518 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



beets was inyestigated, with the result that on the subsoiled plats there 

 was a considerably better development of feeding roots, and the main 

 root was more s^'mmetricalh^ developed. 



The soils in which the various roots g-row are described at some 

 length, and general remarks and conclusions similar to those in the 

 previous bulletins are given. 



Sugar-producing plants, L. Geschwind {Ami. Ag?'07i., 26 {J,900), 

 JS^o. 'S', j>j>. -jSo-JfOO). — The author has given a brief report on the 

 present state of information relative to sugar producing plants, divid- 

 ing them into the following categories: (1) Those which have been 

 shown experimentally to contain sugar, but whose utilization in an 

 industrial manner has not been attempted; (2) those plants used in 

 producing sugar, but which are more or less local in their use; and (3) 

 those which furnish the greater portion of the sugar of commerce. In 

 the first category are mentioned carrots, melons, cucumbers, gourds, 

 agaves, etc. In the second class are described various species of palms, 

 maize, sorghum, and sugar maple, while in the third are described 

 sugar cane and sugar beets. 



Hydrocyanic acid in plants, M. Soave {N'uov. Giorn. Bot. Ital.^ 

 6 {lH99),i>p. 219^338; ah. in Jour. Roy. Micros. Soe. [London], 1900, 

 No. 3, p. 343). — From a series of experiments upon the bitter almond and 

 Pangmm edvle it is concluded that cyanogen compounds in plants are 

 transitional substances from which are obtained nitrogenous food mate- 

 rials by the plants. From the time the seeds begin to swell, so long 

 as the embr^^o is dormant, the bitter almond contains no trace of hj^dro- 

 cyanic acid. It makes its appearance only when the seed begins to 

 germinate and then onh" in the stem, none being observed either in 

 the ]'oot or the cotyledons. Sweet almonds are said to contain no trace 

 of amygdalin. 



Soil inoculation for promoting the grovrth of legumes, F. T. 

 Shutt {C((h(«I<i Krj>f. Fdi'm.s Rj>ts. JS99, j)j>. 150, 151, pi. 7).— A re- 

 port is given of the use of Nitragin, in which a second year's growth 

 of clover which had been inoculated is compared with similar plats 

 without treatment. While in the hrst year's crop the diti'erence was 

 slight, the second year's growth on the inoculated plats was more than 

 3 times that of the untreated. The author states that the results of 

 his 3 years' investigations indicate the possil)ility of obtaining a good 

 crop of clover on very poor soil with the aid of Nitragin, provided the 

 soil is drained, the season favorable, and there is present a sufficient 

 supply of mineral plant food. Certain difficulties to the introduction 

 of Nitragin are mentioned, among them the difficulty of ot)taining the 

 cultures and the necessity of protecting from strong light and keeping 

 at a low temperature. It is suggested that it is possible to o})tain the 

 same results by taking soil from fields that have grown good crops of 

 clover and sowing over poor soil. 



