NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



285 



"sample," but inquire carefully into "stock" (i.e. breeding and 

 ancestry). — C. H. L. 



Soil Productiveness, Effect of Earthworms on. By Dr. E. J. 



Eussell (Jowr. Agr. Sci. iii. pt. 3, pp. 246-257, September 1910).— 

 The author gives the results of an interesting series of experiments with 

 earthworms in pots and their influence in increasing the yield of plants. 

 His conclusions are that : — 



1. Earthworms do not appear to have any marked direct effect on 

 the production of plant food. Organic matter seems to decompose with 

 formation of nitrates equally quickly whether they are present or not. 



2. They are rich in nitrogen, containing about 1*5 to 2 per cent., 

 and they decompose rapidly and completely; thus they furnish a 

 certain amount of plant food to the soil when they die. 



3. Their chief work is to act as cultivators, loosening and mulching 

 the soil, facilitating aeration and drainage by their burrows. — F. J. C. 



Soot, Note on the Composition of. By H. W. Harvey (Jour. 

 Agr. Sci. iii. pt. 4, pp. 388-389; December 1910). — A relation was 

 found between the volume weight of soot and its nitrogen content. The 

 lighter contained the greater percentage of nitrogen. The percentage of 

 nitrogen varied from .5 per cent, from a 40 ft. boiler shaft to 11 per 

 cent, from a kitchen chimney. The average was about 3.5 per cent., 

 and the average value of the nitrogen in a bushel of soot 6d.- — F. J. C. 



Sorghum Midg'e, The (Contarinia [Diplosis] sorghicola Coq.) 

 By W. H. Dean (U.S.A. Dept. Agr., Bur. Entom., Bull. 85 Part IV. 

 May 23, 1910, 12 figs. 2 plates). — An account of the life history of 

 this pest with suggested remedial measures. — V. G. J. 



Soya hispida. By M. Gibault (Jour. Soc. Nat. Hort. Fr.; Ser. 

 4; vol. xi. p. 622; October 1910). — This plant is a native of Cochin 

 China and the country stretching from there to Central Japan. It 

 has been cultivated all over the Far East, the Indian Archipelago, 

 Siam, Tonkin, &c. It is even found in Mexico and Ehode Island, 

 where it forms an important crop. The soy is easy of digestion, con- 

 tains important elements of nourishment, and among Asiatics takes 

 the place of butter, oil, and milk. It is allowed to swell in water, 

 pressed through a sieve, and the resulting paste is mixed with water 

 to form a liquid answering all the purposes of milk. A valuable oil 

 may be extracted from the peas, and the resulting cake makes good food 

 for stock. 



In the climate of Paris only the yellow varieties from China and 

 Mongolia will thrive, but other varieties may be cultivated South of 

 the Loire, and even the least hardy kinds will grow in Provence, Lan- 

 guedoc, and Algeria. — M. L. H. 



Soya hispida. By F. H. (Le Jard. xxiv. 548, p. 233 ; August 5, 

 1910; with 1 fig.). — Points out the nutritive value of the Chinese 



