124 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



one side and a tube with stopcock communicating with a water reser- 

 voir on the other. Five grams of soil is placed in the beaker, acidified 

 with hydrochloric acid, and water added to within 2 cm. of the rim of 

 the beaker. B}^ careful heating and stirring the lighter cla}^ particles 

 are carried off through the siphon by means of a current of water which 

 is made to flow through the beaker. This operation is repeated until 

 the water passing off from the beaker becomes clear and remains clear 

 when the contents of the beaker are heated to boiling. The method 

 was compared with that of Schloesing, and it is claimed that it is fully 

 as accurate and requires less time. 



Pollution of natural ■waters and of cultivated soils by the products of gas 

 factories, A. Lemoine {L'Imj. Agr. Gembloux, 10 {1900), No. 9, pp. 559-572). — This 

 in mainly a review of investigations on the composition of the by-products (gas lime 

 and gas liquor) of gas making and on their action on soils and natural waters. 



The kaolinizing' action of roots on feldspar, F. Sestixi {Landiv. Vers. Stat., 54 

 (1900), No. 1-2, pp. 147-153). — The author concludes that the formation of the clay 

 of soils is not entirely due to the natural agencies to which it has heretofore been 

 attributed, but is in part due to the decomposing action of roots and of numerous 

 minute organisms which are found in the soil. 



Some Queensland soils, J . C. BntiNNicH {Queensland Agr. Jour., 6 {1900), No. 5, 

 pp. 403-418). — Mechanical and chemical analyses are reported of 21 samples of soil 

 (with subsoil) from different parts of the various state farms of the Province. The 

 soils examined are described and their reaction, weight, capacity for water, and cap- 

 illary power are also stated. 



Report of the geologist, E. H. Barbour {Rpt. Nebraska State Bd. Agr. 1S98, pp. 

 287-320, figs. 87). — Mechanical analyses of 85 samples of Nebraska subsoils in con- 

 tinuation of previous work (E. S. R., 9, p. 737) are reported. These analyses were 

 m£,de by the Division of Soils of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



FERTILIZERS. 



Denitrification and the decomposition of animal excrement in 

 the soil, C. KoGOYSKi {Ann. Agron., 26 {1900), No. 3, JU^- Bl-1^0).— 

 Previous work on this subject is briefl}^ reviewed and laboratory exper- 

 iments with small amounts of various mixtures of soil (200 to 233 gm.), 

 horse manure (40 to 41 gm.), urine (10 cc), straw (11 gm.), and nitrate 

 of soda (0.9 to 9 gm.) are reported. The changes which the nitrogen 

 underwent from January 21 to June 19 and from May 13 to July 5 are 

 recorded. The author concludes from the results that in the presence 

 of a large amovuit of manure there was denitrification of the nitrates, 

 the liberated nitrogen either escaping in the free state or being con- 

 verted partiallj^ or completely into insoluble compounds. The same 

 changes occurred when soil containing large quantities of manure or 

 straw was fertilized with urine (or ammonia salts). The insoluble 

 nitrogen compounds formed under these circumstances seemed to be 

 readil}' nitrifiable. 



