moderately fine-grained soils when carefully incorporated with the soil about 8 days 

 before the planting of the crop. 



Comparative tests of the fertilizing- value of nitrate of soda, sulphate of 

 ammonia, and calcium cyanamid (lime nitrogen), L. (Ikandeau {Jour. Agr. 

 Prat., it. ser., 11 (1906), No. 1, pp. 8-10). — The results of plat experiments carried 

 out during 1904 and 1905 with these 3 substances as fertilizers for potatoes and barley 

 are briefly reported. 



The three fertilizers were used in amounts furnishing 45 kg. of nitrogen per hec- 

 tare (40.08 lbs. per acre) in connection with a basal fertilizer supplying phosphoric 

 acid and potash. In the experiments with potatoes in 1904 the relative effectiveness 

 of the 3 fertilizers was nitrate 100, sulphate 96.5, lime nitrogen 93.4: in 1905 the rela- 

 tive effectiveness was nitrate 100, lime nitrogen 101.83, sulphate 95.36. 



In experiments with barley in 1905 the lime nitrogen gave results somewhat better 

 than those obtained with sulphate of ammonia, both being considerably inferior to 

 nitrate of soda. 



In connection with these experiments observations were also made upon the influ- 

 ence of other fertilizers supplying phosphoric acid and potash on the effectiveness 

 of nitrate of soda. It was shown that the absence of fertilizers supplying phosphoric 

 acid and potash greatly reduced the efficiency of the nitrate of soda. It was also 

 shown that the nitrate of soda was almost entirely lost if its application was delayed 

 until after the heading of cereals. 



Contribution to the knowledge of the life conditions of nitrogen-collecting 

 bacteria, H. Fischer (Jour. Landw., 53 (1905), No. 3, pp. 289-297). — A continua- 

 tion of previous experiments (E. S. K., 17, p. 120) is reported, showing that the 

 activity of the organisms which fix nitrogen in the soil is greatly influenced by the 

 character of the latter, particularly its lime content and physical condition, and sug- 

 gesting that it may be possible to so modify these conditions in practice as to promote 

 the activity of the desirable organisms and retard the development of the undesirable. 



Inoculation of legumes, K. F. Kellerman and T. R. Robinson ( U. S. Dept. 

 Agr., Farmers' Bui. 240, pp. 7). — In this bulletin special attention is called to an 

 improved method of distributing pure cultures of root-tubercle bacteria in nitrogen- 

 free nutrient solution in hermetically sealed tubes, and detailed directions are given 

 for using these cultures. 



AGRICULTURAL BOTANY. 



Experiments with plants, W. J. V. Osterhout (New York: The MacmiUan Co., 

 1905, pp. XlX-^492, figs. 253). — This book, which is one of the recent contributions 

 to modern methods of investigation, is based upon the idea that principles involved 

 in experiments are of prime importance, and the work is so arranged that whether 

 used by the teacher or pupil it brings out the underlying principles of biology rather 

 than quantitative results. 



While applicable for use in the higher schools and colleges, yet it is so written and 

 the choice of material and apparatus so simplified that it could be used in secondary 

 schools. The author has shown how to make use of the most commonplace mate- 

 rials as apparatus for the demonstration of experiments showing the properties and 

 functions of plant organs. Chapters are devoted to the various phenomena of plant 

 life, and the work concludes with a discussion of plant breeding and the principles 

 underlying it. 



The proteases of plants, III, S. H. Vines (Ann. Bot., 19 (1905), No. 74, pp- 

 171-187). — In previous papers the author has shown the wide distribution of pro- 

 teases in plants, some of which act upon the fibrin or albumin, while others attack 

 simpler forms of proteids, as albumoses and peptones, affecting their proteolysis. To 

 this last class of enzyms the name ereptase or erepsin is given. 



