsum. 



Should lime nitrogen be applied at the time of seeding and can it be used 

 as a top dressing in spring? A. Stutzer. {Dent. Landw. Prcsse, 35 (1908), 

 No. 7, p. 65). — The author criticises adversely the method used by Milntz and 

 Nottin (E. S. R., 19, p. 320) in experiments with lime nitrogen from which 

 they concluded that the germination of seeds is not interfered with by applica- 

 tions of not more than SO lbs. of calcium cyanamid per acre, and that top-dress- 

 ing at this rate will give good results. The opinion is expressed that the more 

 carefully controlled investigations of others show that injurious results are 

 very likely to follow the use of calcium cyanamid in the manner indicated. 



Citric-acid-soluble phosphoric acid in phosphatic slags, M. de Molinabi 

 and O. LiGOT {Bui. Agr. IBrusscls], 23 {1907), No. 12, pp. 911-918, figs. 5).— 

 The authors report here a continuation during 1907 of pot experiments with 

 oats, barley, and spring wheat grown on loam and sandy soils to test the fei'- 

 tilizing efficiency of the phosphoric acid, insoluble in 2 per cent citric acid, of 

 various samples of phosphatic slag. The results obtained confirm those of sim- 

 ilar experiments in 1005 and 1006 (E. S. II., 17, p. 053; 18, p. 1113) in showing 

 a decidedly lower fertilizing efficiency for the phosphoric acid insoluble in 2 

 per cent citric acid in case of the three crops. The authors conclude, therefore, 

 that the content of phosphoric acid soluble in Wagner's reagent is a better 

 l)asis for i)urchase of slags than the content of total phosphoric acid. 



Comparative tests of Thomas slag and agricultural phosphate, Kuhnert 

 {Mitt. Deut. Landw. Gesell., 22 {1907), No. 50, p. .'/^2).— A continuation of 

 previous experiments (E. S. R., 17, p. 640) is briefly reported, in which it was 

 found as in previous years that Thomas slag gave higher yields than the agri- 

 cultural phosphate. 



