August 18, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



197 



terial activities which in turn cause the plants 

 to get more food and grow larger on less mois- 

 ture." In the Journal of Industrial and Engi- 

 neering Chemistry for March, 1922, Dr. Noyes 

 reported experiments where "fertilization has 

 decreased the water requirements of plants over 

 one half, when expressed as the amount of 

 water necessary to produce one unit weight of 

 plant." "It appears that if the soil solution 

 is weak, the plant transpires more water in its 

 attempt to make a normal growth." 



The observations of Dr. Noyes seem to con- 

 firm my application of Bechhold's "capillary 

 phenomenon" in agriculture (Science, July 22, 

 1921), because increased evaporation at the 

 surface of the ground in the immediate neigh- 

 borhood of the plant would mean a richer soil 

 solution within reach of the plant roots; so 

 that even if some water is lost, the plant can 

 get its food requirements with less water. The 

 uncultivated soil near the plant may even be 

 robbed of its food and moisture by sidewise 

 diffusion streams. As W. Ki'aus showed, the 

 movement of salts in the Bechhold "phenom- 

 enon" is dependent upon evaporation at the 

 exposed surfaces (Kolloid Zeitschrift, 28, 161, 

 1921). 



Another important factor is the rate at which 

 the soil water reaches the plant roots. This 

 must at least equal the speed at which moisture 

 is evaporated by the leaf system, otherwise the 

 wilting coefficient is reached and the plant 

 droops. In this connection Sir E. J. Russell, 

 director of the Rothamsted Experimental Sta- 

 tion, pointed out that the availability of 

 nutrients should properly be measured by the 

 rate at which they reach the roots which ab- 

 sorb them. [J. Agri. Sci., 1, 327). 



According to the Bechhold phenomenon, 

 cultivation of the soil immediately above 

 the roots (which is where cultivation takes 

 place) increases evaporation there and the 

 accelerated upward and sidewise diffusion 

 streams carry the essential water and food with 

 sufflcient rapidity to favor plant growth. 

 Russell says (Trans. Faraday Soc, February, 

 1922) that a crop of wheat weighing with its 

 straw about four tons per acre, transpires 

 during its lifetime about 1,000 tons of water 

 per acre, the actual strength of the soil solu- 



tion varying from 0.0001 to 0.006 per cent, 

 according to treatment. 



Dry weather usually comes when the plant's 

 leaves are well developed; and in any event it 

 means a period of rapid evaporation from the 

 leaves. Especially then has cultivation been 

 found a life saver, and often an actual aid to 

 growth. 



The remarks of Dr. Cyril Hopkins (quoted 

 by Dr. Prierson to support his view) that the 

 soil is "stirred after each rain to prevent evap- 

 oration, and thus store up sufficient moisture 

 in the soil to give the crop a good start," do not 

 militate against my view; for Dr. Noyes' ex- 

 periments show that cultivation, by allowing 

 the plant to grow with less moisture early in 

 the season, enables it to enter the drought period 

 "with an accumulative reserve of soil moisture." 

 This is a most important conclusion. It seems 

 to me, however, that the Bechhold phenomenon 

 of salt concentration or movement also ex- 

 plains why a plant may thrive on less water; 

 for this lesser amount of water, enriched by 

 diffusion, has the essential plant foods. 



Jerome Alexander 



ElDGEFIELD, CONN. 



REPOSITORIES FOR SCIENTIFIC 

 PUBLICATIONS 



To THE Editor op Science: Recent discus- 

 sion in Science as well as in other places is 

 indicative of the increasing interest in efforts 

 to extend limited funds so as to cover rapidly 

 expanding scientific writings or to curtail such 

 writings so as to bring them within the limits 

 of the funds. 



This interest is considerably augmented by 

 the realization of workers in certain lines that 

 there is also a problem of storage space for 

 multitudinous papers and a kindred problem 

 of finding time and energy for reading such 

 as come to hand. 



In the course of recent discussions with rep- 

 resentatives of the University of California 

 Press and the University of California com- 

 mittee on research I have been impressed with 

 the need for adoption of a general policy with 

 regard to certain features (at least) of scien- 

 tific publications. 



It is my understanding that the University 



