232 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Rice book (7vff«xf;.s City, Mo. [1908], pp. 32, fiffn. 16). — This is a popnhir 

 treat is(> in v\w culture in the coast counties of Texas and Louisiana. In addi- 

 tion to a general discussion of tlie subject, the location of a number of rice 

 canals and rice mills is given. 



The importance of sodium to the sugar beet, K. Andrlik and J. Urban 

 iZtscJn: Zuckcrindns. Buhmcn, 32 (WOS), No. J,, pp. 20S-2 16). —The results of 

 experiments are presented in tables and briefly discussed. 



It \v:is observed that the greater the quantity of potas^i and nitrogen as com- 

 pared with the quantity of sodium in the soil, all substances acting simultane- 

 ously, tlie higher the sugar content of the beet. When the quantity of sodium 

 was increased with reference to the other two substances the sugar content was 

 reduced. During the early development of the plant larger quantities of sodium 

 than of potash were present, but after 106 days of growth the quantities of 

 the two substances were about equal, while later and until harvest the quantity 

 of potash continued to increase and was higher than the quantity of sodium. 

 It is stated that in general the more sodium taken up by the beet plant the 

 lower was the sugar content of its root. 



The quantity of proteid substance produced in the sugar beet during the 

 first year of its growth, K. Andrlik (ZtscJir. Zuckerindus. Bohmcn, 32 {1908), 

 No. 5, pp. 255-262). — The investigations reported show that the beet plant pro- 

 duced per hectare in dry years fi'om 420 to 700 kg. of proteid substance, the 

 average being 610 leg., and in years with sufficient rainfall from 050 to 900 kg., 

 or an average of 790 kg. Heavy applications of a nitrogenous fertilizer in- 

 creased the production of proteids to from SOO to 900 kg., and an application of 

 1,000 to 1,100 kg. per hectare of nitrate of soda showed a proteid jiroduction 

 of 900 to 1,040 kg. per hectare. A heavy yield of beets contained from 70 to 

 74 per cent of the proteids in the leaves, and a lower yield only from 50 to 60 

 per cent. In general all conditions tending to increase the yield of leaves 

 favored a high production of proteid substances. To obtain a high yield of 

 proteids requires heavy applications of nitrogenous fertilizers. 



No relation was apparent between the quantity of total proteid substance 

 produced and the sugar content of the root. In these experiments the propor- 

 tion of sugar varied from 4.1 to 13.2 parts to 1 pai't of proteid substances. 



Further studies on sugar-beet plants more than one year old, F. Steohmer, 

 H. Briem, and A. Stift [Mitt. Chem. Tech. I^ers. Stat. Cent. Ver. Riihenz. Indus. 

 Osterr.-XJngar., No. 19.), pp. 15). — The investigations indicated that the cane- 

 sugar content of the sugar beet in its Second or third year, when it is desired 

 that further" growth shall be made, must not fall below 5 per cent, but that 

 while a definite quantity of sugar in the beet is necessary to induce growth for 

 further seed production the yield of seed is in no way connected with the sugar 

 content, but is rather the result of the number and the life energy of the healthy 

 cells of the root. 



The changes in the composition of the root during growth were along the 

 same line, whether the beet was 1 or 2 years old. The 1-year-okI mother beets 

 produced much larger quantities of dry matter than was secured from the 

 2-year-old mother beets. .It was further observed that the quantities of nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid, and potash in the roots of 1 and 2 year old mother beets were 

 insufficient for the production of new organic substance, and that for this pur- 

 pose applications of these plant-food elements must be made. Both kinds of 

 beets require larger quantities of nitrogen than of potash, and of potash larger 

 quantities than of phosphoric acid. The quantity of plant food required to pro- 

 duce 100 gm. of additional dry matter in the beet was practically the same for 

 1 and 2 year old mother beets. 



