ALCOHOL—ALMONDS 43 
To understand why this adjustment of 
the machine can have such a serious effect 
and at the same time understand why ex- 
ploitation and study were successful 
abroad in raising the efficiency of the 
alcohol engine from 12.2 to over 30 per 
cent in five or six years requires a knowl- 
edge of technology. The reasons can only 
become clear to one understanding the 
mechanism of these engines and to one 
familiar with the chemistry of the fuels 
and the physical theories of explosive 
combustion. 
CHARLES Epwarp Lucker, 
MS.PhHD., Assistant Professor of Mechanical 
Engineering, Columbia Tniversity. 
S. M. Woopw Arp, 
MS., M.A... Irrigation Engineer. Office of Ex- 
perimental Stations, U. 8S. Department of 
Agriculture 
Alkali 
The Standard Dictionary gives the fol- 
lowing definitions: 
Alkali is a chemical compound of hy- 
drogen and oxygen with any one of the 
elements of lithium, sodium, potassium, 
rubidium, and caesium or the radical 
ammonium. Alkali is characterized by 
great solubility in water and capability 
of neutralizing acids. In popular lan- 
guage the term is extended to anything 
that will neutralize an acid, such as lime, 
magnesia, etc. 
Aqueous solutions of alkali act cor- 
rosively on animal and vegetable sub- 
stances, and also alter the tint of many 
coloring matters, as red litmus, which 
it turns to blue. 
Most of the alkalis in our soils have 
been formed by the washing out of the 
ashes of sea plants the sodium and potas- 
sium. 
Alkali-flat is an arid plain, permeated 
or encrusted with alkali salts, the bed 
of an evaporated lake. 
Alkali-grass, a species of grass Distich- 
lis, growing in the alkaline soils of the 
western part of the United States. 
Alkali-land, a region marked by the 
presence of alkali in the soil, and on the 
surface. 
Alkali-soil, a soil containing an wunus- 
ual amount of soluble mineral salts. It 
frequently collects on the surface under 
arid conditions and excessive evapora- 
tion, and forms a saline crust. The salts 
as they are found in the soils are gen- 
erally chloride, carbonates, sulphates, and 
bi-carbonates of sodium, potassium, mag- 
nesium and calcium. Sometimes there 
are also borates and nitrates. Sometimes 
alkali is derived by the liberation from 
the rocks of certain soluble salts, set free 
by the process of disintegration and soil 
formation. See Soils. 
Allspice 
Allspice is the unripe fruit of a West 
Indian tree. It is gathered and dried in 
the sun, has an aromatic flavor and has 
been thought to combine the qualities of 
cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Used much 
in cooking. 
Almonds 
The almond, Amygdalus Communis, grew 
originally in Barbary and Morocco. Now 
it is widely cultivated throughout the 
milder portions of the temperate zones. 
It is akin to the peach, the prune, the 
plum and the cherry, yet tenderer than 
any of these. The writer had an almond 
tree in his orchard in Yakima county, 
Washington, which grew vigorously and 
bore fruit about every second year until 
it was 12 years of age. The very severe 
winter of 1908-09 when the mercury 
ranged for several days about 16 degrees 
below zero killed the tree. We had in 
the same orchard peaches, prunes, apri- 
cots, plums and cherries and the wood 
of these trees was not seriously injured, 
although two degrees to four degrees 
colder would have damaged the wood of 
the peach trees. The following year the 
peaches and apricots bore no fruit of any 
consequence, but the wood was not in- 
jured. The almond tree was injured so 
that we gave up hope of reinvigorating it 
and dug it up. Experience has shown 
that the almond will not stand severe 
freezing, and therefore is better adapted 
to warmer climates like California or 
southern portions of the United States. 
It blooms a little earlier than the 
peach, therefore is more likely to be hurt 
by early frost. In the spring of 1907 our 
