22 BULLETIN 108, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
was alkaline, and one was neutral. Of the field soils which contained 
the aldehyde, ten were acid, one alkaline, and one neutral. 
(6) In soils growing different crops. — Four of the soils which were 
found to contain aldehydes were garden soils and had been used for 
growing garden crops continuously for several years. One was a 
greenhouse soil and had grown carnations and roses. Twelve of the 
soils in which aldehyde was found were used for the growth of general 
field crops. A rotation of several crops was practiced on most of 
these soils. At the time the samples were collected three were in 
grass, four were growing corn, three were growing cotton, one was in 
wheat and one was fallow. These observations, together with the 
fact that no aldehydes were found on other soils growing the same 
crop, would seem to indicate that no close relation exists between 
the crop being grown and the presence of aldehyde. 
EFFECT OF SALICYLIC ALDEHYDE ON COWPEAS, STRING BEANS, AND 
GARDEN PEAS GROWN IN THE FIELD. 
The effect of salicylic aldehyde under field conditions was tested 
on plots at the Arlington Experiment Farm, Va. Three crops, 
cowpeas, string beans, and garden peas, were grown on the treated 
soil during the summer of 1913. Adjoining each plot growing a 
different crop, two check plots of equal size were planted with the 
same crop. The area of each plot was one-fourth Of a square rod. 
The soil on which the experiment was made is a heavy silty clay 
loam, low in organic matter. The land was plowed early in May 
and prepared for seeding with the above leguminous crops. Three 
applications of salicylic aldehyde were made, the first on May 20, 
one day before the crops were planted. The second application 
was made after the plants were up, on June 5, the third on June 24. 
Each application was at the rate of 35 pounds per acre, or 105 pounds 
per acre in all. 
The salicylic aldehyde was applied by dissolving in water and 
sprinkling the solution uniformly on the surface of the land before 
planting and the soil cultivated thoroughly. After planting, the 
second and third applications were made by sprinkling the solution 
between the rows of plants, and the soil then cultivated. 
All of the three crops germinated uniformly. The untreated check 
plots made the better growth from the very start. The effect of 
the salicylic aldehyde was noticeable throughout the experiment. 
The crops were grown to maturity and harvested. 
EFFECT ON COWPEAS GROWN IN THE FJEED. 
Both treated and untreated plots were sown to cowpeas on May 21, 
1913, and the crop harvested on September 7, 1913. The cowpeas 
on the salicylic aldehyde treated plot were much stunted in growth. 
