1910.] Foreign Legislation Relating to Hops. 1033 



(6) Chemical hypotheses were found unsatisfactory; the factor is 

 considered to be biological. Large organisms (protozoa) were found in 

 the untreated, but not in the partially sterilised soils, and at least 

 two of these organisms are known to destroy bacteria. 



(7) These large competing and destructive organisms are killed by 

 heat and most of them by toluene, and can then serve as food for 

 bacteria. In both these directions the effect of partial sterilisation is 

 beneficial. 



(8) As the effect of partial sterilisation in increasing productiveness is 

 shown on so many soils, and apparently always in the same way, it 

 may be expected that these competing and destructive protozoa are 

 of common occurrence and constitute an important factor in soil fer- 

 tility. 



(9) In relation to plant growth, partially sterilised soils are peculiar 

 in that they supply not nitrate, but other nitrogen compounds such as 

 ammonia, to the plant. The nitrifying organisms will develop if they 

 get into the toluened soil, but they did not work in heated soils. This 

 difference in the course of nitrogen nutrition may be correlated with 

 the difference in nitrogen content of the plant and in the character 

 of growth. 



Further investigations are in progress. 



Soil Investigations (Journal of South-Eastern Agric. Coll., No. 17, 

 1908). — A summary is given of some investigations by Dr. Russell into 

 the absorption of oxygen by soils. 



The Use of Virus for Extermination of Rats (Aberdeen and N. 

 of Scotland Coll. of Agr. Bull. 12). — -This bulletin contains the results 

 obtained with the Liverpool Virus, the Danysc Virus, and Ratin on 

 three areas that were much infested with rats. 



The Report of the Select Committee on the Hop Industry contains 

 certain recommendations whereby hop growers in this country might 

 be supplied with information regarding the 

 Foreign and Colonial industry abroad. It was stated in the House 

 Legislation relating of Commons on the 17th December, 1908, that 

 to Hops. tne Board of Agriculture and Fisheries recog- 



nised the importance of the subject and that 

 proposals were under consideration with a view to give effect to those 

 recommendations as far as possible. 



One direction in which action has been taken has been to obtain 

 information as to the legislation relating to the cultivation and 

 marketing of hops, and a brief statement of the position in various 

 countries is given below. 



Austria. — The marking of hops is regulated by a law of which a 

 resume was recently published in this Journal (Vol. XVI., p. 54). There 

 is no special legislation regarding the actual cultivation of the crop. 



Belgium. — The only law dealing with the cultivation and sale of 

 hops is a Decree of the 3rd May, 1887, which forbids planting or the 

 existence of male hop plants in hop gardens. Male hops are not per- 

 mitted within a radius of 100 metres, and their eradication by the 

 landowner is compulsory. Local enactments exist in the two principal 

 Belgian hop districts, viz., the communes of Alost and Poperinghe. 

 These regulations refer to the examination of the hops by experts who 



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