September 15, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



315 



progress. This work, an enlargement of the 

 preliminary experiment, is intended to cover 

 certain jjhases of pliotoperiodism as it affects 

 varietal adaptation and drouth resistance of 

 both winter and spring wheats. 



Whatever may be the final outcome from the 

 standpoint of direct application in practical 

 crop production, there can be no doubt that the 

 present studies throw an entirely new light on 

 crop and especially varietal response in a given 

 localitj', and that a knowledge of these factors 

 will make possible a better and more logical 

 interpretation of investigations in both crops 

 and soils and will as well give a more soimd 

 basis for future work in crop adaptation and 

 breeding. 



H. M. WAN8ER 



Agkicultdral Experiment Station, 

 State College of Washington 



bibliography 



1. Arnold, J. H., and Spafford, E. R. : "Farm 

 practices in growing winter wheat," Z7. S. Dept. 

 Agr. Year Boole, 1919: 126. 



2. Baker, O. E., and Strong, H. M. : "Arable 

 land in the United States," U. S. Dept. Agr. Year 

 Boole, 1918: 436. 



3. Blair, T. A. : "A statistical study of weather 

 factors affecting the yield of "\vinter wheat in 

 Ohio," Abstract in Exp. Sta. Record, 42: 617, 

 1919. 



4. Garner, W. W., and Allard, H. A.: "Effect 

 of relative length of day and night and other 

 factors on growth and reproduction in plants, ' ' 

 Jour. Agri. Bes., IS : 1920. 



5. Grantham, A. E. : "The tillering of winter 

 wheat," Bid. Del Agr. Exp. Sta., 117, 1917. 



6. Jardine, W. M.: "Effect of rate and date 

 of sowing on yield of winter wheat," Jour. Am. 

 Soc. Agr., S: 163, 1916. 



7. Nielson-Ehle : Abstract in Int. Bev. of Sci- 

 ence and Practice of Agr., 1917 : 233. 



8. Root, C. J.: "Relation of snowfall to yield 

 of winter wheat," Abstract in Exp. Sta. B.ecord, 

 42: 321, 1919. 



9. Schafer, E. G., Gaines, E. F., Barbee, O. E. : 

 "Wheat production as influenced by variety, time 

 of seeding and source of seed," Wn. Agr. Exp. 

 Sta. Bui. 159: 33, 1921. 



10. Schafer, E. 6., et al.: Twenty-ninth annual 



report (for 1919), Wn. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 155: 

 28, 1920. 



11. Seivers, F. .J., and Holtz, Henry: "The silt 

 loam soils of eastern Washington and their man- 

 agement," Wn. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 166: 25, 1922. 



12. Smith, J. W. : "Agricultural meteorolog^v, " 

 Abstract in Exp. Sta. Record, 35: 114, 115, 1916. 



13. Smith, .T. W. : "Effect of snow on winter 

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 321, 1919. 



14. Smith, J. W. : " Speaking of the weather, ' ' 

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 Wn. Agri. Exp. Station, 1921. 



IMPROVED METHODS IN NEAR INFRA-RED 

 ABSORPTION STUDY 



Some twenty or more year::; ago Julius, 

 Donath, Puccianti, Ifcle, Coblentz and othei-s 

 were interested in the study of infra-red ab- 

 sorption in organic compounds. The appara- 

 tus they had to work with -at that time made 

 the study very tedious, and as Coblentz^ has 

 said, "usually after investigating half a dozen 

 compounds the results have been given to the 

 public" by the investigator. Using the electric 

 arc, Nernst lamps and Zircon burners as sources 

 of radiation, rock salt or quartz prisms for 

 dispersion, and feolometers and radiometers for 

 the detection of the radiation, these men suc- 

 ceeded in studying the absorption spectra of a 

 great many organic compounds even far out 

 into the infra-red. In fact, the biggest part of 

 the work was done in the field beyond the so- 

 called near infra-red, that is, beyond 30,000 A. 



But with such comparatively weak and un- 

 steady sources, of radiation, small dispersion, 

 and unsatisfactory methods for the detection of 

 this radiation, no high degree of accuracy in 

 the measurements of absorption bands has been 

 claimed. During the last twenty years very 

 little work has been done in this field. Coblentz- 

 lias recently published a bulletin in which he 

 gives certain data and curves for the absorp- 

 tion spectra of certain organic oils, both animal . 



3 W. W. Coblentz : Astrophysical Journal, 20, 

 1904. 



- W. W. Coblentz : Scientifie Paper of the 

 Bureau of Standards, No. 418. 



