12(') EXPERIMENT STATION KECORD. 



The movements of underground waters of Northwest Yorkshire, \V. W. 

 WA'n'.s ET Ai.. {Rpt. British Assoc. Ad>\ Sci., 1902, pp. 224-229, pi. 1). — An account is 

 jliven of observations Ijy means of liuorescin. (See also E. S. li., 14, p. 847.) 



Stock waters, V. W. Tkai'hagen {Montana Sta. Rpt. 1902, p. 64). — The amounts 

 of chlorin, sodiuni chlorid, sulpluiric acid, and (Tlauber's salt in 8 samples of alkali 

 waters arc rcportcil. 



Water investigations, M. .Moxhaui't {('hem. Zt;/., 27 {I'JOS), No. 42, pi>. 501, 

 502).—TvA'r^i\rv rcjKirttMl wliicli indicate that methyl oranfi:e is preferable to alizarin 

 as an indicator in IMViffer's niodilication of Wartha's method for determining teni- 

 l)orary and permanent hardness. 



Soil moisture in relation to crop yield, 8. Fortier ( Montana Sta. RjA. 1902, 

 pp. 101-112, ph. 2, Jigs. o). — The apparatus used and methods , followed in experi- 

 ments with oats grown in metal tanks sunk in the earth are described. In order to 

 ki'ej) the temi)erature of the soil surrounding the tanks uniform "oak barrels were 

 cut in half and placed with their top edge about 14 in. Ixdow the surface of the 

 ground. Ciravel to the deptli of a few inches was placed in the l)ottom and ordinary 

 soil on toj). Water was conveyed to the gravel through a |-in. iron pipe. It was 

 hoped that tiiis device would not only lessen the temperature in the lower portion 

 of the tank, ])ut that the water placed in the half l)arrel would be drawn up by 

 capillarity and evaporated at the surface, thus tending to cool the upper portion. 

 ... To afford a convenient method of hoisting and weighing the tanks, a i-in. steel 

 cable was stretched over supports 93.2 ft. apart and 14 ft. high. Differential .pulley 

 blocks were then suspended from a pulley on the cable and a strong bale and beam 

 scale were attached to the blocks. ... In applying irrigation water to the tanks, 

 about two-thirds of the amount was spread over the surface, the balance was run 

 through the hose pipe to the bottom of the vessel. . . . The evaporation and 

 transpiration from the grain was about 16 per cent greater than the evaporation from 

 the l)are soil. For the period named, the former averages 1 1 in. and the latter /{,- in. 

 per week over the surface. For the same period the evaporation from a water 

 surface was 13 to 16 in. per week. . . . The crop in every case not only evaporated 

 all of the irrigation water, but robbed the soil of part of the moisture which it con- 

 tained at seed time." Observations on evaporation from stubble fields and from a 

 water surface are also recorded. 



The conservation of soil moisture in orchards, F. T. 8hutt {Canada Expt. 

 Fannx Rptx. 1002, pp. 137-1S9). — Studies in continuati(jn of those of the previous 

 year (E. S. K., 14, p. 127) on the variation in moisture content of orchard soils (1) 

 cultivated throughout the season, (2) cropped ])art of the season with clover which 

 was turned under as a green manure, and (3) cropped in clover or in sod throughout 

 the season are rei)orted. The autlior conc^ludes that moisture is most effectively con- 

 served in cultivated soil, but that sod exhausts the water supply more than cover 

 crops. 



Summer fallows, A. Mackay {Canada E.vpt. Farms Rpts. 1902, pp. 349-351). — A 

 brief discussion of observations and experience tending to show the advantages of 

 summer fallowing. Different methods are described, but deep plowing, 7 to 8 in., 

 before the last of June has given the best results in the author's experiments. 



Conservation of soil fertility, F. W. Traphagex {Montana Sta. Rpt. 1902, ]>p. 

 61-63). — This is a comparison of the amount of fertilizing constituents removed from 

 the soil by wh«it, with the amount returne<l in irrigation water from 5 streams in 

 Montana. Tiie latter is sliown to l)e much smaller than the former. 



Note on the composition of the adobe soil of a hilltop, E. W. Hilgakd {Cali- 

 fornia Sta. Bid. 147, pp. 119, 120). — Mechanical and chemical analyses of a hard, black 

 adobe clay used for an orange grove are re])orted. The soil contained over 80 per 

 cent of very fine [)articles. Chemical analysis showed it to be of about the averap--* 

 • composition for soils of this class and region except as regards potash which was low, 



