SOILS FERTILIZERS. 617 



transformation of nitrogen compounds in solutions of sodium chlorid. mag- 

 nesium sulpliato. and magnesium clilorid, of strengths equivalent to that of the 

 corresponding salts found in the water of the British Channel, when 1 per cent 

 sewage was addetl to them, either singly or combined, show that the Siilts seri- 

 ously interfere with the decomposition of the sewage. " There was only a slow 

 l)roduction of the twi> anunonias. although there was a progressive decline In 

 tlie amount; and the nitrates were so small in amount that they must have 

 i)een less than 0.005 part per 100,000. And the present experiments prove that 

 when sewage was incubated in slightly alkaline solutions there were definite 

 amounts of nitrates produced, whilst there was a greater production when the 

 incubations were in distilled water alone. . . . There can be little doubt, there- 

 fore, that the salts in sea water do interfere with the development of useful 

 nitrifying organisms whose normal action under proper conditions is to convert 

 sewage into substances like nitrates." 



Royal Coinm.ission on Sewage Disposal, H. C. H. Shenton (Surveyor, 34 

 ( 1908), A 06-. 871, p. 3J,2; 812, pp. 352-354; 873, pp. 376-378; 874, pp. 4OI-404; 

 873. pp. 430-432; ahs. in Science, n. ser., 28 (1908), Xo. 717. pp. 405, 4O6; Chem. 

 Ahs., 2 (1908), No. 23, pp. 3251-3253).— This report contains the results of a 

 large number of hearings by the commission as to the relative merits of vari- 

 ous methods in use in England for purifying town sewage. Among the gen- 

 eral conclusions reached by the commission are the following: 



*' We are satisfied that it is practicable to purify tlie sewage of towns to 

 tiny degree required, either by land treatment or by artificial filters, and that 

 there is no essential difference between the two processes, for in each case" the 

 l»nrilication, so far as it is not mechanical, is chiefly effected by means of micro- 

 organisms. The two main questions, therefore, to be considered in the case of 

 a town proposing to adopt a system of sewage purifications are: First, what 

 degree of purification is required in the circumstances of that town and of 

 ilie river or stream into which its liquid refuse is to be discharged? Second, 

 how the degree of purification required can. in the particular case, be most 

 economically obtained. . . . We may state that we know of no case where the 

 admixture of trade refuse with the sewage makes it impracticable to purify 

 the sewage either upon land or by means of artificial processes, although in 

 certain extreme cases special processes of preliminary treatment may be nec- 

 essary." 



The commission is also of the opinion that while " no land is entirely useless 

 . . . peat and stiff clay lands are generally unsuitable for the purification of 

 sewage." 



Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal (Surveyor, 34 (1908), No. 869, pp. 

 284-28U; Brit, ilcil. .Jour., 1908, No. 2497, p. 1447). — The summary of conclu- 

 sions and recommendations of the report of the commission referred to above 

 is (iuot(!d and commented upon. 



SOILS— FERTILIZERS. 



Bibliography of the geology of Connecticut. II. E. OREfiORT (Cnnn. State 

 (Irol. iiiitl \(il. J/ixi. Surrc}/ Jiul. 8, pp. 123). — This bibliography contains a num- 

 iier of references to articles relating to tlie soils of the State. 



The distribution and location of moors in Germany, V. KiuscnK (Illus. 

 l,(inilir. Zitj.^ .!8 {l'.)OS\, No. },s'. /</>. 419-421). — Data 011 tliis subject are sum- 

 in;iri/.('(l and l>ri<'fly discussed. Sec also a previous note ( K. S. H.. '20. p. 10). 



Agrologic study of an estate by the synthetic method of J. Hazard, A. 

 <;Bf:c.oiRK and F. Halct (HuI. Just. Chiiii. <t Hart. (InnhhHu: (1908), No. 75, 

 i>p. I-43, pis. 2, ftys. 2, charts 4), — This article reviews briefly the history of the 



