go BOTANICAL GAZETTE [FEBRUARY 
REIMFR and TarTAR (58) conducted field experiments on sev- 
eral Oregon soils. Superphosphate, flowers of sulphur, rock phos- 
phate, potassium chloride, potassium sulphate, iron sulphate, 
gypsum, monocalcium phosphate, sodium nitrate, ammonium 
sulphate, magnesium sulphate, sodium sulphate, iron pyrites, 
quick lime, and ground limestone were used as fertilizers. In 
almost every case enormous increases in yields (from two to ten 
times as much as the checks) were obtained for all the fertilizers 
containing sulphur, and no increase or only a small increase 
for the fertilizers which contained no sulphur. Acid phosphate 
was compared with gypsum and rock phosphate and with rock 
phosphate and flowers of sulphur. The yield on the plot receiving 
rock phosphate and gypsum was considerably greater, and that 
from the plot receiving rock phosphate and flowers of sulphur 
slightly greater, than the yield from the acid phosphate treated 
plot. The alfalfa on all the plots receiving sulphur in any form 
was a darker green than on the plots which received no sulphur. 
Chemical analyses of soil samples from these experimental 
fields were made. The sulphur content varied from o.or5 to 
0.038 per cent in the surface soil, and from 0.014 to 0.030 per cent 
in the subsoil. The phosphorus content varied from 0.048 to 
0.076 per cent in the surface, and from 0.066 to 0.085 per cent in 
the subsoil. All were high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. 
Investigation 
The analyses made by RoBInson (59, 60) show wide variation 
in the sulphur content of different soil types. His investigations, 
although extensive, have included only a part of the numerous soil 
types found in the United States, so that other soil types should be 
analyzed to discover their sulphur as well as their phosphorus 
content. It is also necessary to conduct field experiments on the 
different soils, as analytical data alone are not sufficient evidence 
on which to base fertilizer practice. This investigation includes 
soil analyses and field experiments. Soil samples from Indiana, 
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin were analyzed for 
phosphorus, sulphur, and volatile matter (loss on ignition). Field 
