WATER — SOILS. 757 



On investigations on drinking water, O. von Czadek (Ztschr. Landw. Ver- 

 suchstv. Oestcrr., n {1'>0S), No. IJ, pp. 797-807, fig. 1). — This article discusses methods 

 of bacteriological and chemical examination of water, describes a device for taking 

 samples with precautions to be observed in the operation, and reports analyses of 22 

 samples of water. 



Notes on the water supplies in the Black Hills of South Dakota and vicin- 

 ity, Ellen H. Richards {Tech. Quart., 16 {1903), No. 4, PI). 309-312).— ^a.niia.ry 

 analyses of 14 samples of water from this region are reported. 



The water supplies of southeastern Alaska, Ellen H. Richards {Tech. Quart., 

 16 {1903), No. 4, pp. oO^-.iOA').— Sanitary analyses of 17 samples of water from dif- 

 ferent localities in southeastern Alaska are reported. The author concludes that, 

 "on the whole, the country seems to be well provided with good soft water fairly 

 accessible. ' ' 



The industrial uses of water, H. de la Coux, trans, and rev. by A. Morris 

 {London, 1903, pp. 364, ill.). 



Water supply, drainage, and epidemics, K. A. WiDECiREN {Agr. Jour. Cape 

 Good Hope, J4 {1904), No. 1, pp. 72-80). — The author shows the close connection of 

 a great number of infectious diseases with drainage and water supply, and the impor- 

 tance of securing a proper drainage scheme and a water supply which is protected 

 from all chance of infection. 



Definition of physiological analysis of the soil, H. Vanderyst {Rev. Gen. 

 Agron. \_LoHvnui:], 11 {1902), Ms. 9, pp. 410-421; 10, pp. 437-462; 12, pp. 552-559; 

 12 {1903), Nos. 1, pp. 23-30; 2, pp. 65-72; 3, jip. 115-120; 4, pp. 172-180; 5, pp. 218- 

 221; 6, pp. 273-276; 7-8, pp. 289-293).— K detailed discussion of this subject sum- 

 marizing fully the author's views and extensive experience, and including extracts 

 from various other authorities. The expression "analysis of the soil by the plant," 

 as opposed to chemical analysis of the soil, was first used by Ville; later the expres- 

 sion "physiological analysis of the soil" was substituted for it. These two phrases 

 designate in a general way various methods, more or less analogous, used to determine 

 the fertility and productive capacity of soils, and including pot, box, and plat experi- 

 ments on different plants with various fertilizing materials. As the author points 

 out, these methods of experimentation are synthetic rather than analytic, because 

 they give at best only indications of the composition of the soil. 



The development of this method in Europe for experimental purposes was due very 

 largely to the work of Ville, Joulie, Proost, the author, and others. The disappoint- 

 ing results which had been yielded by chemical analysis caused the method to be 

 welcomed with enthusiasm, and following the lead of Ville extravagant claims were 

 made for it as a reliable and accurate means of determining the fertilizer requirements 

 of soils for both scientific and practical purposes. The method appealed especially 

 to the practical man and served a useful purpose in encouraging experiments on the 

 fertilizer requirements of soils. The author was among the first to recognize the 

 serious limitations of the method, and to attempt to perfect it so that it would 

 yield reliable and useful results. His first studies along this line were made in 1887. 

 Similar studies of the method were afterwards taken up by Smets and Schreiber, the 

 oltject being to develop a suitable method for determining, with reasonable accuracy, 

 the fertilizer requirements of the soils of Belgium for use in the preparation of 

 agronomic charts. In this article the author attempts to point out the limitations 

 of the method and to indicate the means by which it may be made stable, definite, 

 and rational. 



At the outset the author sharply differentiates between physiological analysis of 

 the soil and mere fertilizer experiments. The first to be of scientific value must 

 inc-lude only experiments with simple and chemically pure fertilizing materials under 

 clearly defined conditions as regards every detail, and has for its object the deter- 

 mination of the fertilizer requirements of a given soil for a particular plant. Such 



