320 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



The influence of surface cultivation on the moisture of the soil, J. B. I\i:v- 

 NOLDs {Oiitdi-io Aijr. Cdl. mil! Kijil. Farm h'pt. 1S9:J, j)/>. ..'//, j.'j. Ji;/. 1) . — The experi- 

 nient.s Jieiv (U's<Til)e<l are a (.■ontimuition of thoi^e of the previous year (E. S. R., 11, 

 p. 62.5) and h^ad to the same conel unions. 



Principles of plowing, A. M. Soule {Tennessee Sta. Rpt. 1899, pp. 39-41) .—The 

 iiiterrelatidiishii. between plowing and the moisture content of the soil is brought out. 



Soil temperature for the growing season, J. E. Boxebkigiit {Idaho Sta. Bid. 

 23, pp. 134, 135). — A taljular record is given of weekly averages of soil temperatures 

 at depths of 1 in. to 6 ft. during the growing seasons (April to October) of 1898 and 

 1899. 



A contribution to the knowledge of nitrification, W. Mioula {Centbl. Bakt. 

 u. Par., 3. Alt., 6 {1900), No. 11, pp. 365-370; ahs. in Chern. Ztg., 24 {1900), No. 50, 

 Repert.,p. 183). — Contrary to Ebermayer, the author found that the process of nitrifi- 

 cation goes on in forest soils as well as in cultivated soils, varying somewhat with the 

 depth and with the time of year. 



Instructions for determining in the field the salt content of alkali waters 

 and soils, M. Whitney ( V. S. Lhpt. Aijr., Dirision of Soil.<s Cirr. o, pp. 9). — Instruc- 

 tions with formulas for the field standardization of the electrolytic bridge (E. S. R., 

 11, p. 325) in determining the salt content of soils and waters. 



Available plant food, H. Snyder {Proc. Soc. Prom. Agr. ScL, 1899, pp. 91-95).— 

 This is a discussion based mainly upon investigations by the author, which are 

 reported elsewhere (E. S. R., 11, p. 1018), of the value of the Dyer and Goss methods 

 for determining the available phosphoric acid in soils. The conclusion is reached 

 that "both fail to indicate the amount of available phosplioric acid and potash. 

 Both Dyer's method and Goss's method are without dou])t applicable to certain types 

 of soil, but they are not applicable to soils where a large ijart of the plant food exists 

 in organic forms." 



FERTILIZERS. 



The storage of stable manure, F. Holdefleiss {Mitt. Landvx Inf^t. 

 Brcdau, 1900., So. S,pp. J^-o-'j; ahs. in Jour. ('Jinn. Soc. \^L(md<m\ 78 

 {1900)., No. IiJ5Jf., II, p. 571). — In continuation of previous experiments 

 (E, S. R., 11, p. 828), the author studied the gains or losses of diti'erent 

 constituents in 3 lots of manure kept (1) without preservative, (2) With 

 the addition of potassium salt, and (3) with superpho.sphate. The pre- 

 servatives reduced the loss of proteid nitrogen and increased consider- 

 ably the amount of nitrogen in the form of ammonia. Of the nonni- 

 trogenous constituents the pentosans were most readily decomposed. 

 In case of crude ti))er free from pentosans there was a loss of 17.5 per 

 cent in one instance and gains of between 7 and 8 per cent in other 

 instances. 



Economy in the use of barnyard manure, W. Saunders {Proc. 

 fSoc. Pi'oiii. Aijr. Sci..,lS99,jjp. Ji!7-52). — This is a discussion of this sub- 

 ject based upon the results of experiments during 11 years at the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm at Ottawa, Canada (E. S. K., 11. j). 833). Those 

 experiuKMits were designed mainly to test the relative merits of barn- 

 yard maiuirc when applied to diHorent crops fresh from the barnyard, 

 as compared with the same matei-ial rotted. The data obtained in 

 experiments with spring wheat, barley, oats, corn, mangel-wurzels. 



