302 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



" (7) The absorption of the bases known to take place when certain clays are 

 treated with dilute salt solutions is explained by means of the colloid theory, as is 

 also their increase of binding power under the action of water and certain solutions. 



"(8) The possibility of rendering the potash contained in rocks available as a 

 fertilizer is suggested." 



The construction of silos, W. J. Fkaser i Illinois Sta. Bui. 102, pp. 41, Jigs. 34).— 

 This bulletin discusses the location, form, proportions, and capacity of silos, and 

 gives a complete account of the cost and construction of a round w^ood silo plastered 

 with cement, which was 20 feet in diameter and 34.5 feet deep, holding 228 tons, and 

 which cost $383, or $1.68 per ton capacity. A brief description with illustrations is 

 given of concrete, brick, stone, and stave silos. 



Use of alcohol as a motive power and its production from farm crops, 

 M. J. "R. Dunstan (Jour. Southeast. Agr. Col. Wye, 1905, No. U, pp. 26-87). —This is a 

 discussion of the production and use of denaturized alcohol on the Continent, and of 

 the probable profits to the farmer which would result from a similar use in England. 



The author finds that "2 tons of sugar beet will produce 22 gals, of alcohol, the ale 

 prices of which will be about 25s., and 2 tons of pulp at a value of 5s. per ton, so that 

 the farmer and the manufacturer will have about 35s. to divide. The cost of pro- 

 duction is about 4d. per gallon. A deduction of 7s. 6d. must therefore be made to 

 arrive at the price the farmer will receive, or 27s. 6d. for two tons of beet, Taking 

 12s. per ton as an average figure, and allowing thirteen tons per acre as an average 

 crop we get £8 19s. per acre as the value of the beet crop for alcohol production. 

 "Turning now to the case of potatoes, 1 ton of potatoes will produce 22 gallons of 

 alcohol and about 1 ton of pulp, or a value of 30s. to be divided between farmer and 

 manufacturer. Taking off 9s. for manufacture, 21s. is left for the ton of potatoes, or 

 on a yield or 9 tons per acre £9 9s. for all expenses of growing the crop.' 



Analysis of lignite coal, E. F. Ladd (North Dakota Sta. Rpt. 1905, pt. 1, p. 30) . — 

 This sample of a briquette, prepared for household use, "was in excellent condition 

 for use." 



RURAL ECONOMICS. 



Agricultural economics, H. C. Taylor (New York: The MacmUlan Co., 1905, pp. 

 VIII-{-327, figs. 7). — This book is a study in the economic problems involved in 

 modern commercial agriculture. 



The subject is viewed primarily from the standpoint of the farmer, whose aim it 

 is to secure the largest net profit in return for the time and energy which he devotes 

 to agriculture. Some attention is given also to the problems with which the states- 

 man must deal w'hen he attempts to pass laws regulating the conditions under which 

 agricultural operations and transactions are carried on. 



The principal subjects discussed are: (1) The factors of production, including the 

 quantity and the character of the supply of land, capital-goods, and laborers in the 

 United States. (2) The principle to be followed in the organization of the farm, 

 and more specifically in the selection of land, the selection of crops, and the selec- 

 tion of farm animals and other forms of capital-goods. (3) The size of farms and 

 the intensity of culture. (4) The prices of agricultural products. (5) The rent of 

 farm land and the profits of the farmer. (6) The principles to be followed in esti- 

 mating the value of farm land and equipments. (7) The farmer's means of acquir- 

 ing land, including a discussion of free land, gift and inheritance, savings, credit, 

 taxation of mortgages, and the need of a better system of obtaining credit on land. 

 (8) Tenancy and land ownership in the United States, including a discussion of the 

 decline in the percentage of land-owning farmers, land values and land ownership, 

 land ownership and tenancy among the negroes, the ownership of rented farms, and 

 the relations between landlords and tenants in the United States. (9) The adjust- 

 ment of the relations between landlords and tenants in England. 



