142 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1021 



ency. It is interesting to note that -with a 

 single exception there was an increased 

 growth of mycelium, with increased ammonia 

 accumulation. In the case of Zygorhynchus, 

 there was but a slight growth of mycelium, 

 although a fairly large amount of ammonia 

 was accumulated in the soil. Of the cultures 

 studied, Trichoderma showed the largest 

 ammonifying efficiency, which was 48.52 per 

 cent, in soil not containing acid phosphate, 

 and 58.39 per cent, in soil contaiaing 2 per 

 cent, of acid phosphate. On the other hand, 

 Penicillium I. showed an ammonifying effici- 

 ency of 21.39 per cent, in soil containing no 

 acid phosphate, and 16.45 per cent, in soil con- 

 taining 2 per cent, of acid phosphate. Peni- 

 cillium VI. showed a very low ammonifying 

 efficiency, which was 10.75 per cent, without 

 acid phosphate, and 12.15 per cent, with 2 

 per cent, acid phosphate added. A comparison 

 was made of the ammonification of dried blood 

 and cotton-seed meal in the two different 

 soils, inoculating them with Penicillium VII. 

 and Rhizopus nigricans. More ammonia was 

 accumulated in each soil from cotton-seed meal 

 than from dried blood in the case of both 

 fungi. 



The addition of calcium carbonate appeared 

 to inhibit the ammonification of dried blood in 

 the red shale soil with Rhizopus and Penicil- 

 lium VII., but the addition of even small 

 amounts of acid phosphate increased the am- 

 monia accumulation. From some of the results 

 obtained, it appears that the presence of solu- 

 ble phosphates in the soil, rather than its 

 reaction, determines the amount of ammonia 

 accumulation. 



In comparing the ammonifying power of 

 soil bacteria with that of soil fungi using dried 

 blood in the loam soils, the highest amount of 

 ammonia accumulated in the case of the bac- 

 teria was with Bacillus subtilis, which showed 

 54.13 milligrams of ammonia nitrogen in the 

 portion not containing acid phosphate and 

 17.55 milligrams in the portion containing 

 2 per cent, acid phosphate. In the case of 

 fungi, the highest amount of ammonia accu- 

 mulated was by Trichoderma which showed 

 75.20 milligrams ammonia nitrogen in the 



portion not containing acid phosphate and 

 90.50 milligrams of ammonia nitrogen in the 

 portion containing acid phosphate. 



A more detailed account of these fungi and 

 of the data accumulated by us concemLng 

 them will be published at an early date. 



Haery C. McLean, 

 Guy West Wilson 

 N. J. Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 New Brunswick, N. J. 



TEE IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 

 The meetings of the twenty-eighth annual ses- 

 sion of the Iowa Academy of Science were held 

 at Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, be- 

 ginning Friday afternoon, April 24r, and closing 

 at noon Saturday, the 25th. The meeting was 

 called to order at 1:30 p.m. by the president, Pro- 

 fessor C. N. Kinney, of Drake University. After 

 the preliminary business was transacted the acad- 

 emy proceeded to the reading of papers- until ad- 

 journment to meet at 9:00 a.m. Saturday. 



The evening address was given by Dr. N. H. 

 Winchell, of the Minnesota Historical Society, on 

 "The Antiquity of Man in North America in 

 Comparison with Europe." 



Following the reading of papers and the final 

 business meeting a luncheon was served in the 

 gymnasium at noon, (Saturday. 



As ofi5cers for the ensuing year the following 

 elections were made: 



President, H. S. Conard, GrinneU. 

 First Vice-president, H. M. Kelly, Mount Vernon. 

 Second Vice-president, L. S. Ross, Des Moines. 

 Secretary, James H. Leesj Des Moines. 

 Treasurer, A. O. Thomas, Iowa City. 

 It was decided to try the plan at the next annual 

 meeting, to be held at the State University of Iowa, 

 Iowa City, of carrying out the program in two 

 divisions: a general session and sectional meetings. 

 It was also recommended that the state legisla- 

 ture be urged to appropriate additional funds to 

 enable the Geological Survey to complete the 

 topographic map of the state in the least possible 

 time. 



Program 



(Abstracts by the authors.) 

 Sulfofication in Soils.- P. E. Brown and E. H. 



Kellogo. 

 The Des Moines Diphtheria Epidemic of 1912-lSt 



Chas. a. Wylie. 



