JUNE 13, 1884.] 
equivalent to the corn-meal. In four cases out of 
eight the fertilizers were followed by a heavier crop 
than was the stable-manure. Many of the differ- 
ences, however, are comparatively small. 
In the wheat experiments the corn-meal manure 
proved superior to the cottonseed manure in every 
case as regards grain, and in three out of four cases 
as regards total yield. The fertilizers equivalent to 
the cottonseed-meal proved superior to those equiva- 
lent to the corn-meal in three cases out of four as re- 
gards grain, and in every case as regards total yield. 
The fertilizers surpassed the corresponding stable- 
manure in seven cases out of eight as regards total 
yield, while as regards grain the proportion is four 
to four. 
Some of these results are quite different from those 
which we should have expected. Cottonseed-meal of 
good quality contains more than two and a quarter 
times as much nitrogen, four and a half times as 
much phosphoric acid, and four times as much pot- 
ash, as corn-meal, and consequently the manure 
made from the former in these experiments must 
have been much the richer. The greater growth of 
the mangolds on the cottonseed sections accords with 
this fact, while the still greater effect of the commer- 
cial fertilizers corresponds with their greater solu- 
bility and consequent prompter action. With the 
barley and wheat, these results are far less marked. 
With the barley, they are mostly the same in kind. 
With the wheat, cottonseed-meal was excelled by corn- 
meal as a manure-producer, while otherwise the re- 
sults were in the main the same as with the other 
crops. 
A more careful examination, however, shows that 
the differences, both as to barley and wheat, are too 
small to be of very much significance. The greatest 
difference of yield of grain between the corn-meal 
and cottonseed sections was, in the case of barley, 
two hundred and thirty pounds per acre, equal to 
about five bushels, and, in the case of wheat, a hun- 
dred and sixty-eight pounds per acre, equal to less 
than three bushels. The differences in the total 
yield (grain and straw) are correspondingly small. 
It is certainly questionable, whether these differences 
are not less than the errors of experiment; and the 
only safe conclusion which we can draw is, that the 
yield was not greatly different in the two cases. 
The commercial fertilizers showed greater differ- 
ences; the richer manuring, containing the equivalent 
of the cottonseed-meal, generally proving decidedly 
superior, particularly as regards the total yield, the 
grain being not so much affected. 
As compared with the stable-manures, the fertilizers 
show but a slightly larger yield of wheat. The barley, 
it must be remembered, received no manure or fer- 
tilizers directly, except a light top-dressing of nitrate 
of soda on section 3, but only the droppings of the 
sheep fed on the mangolds of the preceding year. 
It is not the purpose of this article to theorize as to 
the reasons of the results obtained in these experi- 
ments, and such theorizing would be premature at 
present. One thing is shown very plainly by them, 
however; and that is, that, in all discussion of methods 
SCIENCE. 
THE AMERICAN FISH-CULTURAL 
719 
and systems of fertilizing the soil, two aspects of the 
question must be clearly distinguished. We may re- 
gard manures either as direct sources of food to the 
plant, or as means of enriching the soil, and accord- 
ingly distinguish between the immediate returns 
which they yield, and their value as an investment. 
In these experiments there can be no doubt that the 
cottonseed sections received more plant-food than 
the corn-meal sections in every case, and we have no 
reason to suppose that this plant-food would not all 
become available at some time; but the immediate 
returns were not always greater. In the compara- 
tively short time during which the experiments have 
been in progress, it has been the immediate value of 
the manures and fertilizers used which has manifested 
itself. 
Whether, after a number of years, the richer manur- 
ing will not show better results on the grain-plots, is 
a question which, a priori, would receive an affirma- 
tive answer; and the testimony of experiment on this 
point will be awaited with interest. 
H. P. ARMSBY. - 
AS- 
SOCIATION. 
THE annual meeting of this association was held 
in the lecture-room of the National museum at Wash- 
ington, on May 13, 14, and 15. ._President Benkard 
made an address of welcome, and briefly reviewed 
the work of the association for the past year. 
Many papers were read, and the attendance was 
good throughout. Mr. F. Mather gave an account 
of the hatching-work at Cold Spring Harbor, stating 
that the eggs of the tom-cod had been successfully 
hatched there this spring. 
Prof. H. J. Rice related his experiments with vari- 
ous substances used to destroy the Saprolegnia, the 
fungus which attacks fishes in aquaria. The most 
successful results were obtained by the use of a bath 
of common salt. Fishes which were badly infested 
with the fungus, after immersion in a moderately di- 
luted solution of salt and water for a minute or so, 
after a while had the adherent film of fungus loos- 
ened in large flakes. This method, if applied in time, 
would prove effectual, if one were afterwards careful 
not to introduce into the aquarium organic material 
which would decompose, and afford a nidus for the 
nourishment and multiplication of this pest from its 
spores. 
Mr. L. Stone read a paper on the artificial propaga- 
tion of salmon in the Columbia-River basin, taking 
the ground that it was probably now too late to be- 
gin propagating these fishes in some of the most de- 
pleted branches of the Columbia. 
Mr. C. G. Atkins gave some important data respect- 
ing the rate of growth, and facts regarding the habits 
of land-locked salmon. In reply to questions by Mr. 
G. B. Goode, the speaker thought that the land- 
locked salmon did not hybridize with the common 
salmon under natural conditions; nor did he think 
that there was evidence at present to prove that the 
