104 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.Chemistry of Vegeta:ble Physiology and Agriculture.Influence of Alcohol on the Development of Yeast. By 1\11.HAYDUCK (Bied. Centr., 1882, 635-637) .-From this continuation offormer experiments (Abstr., 1882, 761) we learn that the presence ofalcohol retards the development of yeast, and that fermentationproceeds more slowly in proportion as the amount of alcohol originallypresent is greater. E. W. PVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 105Nature and Formation of Dextran. By E. BAUER (Bied.Cerbtr., 1882, 630) .-The microscopic appearance of the organismswhich induce the formation of dextran is described, and it is statedthat mucus fermentation can occur only in neutral or slightly alkalinesolutions ; it does not occur, therefore, in the fermentation of must,as much acid is present; but it does occur in the fermentation ofmolasses, owing to the presence of alkali in small quantity.Elimination of Oxygen from Plant Cells.By T. W. ENGEL-MANN (Bied. Centr., 1882, 673).-By means of his bacteria method(Abstr., 1882, 335) and with a microspectroscope, the author findsthat the action of the light between the B and C lines is the mostintense, and not, as according to other authors, in the yellow.E. W. P.E. w. P.Elimination of Carbonic Anhydride by Plants in Absenceof Oxygen. By W. P. WILSON (Bied. Centr., 1882, 67$).-Diminu-tion of the amount of oxygen admitted to plants is accompanied by areduction in the quantity of carbonic anhydride expired. For example,in air, Lupi?zzcs Zuteus expired 5.7 CO, in the first half-hour, whereasin hydrogen only 1.5 GO,.Plants, whether in air or in hydrogen, arenot influenced by the presence or absence of light.Action of Various Gases, especially Nitrous Oxide, on PlantCells. By W. DETMER ( B i e d . Qentr., 1882, 675--677).-Seeds ofPisum sativuni and Triticum vulgare cannot germinate in pure nitrousoxide, but they do not lose the power of germinating afterwards inair, if they be not kept too long in the former gas ; still t o a certainextent harm is inflicted on the embryo, reducing its energy and theintensity of evolution, and this reduction in its activity is the greaterthe longer it has been in contact with the gas, and the higher thetemperature. Seeds can germinate in a mixture of air and nitrousoxide, but the giaowth ceases as soon as the free oxygen is absorbed, anddecomposition of nitrous oxide never occurs.Heliotropic motion doesnot take place, neither do etiolated plants become green in nitrous oxide.These observations were also made when the atmosphere consisted ofpure hydrogen or carbonic anhydride. Chloroform vapour kills ger-minating. plants, or at least stops their growth, breathing however,still continues. Dead cells do not breathe, so that respiration isdependent on the presence of living protoplasm ; but it sometimesoccurs that carbonic anhydride is eliminated from dead plants: thismust be due to the action of lower but live organisms acting on thedead cellulose matter. E. W.P.E. W. P.Influence of the Electric Light on the Development ofPlants. By P. P. D ~ H ~ R A I N (Annales Agrorzomiques, 7, 551-575).-The author’s experiments were made at the Palais d’hdustrie duringthe Electric Exhibition of August, 1881. A greenhouse was con-structed and divided into two compartments, one of which was glazedwith blackened perfectly opaque glass, whilst the other was exposedto the ordinary diffused daylight, of the Exhibition building. Thedarkened chamber was illuminated continuously, night and day, by 106 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.2000-candle arc-light from a Gramme machine, driven by an Otto gas-engine. The transparent chamber was illuminated a t night only bythe electric light. Five series of comparative observations were made,viz.:-1. Plants exposed night and day to the electric light alone,2. Plants exposed during the day to the diffuse daylight of the3. Plants living during the day in the open air, and receiving the4. Plants passing the day in the diffuse daylight of the Palais, and5. Plants living normally in a garden.The plants submitted to experiment were barley, fhx, beans, and anumber of garden and greenhouse plants.Action of the Unprotected Light.-At the end of seven days the nakedelectric light was seen to have an injurious effect both on those plantswhich were constantly subjected to it, and in a less degree on thosewhich were exposed to it during the night only. The leaves blackened,withered, and dropped off; the injury was confined to the epidermallayers, and was due to the direct impact of the luminous radiations(and not to the formation of nitrogen oxides) ; for where one leaf waspartly shaded by another, a sharp line was photographically im-pressed.Experiments on EZodea canadensis, submerged in flasks of water,showed that whilst the diffuse daylight of the building was unable tocause decomposition of carbonic anhydride and evolution of oxygen,the direct rays of the electric light were able to do so, about as muchoxygen being obtained during an exposure of fonr or five days andnights to the electric light as could be obtained in an hour or so inbright sunlight. At the end of 15 days the arc lights were enclosedin globes of transparent glass, Siemens’ just published experimentshavjng shown that the injurious action of the direct radiations wasthereby modified.Action of the Protected Light.-A number of fresh and uninjuredplants were placed in the greenhouse, and in addition sowings ofbarley, oats, peas, maize, beans, which had just appeared above theground.All the seedlings exposed exclusively to the electric lightperished sooner or later, and the leaves of some of them were blackenedas with the naked light. The mature plants, on the other hand, con-tinued to vegetate, but in no case, save a plant of barley, were flowersand seeds produced, the vegetation being purely foliaceous. Thebarley grains were normal, and germinated on being sown. Theelectric light employed was clearly insufficient by itself to determinethe assimilatioii of any considerable quantity of material ; direct expe-riments also proved that it is not more powerful in exciting trans-piration of water, a leaf exposed to i t giving off in an hour only aboutone-fiftieth of the quantity of water evaporated under similar circum-stances in sunlight.As the evaporation of water by the leaves is oneof the chief agencies in causing the migration of material necessaryfor the maturation of seed, the failure of the plants to produce flowersand seeds receives its explanation. It, is known that yellow and redPalais, and during the night to the electric light.electric illumination at night.the night in darknessVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 107rays are most powerful in causing transpiration, whilst the electriclight is particularly rich in blue and violet rays.The author considersthe electric light employed AS too feeble to allow of any conclusion as tothe necessity of a nocturnal rest to plants. I t was, however, evidentthat the electric illumination during the night was advantageous tothose plants which passed the day in the rather feeble diffused day-light of the palace. In a third series of experiments, the intensity ofthe electric light was practically augmented by placing the plantsnearer the lamp, The experiment was again fatal to young seedlingsreceiving the electric light exclusively, but many of the hardier andmore mature plants survived, although the leaves of some wereblackened by their too great proximity to the light; and again thenocturnal electric illumination was decidedly favourable t o the plantswhich passed the day in the light of the palace.The author sums uphis conclusions thus :-1. The electric arc-light emits radiations which are injurious tovegetation.2. Most of these radiations are arrested by colonrless glass.3. The electric light emits radiations powerful enough to maintainmature plants in vegetation for two months and a half.4. The beneficial radiations are not sufficiently powerful to causethe growth of germinating seeds, or to allow of the maturation of fruitin older plants. J. M. H. M.Embryos of Ungerminated Rye. By I(. NACHBAUR. (Monntslb.Clzern., 3, 673--676).-Analyses of the sample of Russian ryeemployed, and of the embryos carefully separated from it, gave thefollowing results :-Rye.Embryos.Water .................. 11-92 9-58Prote’in substances ........ 14.1 2 42.12Fat ...................... 1.16 12.04Ash .................... 1.63 4.44Gum, starch, dextrin, and } 71.17 - woody fibres ...................... 45.11 Soluble matter -~Sp. gr. .................. 1.245 1.13The especial object of the investigation was to ascertain if thediastatic ferment observed in the grain was contained in the embryo,which for this purpose was extracted by glycerol according to Gorup-Besanez’s method, but with negative resu1t.s.By W. R. CRIPER (Chem. News, 46,187).-After exposure t o the sun, the woods chiefly used for fuel havethe following composition :-A.J. G.Analyses of Indian Wood108 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.Carbon ..........Hydrogen ........0 + N ..........Ash ............Sand. ...........Water ..........Heat - units calc.from analysis,not includingsand ........Mango.42.725.7036.232-882.979.50100~003634SB1.43.585.4538.091.240.4411.20Dhsika.40.615-1135.366.251.0011.67100.003458100~003259During the rainy season, the wood contains about 20 per cent. ofwater ; the heat-units for SAZ would be 3054; therefore for equalweights coal has 2.32 times the heating power of ordinary wood.Inorganic Constituents of some Epiphytic Ferns. By W. A.DIXON (J. Roy. Xoc. N e w South Wales, 15, 175--183).--The fernsexamined were Platicycerium grande, P.alcicorne, and Asplenium nidzcs,from the Clarence River, and a specimen of the second from New-castle, N.S.W. The following table exhibits the results obtained byanalysis of the ash of these ferns, the live fronds and the humus mass,consisting mainly of dead fronds mixed with rootlets, being analysedin each case. Contrary to what might have been expected from theirmode of growth, the amount of ash in the growing fronds is quite ashigh as in the leaves of most plants; and those of A s p l e n i u m nidusare rather rich in inorganic matter. Of Pladycerium alcicorne, twospecimens were examined, one growing on a rock, the other on a tree.The humus mass of the rock specimen contains a considerablequantity of sand, consisting almost wholly of white quartz.Thewithered fronds and humus of the tree-plant contain copper oxide,proceeding from t,he smoke of copper-works situated about three-quarters of a mile from the locality in which the fern grew. I n thetable, the sand and copper oxide have been deducted.The high percentage of sand in the ashes of the humus masses, aswell as the copper oxide in the specimens from Newcastle, show thatthe ferns must obtain much of their inorganic matter in the form ofdust, as with the exception of P. alcicol-ne, which grew upon a rock,they could not obtain it directly. They are all plants requiring con-sidemble quantities of alkalis, and when these are deficient, the grow-ing parts take up as milch as possible from the withered fronds andhumus.The humus being partly composed of rootlets, must neces-sarily retain some of the inorganic constituents. Thus P. alcicorne,growing upon a rock, is very deficient in potash and soda, and, as willbe seen from the table, has extracted almost the whole of these con-stituents from the humus and dead fronds, and has made up for itsdeficiency of alkalis by assimilating a large quantity of magnesia,lime, and alumina. The same species from Newcastle contains morethan double the quantiky of alkalis, which it has removed chiefly fromE. W. PQuantities of Diferent Consthefits in 10,000 partsPlatycerium alcicornefrom rock.--Potash. .....................Soda ......................Potassium chloride ...........Sodium chloride .............Lime ......................Magnesia ...................Alumina....................Ferric oxide ................Manganese oxide ............Phosphoric ,, ............Sulphuric ,, ............Platycerium Platycerium grande.Livefronds.292 -0497 *66-15-26189 -5548 -1070 '3421 -293 '8779 *1312 -67Humusmass. --22 -727 *29-7 *2985 -937 -2941.515.86-4 -0720 -40Livef Fonds.--92 '5080 -73 -54 -4361.9265.7147 '395 -687 -8514 '1211 -63Humusmass.----12 *a451 -7211 -3847 *1342 -1316 -6232 *94Lirefronds--191 .a'/102 -r - 1 48.1523 -22 -34.503 '2221 68118 '7110 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.the withered fronds, but has still left considerable quantities in themand in the humus, whilst, although lime and magnesia are present inthe humus in greater abundance than in the other plant, the livingplant has not taken up so much.P. grarde seems to have had anabundant supply of all its constituents, whilst A . nidus has beendeficient only in sodium salts, which it has removed completely fromthe humus. H. W.Percentage of Ash in the Sugar-cane. By W. RNOP (Dingl.17oZyt. J., 245, 435).-The following is an analysis of a sample ofsugar-cane from Pernambuco, the cane having been overgrown withfungi. 100 parts of the driedsubstance gave-It contained 80 per cent. of water.Si02. Y20,. SO,. C1. E20. Na20. CaO. MgO.0.81 0.07 0.08 0.29 0.86 traces 0.06 0.16 partsalso traces of ferric and manganic oxides.It is a remarkable coincidence that the a6h, although small inquantity, contains so large an amount of magnesia and chlorine.Whether this peculiarity in the composition of the ash favours thespreading of fungoid disease cannot be ascertained without ma,king anumber of ash determinations of sound canes.D. B.Parasitic Diseases of Plants, and their Prevention. By L.DANGER and others (Bied. Centr., 1882, 615-613).--Cabbages andcauliflowers suffer from a sudden fall in tLhe temperature ; the damageis due to rending of the epidermis cells, whereby the flow of sapis impeded.Sugar-beet is frequently destroyed by the larvae of AtomariaZineayis or of the centipede, which eat the rootlets, but so long asthe inner bundle of rootlets remains unattacked, the beets willflourish. To provide other food for these larvze, J.Kuhn recom-mends that the weeds should be allowed to grow up to the fifthleaf, and that the beet seed should be pickled with a mixture of5 parts of magnesium sulphate dissolved in 100 of water, to whichmay be added 1 part of phenol. Hess describes the slightly knownlarva of Xilpha reticdata, which destroys the cotyledon leaves ; thislarva prefers, however, to feed on Atriplex lzortensis and the Cheno-podiaceq which should therefore be carefully weeded out.Prillieux describes a fungoid growth belonging to the Discomycetes,which attacks beans, hemp, clover, carrots, and chicory. The un-usable portion of these plants should be burnt, and not placed incompost heaps.G. Ereiss states that all plants of berberry, buck-thorn, blackberry, and several belonging to Boraginaceze should beremoved from the neighbourhood of fields bearing grain, as theseplants harbour the germs of Accidium, which produces rust in thegrain. E. W. P.By 3’. v. THGMEN and others( B i e d . Centr., 1882, 688-690) .-Thumen recommends a mixturecontaining one-twelfth road dust, one-twelfth ferrous sulphate, andVine Diseases, and RemediesVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 111five-sixths gypsum as a remedy against Peronospora viticola, thewinter spores of which Prillieux has found on leaves to the numberof 200 per square mm. of surface. Clissey burns all portions of thevines affected with Xphaceloma ampelinurn.T humen describes theappearance of a new disease, called in France " Aubernage," which isproduced by Xphaerella pampini. J. Kubler describes the effects ofdisease produced in Switzerland by Cicada or Typhlociba &is.E. W. P.Diseases of Sugar-beet. By J . K ~ H N and H. JOULIE (Bied. Centr.,1882, 607-612) .--Various methods were tried for the destruction ofnematodes, which destroy sugar- beet. The most satisfactory plan ist o sow some fine-rooted variety of garden-cabbage, or the same mixedwith cress. The nematodes feed on this, and the larvae then remainingmay be burnt when this supplementary crop is removed, which shouldbe in about 30 days after brairding.Experiments show that this method relieves a soil of beet-sickness.Jonlie has noticed that sugar-beet does not thrive on reclaimed forestlands without the addition of manures containing potash, such asfarmyard dung, &c. ; the roots being feeble and wanting in sugar, andthe leaves weakly. The ash of these weak roots on analysis shows thatpotash is decidedly in too small a quantity, and consequently the plantis enfeebled.E. W. P.Composition of Fodders. By A. PETERMANN (Bied. Cenfr., 1882,642).-Tables of analyses of a dozen kinds of fodder.Specific Gravity of Cereal Grains. By DRECHSLER (Bied.Centr., 1882, 715).-The sp. gr. of cereal grains has no connectionwith their agricultural value, which is determined by their absoluteweight, the heavier corns producing the highest yield. To estimatethe actual weight, it is iwcessary to weigh a t least 400 grains.It hasbeen found, from an extended series of experiments, that 100 grains ofwinter rye, wheat, and oats weigh 4 grams, and 100 grains Gf barley6 grams. E. W. P.Composition of Malt from 1877 Barley. (Bied. Centr., 1882.632--634.)-Tables showing the composition of the original andmalted barley from various districts, as also of the ash of the barleyand malt. Malt contains more lime than barley.By A. RENOUARD (Awnales Agronomipues, 7, 511-524).-Since 1872 the consumption of cotton cake in France has beenextending, and it is now largely used for feeding cattle. In 1880 theamount of cotton cake imported was 446,467 kilos., and of cottonseed 21,588,363 kilos. In the same year the quantity of cotton cakeexported (almost entirely to England) was 2,704,807 kilos.The chiefsupply, both of cake and seed, is derived from Egypt, Turkey, andItaly, very little coming into France from the United States.England, on the other hand, imports cotton cake chiefly from theUnited States, and cotton seed chiefly from Egypt. The cotton-seedoil, expressed a t Marseilles and Rouen, is used by painters and varnishmakers, and in soap making. The extraction of this oil on a corn-E. W. P.Cotton Cake112 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.mercial scale dates from 1860, before which time vast heaps accumu-lated and perished on the cotton plantations ; a t the present day theseed is often more profitable to the planter for its oil and oil-cake thanfor its cotton, of which it contains only about 25 per cent.by weight.In the United States, the cotton-seed harvest takes place in Octoberand November, and the seed, after having been carefully gathered bywomen, is spread out to dry until hard to the teeth : the cotton woolis then separated from the remainder of the seed by suitable machines.The earlier seeds are of inferior quality to those gathered later in theseason ; they are more watery, the kernel is greener and softer, thecotton less easily removed, and they are apt to be crushed by thedecorticators : the oil obtained from them contains more water, resin,and mucilage, clarifies with difficulty and easily becomes rancid. Inorder to extract the oil, the seeds are screened, crushed between flutedrollers, ground into a paste which is heated in an oven to coagulatethe albumin ; then submitted to a pressure (in England) of 8500 lbs.per square inch in a hydraulic press.The greater part of the oil isextracted a t the first pressure, which lasts five minutes; the cakesare then crushed, with addition of 5 per cent. water, dried by steam-heat, and re-pressed ; the pressing is sometimes repeated a third time,after which the cake does not retain more than 9-10 per cent. of oil.The cakes are finally trimmed and allowed to dry for about 20 days,when they become hard enough for transport. French cotton cakesare generally square, 35 x 35 x 0.5 centimetre, and weigh 2.4 kilos.There are three qualities :-1. cot tom^, so called because they contain de'bris of cotton.TheSyrian cakes contain more cotton than the Catanian.2. BrowrL. Levantine or Alexandrian cakes are made from Egyp-tian seed, and are free from cotton.3. Purijied cake, made at Marseilles, and consisting of the browncake deprived of a portion of the husks by a summary method.In England, the only qualities are rough or common cotton cake(answering to the tourteaux bruts), and decorticated cotton cake, whichis unknown in France.Cottony Cake has a deep-brown colour and granular fracture,showing fibres of cotton.Catanian.Water ................ 8.4Oil .................... 5.20 rganic matter ........ 79 -8 1Ash .................. 6-59Syrian.7.46-9280.335.28100*00Nitrogen .............. 3.23Phosphoric acid ........ 2.02100.002.861.12Cottony cake is chiefly used in the south of France as manure.Ifgiven to stock, the cotton-fibres are apt to collect into balls whichobstruct the intesthes. Cottony cake is sometimes adulterated withearthy matterVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 113Brown Cake.-The fresh cake has a greenish colour which becomesbrown with age. The fracture shows a large number of hard, blackfragments of the testaceous covering of the seed. It is used solelyfor feeding stock, in admixture with pulped potatoes or mangel, an6with hay or chaff after maceration for 12 hours. I t is never given topigs. In England and America, it has to a considerable extent takenthe place of linseed cake. Cotton cake should never be boiled, for itthen developes an essential oil which animals dislike.Composition.Water ..............10.98Oil.. ................ 6.09Organic matter ...... 77.03Ash ................ 6.00100~00Nitrogen ............ 4.03Phosphoric acid ...... 2.07Pzcri$ed Cake is yellow, sprinkled with numerous dark spots.Cattle like it better than the preceding, and it is excellent for fatten-ing, and, above all, for producing milk, being preferred even to rapecake for this purpose.Composition.Water .............. 11.26Oil.. ................ 4.80Ash ................ 5.28Organic matter ...... 78'76100-00Nitrogen ............ 4.43Phosphoric acid ...... 1-96Decorticated Cotton Cake has a pale-yellow colour, and is madeonly in England and America. The seeds are crushed by decorticatorsand the husks then winnowed from the kernels, which are ground tomeal and then made into cakes in the ordinary manner.The husksare used to make paper. The cakes are hot pressed only when the oilis to be used for industrial pur oses ; virgin oil for use a t table isIn the Ur,ited States, a salad oil is obtained by cold pressing equalparts of sesame meal and cotton-seed meal. The semi-solid fat, whichis a bye-product in this operation, is used for making artificial butter.always obtained by pressing in t R e cold.Ordinarydecorticatedcotton cake.Water.. .......... 9.52Oil .............. 11.58Ash .............. 6.63100*00Pu'itrogen. ......... 7.64Organic matter.. .. 73.27VOL. XLIV.Cold-pressed(Voelcker),9.0819.3464.27.38Hot-pressed(Voelcker).9.2826-0566.628-05100*006.93100~006.58114 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.The varieties of cotton cake in the market vary so much in com-position, that buyers should always require a specification andguarantee of quality.Cultivation of Lupines.By J. KONIG ( R i e d . Centr., 1882, 642).-Continuous cropping with lupines cannot be carried on for morethan 5-10 years.Potato Culture. By A. LEYDHECKER and others ( B i e d . CYentr.,1882, 598--605).-Leydhecker finds that the best yield of potatoes isobtained by removal of the side eyes rather than of the end eyes, whetherthe sets be planted shallow or deep ; also that deep setting lowers theyield of tubers and haulms. E. Wollny having planted potatoes, ofwhich the sets were half-potatoes cut either along the long diameteror short diameter, found that the pointed half produced the highest,the other half the lowest yield ; that the tubers from the pointed setswere larger than those produced from medium-sized whole sets ; andthat large whole sets gave a larger yield than halved potatoes. Therest of this article consists of tables merely showing the yields andpercentage of starch of varieties of potatoes grown by several experi-men t em.E. W. P.J. M. H. M.E. W. P.Sugar-beet Culture. By W. RIMPAU and others ( B i e d . Centr.,1882, 594-598).-Rimpau notices that the earlier the beet is sown,the greater will be the number of young shoots, and that their growth isaided by the cold frosty nights of March ; also that a greater number ofshoots will be thrown up if the seed be planted deep.From France itis reported that it is best to plant deep, as the percentage of sugar isthen higher, and that the shallow-sown roots generally grow up forked.Desprez reports that the beets with compact flesh and wrinkled skincontain a higher percentage of sugar than other kinds.Cultivation of the Sugar-beet. By A. LADUREAU (AnnaZesAgronomiques, 7, 575--587).-1n this paper are detailed the results ofexperiments carried out in 1880. The manuring experiments are theonly ones of chemical interest.The soil of the experimental plots has received no manure for manyyears, and is remarkable a s being quite destitute of phosphoric acid.Sample taken to a depth of 40 cm.contained per cent. :-Pp06, none ;N as NH,, 0.012 ; organic N, 0.065 ; nitisic N, 0.022 (total N, 0.099) ;K,O, 0.035 ; CaO, 0.370 ; MgO, 0.151 ; A1203 and Fe203, 3.259 ; N&O,0.084; C1, 0.091 ; SO3, traces.Nitrogenous Il.laiture.s.-These were employed izl equivalent quanti-ties, at the rate of 200 kilos. nitrogen per hectare, the size of eachexperimental plot being one “ are.” The leather used in experimentNo. 9 had been torrefied by superheated steam. The (‘ azotine ” usedin No. 9 is prepared by the action of steam on torrefied wool-waste(Aianules Agronnmiques, 7, 28), and contains organic nitrogen in asoluble form; it can be bought a t 2 francs per kilo. of contained N.The trimethylamine of No. 10 is produced by the destructive distilla-tion of certain beet-distillery residues, and is sold as a brown, badlyE.W. PVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 115smelling liquid, containing about 10 per cent. nitrogen, at a priceequivalent to 1-50 francs per kilo. of N; the principal results ayeembodied in the annexed table.Manure.1. Unmanured. ...............2. Ammonium sulphate ........3. Sodium nitrate .............4. PotascJium nitrate. ..........5 . Arachida cake. .............6. Wool refuse.. ..............7. Torrefied woo1 .............8. Torrefied leather.. ..........9. Azotine ...................10. Trimethylamine ............Nper cent.O fManure.-20 -815 -813 *337 -2’74 *543 -306 *079 ‘209 -56Kilos.ManurePerhectare.-9601265150027504406660333021702090Kilos.BeetPerhectare.32,4004’7,40054,80051,20052,MO49,60050,10048,10060,10043,600Kilos.SugarPerhectare.32924569531.043925622492549546334577544Q7The seed was sown on April 7th, and the roots lifted November 13t,h.These experiments show clearly the superiority of nitrate of soda tosulphate of ammonia, and even to nitrate of potash (for this soil), andthe value of the organic nitrogen in such manures as arachida cake,wool refuse, and azotine.Phosphatic Manures.-The quantity of each was so adjusted as t orepresent 100 kilos.phosphoric anhydride per hectare. To the super-phosphate in No. 5 was added the same quantity of ammonium snl-phate as was used in No.2 of the preceding experiments.Manure.1. Unmanured ................2. Ardennes phosphates. ........3. Burgundy phosphate.. .......4. Superphosphate .............5. Superphosphate and ammoniumsulphate.p20,per cent.O fManure.IKilos.ManurePerhectare.I-- -34 ‘829 *513.5-280340’750Kilos.BeetPerhectare,---32,40033,80033,40044,700 } 55,400Kilos.Sugarperhectare.32923596361045595246Nitrification in Soils. Bv R. WARINGTONJ. M. H. M.(Bied. Cen.tr., 1882,660-663 ; from Jozcr. Xoc. A k , 1882, 532-544) .-The followingtable represents the average quantity of nitrogen as nitrates in thedrainage-water which flowed from depths of 20 and 60 inches of un-manured and uncultivated soil at Rothamsted during the years 1877-1882 :-i 116 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.20 ins.Rainfall in inches.60 ins.January .....March ......April........Nay .........June ........July. ........September ...October .....November ...December,. ..February ....August.. ....---1 -572 -851.362 -512.682 $23.044 202 -832 *953 -382 -512 *740.531.030 -630 -560 '751 -861 -231 -682 -552 .01Total.. , ,I 32 -50 I 16 *832 -390 -611 *330 *680 $20.681 -641 -141 '502 -402 -0116 '34Nitrogen as nitratesin 1,000,000.20 ins.9 -88.66 .O9 . 511 -69 . 316 -415 -917.215 *511 *88.911.860 ins.11.19 -8I) ' 29 -111 *510 514 *214 .O13 '313 -011 -80.9Kilos.per acre.~20 ins.1 -252.390 -321 -000 -740 *541.253 -012 *152.663 .051 -82 --11.05 ~ 20.1760 ins.1 -512 3 80 *571 '130 *860 *660 -982 -341 *541 9 92 -892 -2419 *09--The greatest amount is eliminated during the summer and autumnperiod, the summer being the season when nitrification proceeds mostrapidly. The analyses of drainage of fallows, at a, depth of 27 inches,show a loss of nitrate nitrogen amounting to about 26 kilos. per acre ;but although the nitrates are formed in the upper portion of the soil,rain has carried them down, and they appear in larger quantities inthe second 9 inches of soil below the surface. The conclusions drawnfrom these and other analyses are, that so long as the winter is notwet, no great loss of nitrates occurs,jbut that nearly all are removed ifthe winter be otherwise, consequently the crops will suffer.To avoidthis loss, it is recommended that some rapid growing crop, as mustard,be sown during the summer ; this will retain the nitrates, and convertthem into an insoluble form which can then be utilised by the cropsown during the winter months. E. W. P.Nitrification ill the Soil. By MA4R16-DAVY (Bied. Centr., 1832,663).-Water containing 20.6 mgrm. N as ammonia, and 0.8 as nitrates,was brought in contact with a mixture of sand and flint; 31 litres ofthis water appeared after its passage through the soil (in 31 days) as25.2 litres clear water, which cont'ained only 1.7 mgrm.N as ammonia,but 21.5 mgrm. per litre N as nitrates. In another experiment rye-grass was allowed to grow in the soil, and was watered with the saiiiewater, which, after its passage through, contained only 0.8 mgrm. Nas ammonia, aod 20.5 mgrln. N as nitrates per litre; nearly all thephosphoric acid present in the water was absorbed. E. W. P.Comparative Manuring Experiments. By A. SALFELD (Bied.Centr., 1882, 583-587) .-At three different stations on sandy soilsVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 117the effects of various combinations of lime, kainite and bone-meal withChili saltpetre, &c., were tried on oats, grass, and rye. Kainite andlime alone were nowhere found to be a financial success, but mixturesof kainite and bone-meal with a little saltpetre, and of kainite withMejillones phosphate gave satisfactory returns.Influence of the State of Division of Manures on their Action.By P.WAGNER (Bied. Ceiztr., 1882, 665).-With the exception ofsodium nitrate, all ninnures should be in a fine state of division,whereby they can be more readily absorbed by the soil. Even super-phosphates, when finely ground, produce better crops than the samein a coarse state of division, as experiments on peas show (Comp.E. w. P.Manuring Potatoes with Potassium Nitrate. By EDLER(Bied. Cetztr., 1882, 577-580) .-In previous communications fromthe agricultural station at Gottingen, it was shown that the use ofpotassium nitrate raised the yield above that produced by sodiumnitrate, that both manures produce larger tubers, a,nd that with potashmanures the disease was less than with the sodium compound.More-over it was shown that the percentage of starch was lowered by sodiumnitrate, but not by the potassium salts. The experiments have beencontinued during the two succeeding seasons (1880 and 188l.), butowing to the bad season of 1880 the results obtained were iacon-clusive ; the season of 1881, however, was more favourable, and theresults obtained corroborate those obtained in 1879. Potash saltpetredistinctly increased the total yield, as also the yield of large tubers,and it did not lower the percentage of starch in the large tubers,whereas sodium nitrate did ; the percentage of starch in the mediumand small-sized tubers grown on the unmanured plots, was, however.,higher than that cont)ained in the corresponding sized tubers, butwhich had been manured.The application of potassium nitrate wasalso a financial success. E. W. P.By G. LECOUTEUX (BieJ. Centr.,1882, 640).-According to Gassend, pig dung consists of water 80.57per cent., N 0.711, P205 0.187, K20 1.859. The pigs were fed withbarley and potatoes, and the production of the manure cost 7-11 M per1000 kilos. The value of the manure, calculated from the marketprices of its components, was 24.66 M per 1000 kilos. (7.11 kilos. N~ 1 4 . 2 2 M, 1.87 P205 = 1.52 M, 18.59 K20 = 8.92 M), consequentlythere was a gain of 17.5 M per 1000 kilos.Analysis of Mud from the Mouth of the Eider.(Bied.Centr., 1882, 639.)E. W. P.Abstr., 1882, 90, 550).Composition of Pig Dung.E. W. P.Hydrochloric acid extract of the air-dried mud.P205. CaO. I CaO combinedwith GO,.--- ---4 -89 4 -42 0 ’15 0 *15 0 -184.09 1 3-63 I 0.07 1 0.08 1 0.07 18 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.HZO. N. C1. Loss on ignition.I.. .... 2.91 0.26 0-56 3-8811.. .... 0.79 0.10 0.09 3.25I. Within harbour of Toning. 11. Outside harbour.E. w. P.Mineral Phosphates on Arable Soil. By L. GTJILLAUME( A n d e s Agronornipues, 7,587-59 1) .-Experiments were undertakenby the author to test D6h6rain’s statement that soils containing lessthan 0.04 per cent. of phosphoric anhydride are benefited by theaddition of mineral phosphate. D6hBrain considers that most arablesoils which have been cultivated for a long time with the aid of farmyardmanure, are by that means sufficiently supplied with assimilable phos-phoric acid, and that addition of mineral phosphate is useless. Thesoil on which the author’s experiments were conducted is a loam ofjurassic origin, and has been for a long time iinder cultivation and inreceipt of a large dressing of farmyard manure. It contains 0.05 percent. phosphoric anhydride, 3.61 per cent. calcium carbonate, and aconsiderable amount of ferric oxide. The experimental plots werefifteen in number, each of 1 acre, and a mineral phosphate fromAuxois was used, containing 24 per cent. P205.The results, per hectare, are annexed:-----1. Wheat (Bordeaux)-Stmw ................Grain ................2. Oats (Yellow P1anders)-straw ................Grain ................3. Maize.. ................(cut green August 22nd)4. Potatoes ..............5. Beet ..................Unmanured.4,900 kilos.70s 394,900 9 92,544 9 915,200 ,,160 hectolitres26,400 kilos.15,000rilos. farmyardmanure.--5,6001,5965,9003,25617,36026527,60015,OOO kilos. farm-yard manureand 1,OOO kilos.phosphate.5,7001,7605,9503,39717,8002 a027,900Thus, in no case was the increase sufficient to cover the cost of theThe author intends to repeat the experi- mineral phosphate applied.ments with superphosphates. J. M. H. M