NOTES AND ABSTEACTS. 



263 



lime (pure water; if not pure more must be taken) with ten gallons of 

 hot water added a little at a time; while the slaking is proceeding add 

 80 lb. of finely divided, high-grade sulphur, and when slaking is 

 completed add enough water to make up to 50 gallons. The mixture 

 should be boiled for one hour keeping the water up to the original 

 level. 



It is suggested that the lime to be used should be tested for impur- 

 ities by boiling one part of it with two parts of sulphur for one hour in 

 plenty of water. The quantity of sediment left will indicate the degree 

 of impurity. — F. J. 0. 



Livep of Sulphur, The Fung-icidal Properties of. By F. W. 



Foreman, B.A., F. I. 0. (Jour. Agr. Sci. iii. pt. 4, pp. 400-416; Decem- 

 ber 1910). — Liver of sulphur is a mixture of various compounds of 

 potassium and sulphur or sodium and sulphur. Commercial samples 

 were found to contain free sulphur, free alkali, sulph-hydrates, sul- 

 phides, poly sulphides, sulphites, thio-sulphates, and thionates of either 

 potassium or sodium. When moistened sulphuretted hydrogen was 

 evolved continuously. It is evident from the figures given that great 

 variation exists between the various preparations on the market. 



In order to ascertain to what the fungicidal value of the compound 

 was due attempts were made to germinate spores of Botrytis cinerea in 

 the various constituents of the substance respectively, and the author 

 concludes that the ' ' most potent fungicidal agent in the whole mixture 

 was the free alkali soda, the potassium hydroxide being also poisonous 

 but to a smaller extent. The use of soda instead of potash in the manu- 

 facture of the liver of sulphur is therefore recommended. 



The spores of American Gooseberry mildew were affected in the same 

 general way as those of Botrytis but they were not found to germinate 

 satisfactorily under laboratory conditions. 



A method of analysis of commercial liver of sulphur is proposed. 



F. J. C. 



Manganese in Horticulture. By M. H. Bartmann {Jour. Soc. 

 Nat. Hort. Fr. ; Ser. 4; vol. xi. ; August 1910; p. 530). — As a result of 

 some chemical experiments conducted by M. Gabriel Bertrand the idea 

 occurred to him of using manganese as a fertilizer. The most 

 important experiments in this direction were first undertaken by the 

 Japanese. They achieved wonderful results from its application to 

 rice, Cryptomeria japonica, and many vegetables, the good effects 

 being produced, however, only when it was employed in the form of 

 carbonate of manganese. 



In Italy manganese sulphate was found to he of great value, though 

 manganese dioxide was quite inefficacious, and experiments in France, 

 Austria, and Holland all showed marked results from its use. 



M. L. H. 



Micromeles caloneura {Bot. Mag. tab. 8335). —Nat. ord. 

 Rosaceae; tribe Pomsae. Western China. Tree or shrub; leaves 



