RELATION OF FERTILISERS TO SOIL FERTILITY. 33 



Action of SO 2 , ZnO, ZuSO 4 on soils and plants. EMIL HASELHOFF. (Jahresb. 

 Lauclw. Versuch. Stat. Marburg, 1003-1004.) SO 2 does not injure soils; ii: 

 is rapidly converted into H 2 SO 4 . ZnO (0-2 per cent.) has a slight effect on 

 wheat. ZnSO 4 in the same proportion is found to be extremely injurious. 



Can salts of Zn, Co, Ni, in high dilution, exert a stimulating action on agricul- 

 tural plants? M. NAKAMUKA. (Bull. Agric. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 100-1, 6, 

 147-1512.) In experiments with Allium manured with ZnSO 4 , CoSO 4 , and 

 Co(XO 3 ) = , 0-01 gram in 2 to 3 kilos of soil, a slightly stimulating effect was 

 observed in each case. 



Pot culture experiments on MnL, MnO, K, Nat Li. JOHN A. VOELCKER. (Journ. 

 Roy. Agric. Soc. England, 1004, 65, 306-314.) Mn, K, Na, and Li are 

 injurious to wheat at the rate of 1 cwt. per acre. 



Influence of Didyrniimi and Glucinum on plants. G. KANOMATA. (Bull. Coll. 

 Agric. Tokyo, 1008, 7, 637-640.) Barley was grown in pots containing 10 

 kilos of loamy soil, manured. Three pots received 0-01, 0-1, 0-5 grams of 

 didymium nitrate. The plant grown with 0-018 showed an increase in 

 total weight of 17 per cent., and in weight (42 per cent.), and number of 

 ears. Larger doses had bad effect. A similar stimulating effect was 

 observed when Didymium was applied to mustard, Rapliamis sat-ivus 

 radicula, and tobacco, at the rate of 1 per million of soil. The increase 

 in the last three experiments amounted to 13-7 per cent, with mustard, 27 

 per cent, with Raplianus, and 32-1 per cent, with tobacco. Glucinum 

 nitrate, at the rate of 10 per million of soil had no appreciable effect, whilst 

 larger amounts reduced the yield. 



Barium in soils. G. II. FAILYEB. (U.S. Dep. Agric. Bureau of Soils, Bull., 72, 

 1010.) Ba occurs in most soils of the U.S., more near Ba deposits. . . . 

 Analysis of soils from Colorado and Kansas showed from 0-01 to 0-11 per 

 cent, of Ba. Ba was also found in various plants from Nebraska, Colorado, 

 and Kansas. 



The action of Sr on alga?. OSCAR LOEW. (Flora, 1011, 102, 06-112.) Since 

 algae will live for some time in solutions of Sr salts, it may be supposed 

 that Sr does not displace any of the essential metallic elements, Ca, Mg, 

 &c., from their position in the protoplasm complex. Such injurious effect 

 as is produced is mainly on the chlorophyll bodies, which lose their power 

 of making starch, and their normal green colour, and finally die. CaCl a 

 has no such action, even in 1 per cent, solution. . . . The Author 

 considers that the nuclei and the chloroplast of the higher alga? are 

 calcium compounds of nuclei proteins, because anything which precipitates 

 Ca, potassium oxalates of NaF 2 has a strongly toxic effect. 



Action of some hydrolysable salts, and of some colloids, on higher plants. 

 ACIIILLE GREGOIRE. (Bull. Soc. Chim. Beige, 1011, 25, 85-103.) The amount 

 of silica absorbed by barley growing in presence of silica, analcime, and 

 zeulandite, is large, amounting in case of SiO 2 to 44 per cent, of the total 

 ash, whereas the control plant only contained 4-8 per cent. Analcime 

 produced a larger crop than silicic acid, though the ash only contained 13 

 per cent, of SiO 2 . So the 44 per cent, found in case of silica is apparently 

 in excess of that required for the maximum development of the barley 

 plant. It is considered that silica plays some essential part in the meta- 

 bolism of barley. The relatively greater fertilising action of ammonium 

 sulphate than sodium nitrate in the case of gramma? is attributed to the 

 acid salt rendering more silicic acid available. 



Presence of gold in marine plants. A. LIVERSIDGE. (J.C.S. Trans., XXV, pp. 

 208-200.) Gold is present in minute quantities in some marine plants. 



Manuring with rare elements. STOCKLASA. (Blatt. Zuckerruberbau, 18, 153.) 

 MnSO 4 , AL(SO 4 ) 3 added to a basal fertiliser, increased the yield of sugar- 

 beets from 30 to 50 per cent. Pb(NO 3 ) 2 in small quantities (1 per cent.) 

 had a favourable effect, but with increased quantities the yield decreased. 

 As 2 O 3 or As ; O 5 , up to 0-01 per cent., stimulates the growth; in larger 

 proportion it is toxic. 



Influence of Rubidium salts on growth of plants. OSCAR LOEW. (U.S. Dep. Agr. 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, Bull., N. 45, 32.) Rubidium chloride exerts a 

 powerful stimulating action on the growth of plants, when added in doses 

 of 10 to 200 niilligraines to 1 kilo of soil in which all mineral nutrients 

 are present. 



