OcToBER 20, 1898. ] 
in these swamps by the author and HE. W. 
Vickers, of Ellsworth, Ohio, was presented 
in summary form. The rarest of these are 
of the genera Sarracenia, Drosera, Trientalis, 
Salix, Arethusa, Coptis, Chiogenes, Ilicioides, 
Cornus (C. Canadensis) and species of Vibir- 
num. 
‘The Breeding of Fruits for the North- 
west Plains,’ by Wm. Saunders, Ottawa, 
Canada. 
The author refers to the many failures 
which have followed the testing of a large 
number of the hardiest forms of useful 
apples on the northwest plains. These 
failures have led to the belief that the most 
hopeful line of work in future is the im- 
provement of two species of Wild Crabs 
from Northern Siberia, viz.: Pyrus baccata 
and P. prunifolia, both of which have been 
tested and found quite hardy, but are quite 
small. These have been crossed with hardy 
forms of the larger apples and some of the 
particulars of the results obtained from 
these crosses were presented. 
‘Field Experiments with ‘ Nitragin’ and 
other Germ Fertilizers,’ by Byron D. Hals- 
ted, New Brunswick. 
The study of leguminous root tubercles is 
uppermost in the minds of botanists and 
there is a practical side that deeply interests 
the crop growers. It has been shown that 
the microscopic symbionts greatly assist in 
the acquiring of nitrogen by the plants with 
which they live. : 
Professors Knobbe and Hiltner, of Thar- 
and, Saxony, foremost in the study of the 
symbiotic germs, have produced pure cul- 
tures and these are placed upon the market 
as bottled lymph under the trade name of 
‘Nitragin.’ Experiments are now in progress 
at the New Jersey Experiment Station, and 
some of the results are as follows: 
The germs from five species, namely, 
Vicia sativa, V. villosa, Trifolium pratense, T. 
repens and T. incarnatum were used, each in 
separate rows and upon the seeds of all five 
SCIENCE. 
559 
of the above named legumes. Plants were 
lifted August 3d and the tubercles counted 
upon five plants and the average taken. It 
was found that the tubercles were more 
numerous upon the check plants than where 
the ‘ Nitragin’ had been used, and it seems 
evident, judging from the number of galls, 
that the germ fertilizer has had no appre- 
ciable effect. 
A duplicate of the above trial was made 
upon soil where peas had been grown for 
four successive crops. Here the only dif- 
ference to be noted was the large increase 
in the number of tubercles, those of the old 
pea land being nearly double those upon 
the new land. 
A still more extended experiment was 
made with thirteen leguminous crops from 
land that had been variously treated in 
previous years with soil remedies for club 
root in turnips. It was found that sulphur 
and lime both materially diminished the 
number of tubercles. 
An equal area was given to a test of the 
germ fertilizer offered through the trade 
under ;the name of ‘ Alinit’ and recom- 
mended for crops generally. The actual 
weight of five leguminous crops and four 
cereals (one failed) showed a grand total in 
favor of the check, although the difference 
was only slight. 
Experiments with several other sub- 
stances that might be supposed to stimulate 
the development of germs in the soil indi- 
cate that they have no wholesome influ- 
ence. 
‘The Duration of Bacterial Existence 
under Trial Environments,’ by Henry L. 
Bolley, Agricultural College, N. D. 
The paper is based upon studies made from 
ordinary cultures which had been preserved 
for a number of years. Many had been 
allowed to become air dried, suffering the 
varying conditions of the laboratory atmos- 
phere. Other cultures had been hermetic- 
ally sealed and thus kept in fresh form. 
