bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seamen on Late Eighteenth-Century European Warships
Authors: Frykman Niklas
Published: March 2009

For hundreds of thousands, the naval wars of the 1790s meant shock proletarianization at sea. Unprecedented numbers of men – many without previous experience of the sea, many of them foreign-born – were forced into warships and made to work under the threat of savage violence. Desertion rates reached previously unimaginable levels as men fled ships and navies. The greatest wave of naval mutiny in European history followed in their wake. Hundreds of crews revolted, sometimes paralyzing whole fleets in the midst of the annual fighting season. This article considers the struggles in the French, Dutch, and British navies, concluding that the key development that precipitated the sudden explosion of mutiny was the internationalization of Europe’s lower decks.
Mendel's Laws of Inheritance and Wheat Breeding
Authors: Biffen R. H.
Published: March 2009

The investigations to be described below are the outcome of some experiments started in 1900 which had in view the improvement of English-grown wheat. The necessity of such work may not be evident to all, so at the outset I will sketch in broad outlines the state of affairs which led me to undertake the task. The fact is generally recognized that the wheats of this country are characterized by their high yields per acre and by the shapeliness of their grain. We can grow on the average over 30 bushels to the acre where the United States grow 14, Russia 10, and the Argentine 7. Yet the acreage under wheat in this country has fallen from three and a-half million acres in 1876 to one and a-half million in 1903, and we now grow approximately only one-fifth of the wheat we consume. Further than this there is good evidence to show that the quality of the grain now grown is inferior to that of twenty years ago. It has been sacrificed to yield, and many of the better class varieties, such as Chiddam, Red Lammas and Rough Chaff, have been more or less driven out of the field by varieties such as Square Head and Rivet, which are capable of giving slightly larger crops of grain and straw. These inferior varieties have now to compete with wheat imported from Canada, the United States, Russia and other countries. The seriousness of the position becomes evident when one finds English wheat selling at 28s. 6d. a quarter when Manitoba Hard is selling at 35s.
The Importance of the removal of the Products of Growth in the Assimilation of Nitrogen by the Organisms of the Root Nodules of Leguminous Plants: A Preliminary Note
Authors: Golding John
Published: March 2009

For nearly eighteen years the problem of the fixation of nitrogen by the root nodules of leguminous plants has been the subject of investigation by numbers of workers in many parts of the world, and steady progress has been made towards realising the conditions under which the organism works in the nodule. Artificial nutrient media have been prepared closely resembling the food supplied by the plant, and the organism itself has in recent years been induced to grow in artificial culture in the characteristic “bacteroid” forms approximating to those which are found in nature.
The Inheritance of Sterility in the Barleys
Authors: Biffen R. H.
Published: March 2009

The following note is concerned solely with the behaviour of certain characters in hybrid barleys which bear on the inheritance of sterility and the question whether sex is, as it seems possible, a phenomenon of gametic segregation. I have used the term “sterility” in a broader sense than usual to include cases in which certain florets set no grain owing to the suppression of either the female or both the male and female reproductive organs. The plants themselves are in no cases completely sterile. The other characters occurring in the numerous varieties of barley will be considered in detail later.
A Method for the Determination of Carbonates in Soils.
Authors: Amos Arthur
Published: March 2009

The methods usually employed for estimating calcium carbonate in soil are all subject to more or less serious practical difficulties when the percentage of lime falls below 0.5.

In gravimetric methods, in which the carbon dioxide set free by acid has first to be boiled out of solution and then perfectly dried before absorption by potash, a very small weight of carbon dioxide is estimated by the gain in weight of a comparatively heavy absorption apparatus.
The Effect of Fungicides upon the Assimilation of Carbon Dioxide by Green Leaves
Authors: Amos Arthur
Published: March 2009

In some of the earlier experiments in which Bordeaux Mixture was used as a fungicide, it has happened that neither the part sprayed nor the control has suffered from disease at all; yet it has been recorded that the sprayed part has continued green for a longer period and has produced a larger crop.
The Yeast Flora of Bottled Ciders
Authors: Pearce Elsie B. , Barker B. T. P.
Published: March 2009

Thework described in this paper deals exclusively with the yeast flora of certain bottled ciders. It was undertaken as a section of an extensive scheme of investigation of the organisms which are concerned in the fermentation of English-made ciders. Apart from the more purely biological side of the question the main objects of the whole scheme are to determine how far the customary method of conducting the fermentation of cider in this country is satisfactory, and whether it could be improved, from a practical point of view, by certain modifications or by the substitution of other processes, such, for example, as the use of selected yeasts.
The Heat Value of Milk as a Test of its Quality
Authors: Malcolm John , Hall A. A.
Published: March 2009

An indirect method of estimating the heat value of food stuffs, such as milk, is to determine the amounts of fat, sugar, and proteid chemically, and to multiply by the average caloric value of each; but since the amounts of these substances themselves indicate the quality of the milk their calculated caloric value need not be employed as a test of its quality.
The Fungicidal Properties of Liver of Sulphur
Authors: Foreman F. W.
Published: March 2009

Liver of sulphur, according to Thorpe, is an alchemistic term coming down to us from a time when there was no clear distinction between the alkalies, potash and soda. As a rule, the preparation was made from crude carbonate of potash, mainly for the reason that this substance was more easily procurable than soda. It was obtained “ by fusing in a Hessian crucible a quantity of potassium carbonate with half its weight of flowers of sulphur, and the fused mass poured out on a greased flagstone and allowed to solidify.” From the peculiar liver-brown colour the product derived its name.
The Partial Sterilisation of the Soil by means of Caustic Lime
Authors: Hutchinson H. B.
Published: March 2009

The practical advantages accruing from the use of lime are now generally recognised, but on account of the complexity of the changes induced it is by no means easy to determine, in the case of a field soil, the exact extent to which one effect or set of effects has contributed to the general improvement of the soil in relation to its crop-producing power.
Cyanogenesis under Digestive Conditions
Authors: Auld S. J. M.
Published: March 2009

Under digestive conditions cyanogenesis is likely to be inhibited by acids and alkalies, digestive juices, cellulose, glucose, and molasses, salt and many other feeding-stuff constituents and adjuncts.

Owing to the time the food remains in the digestive tract before coming to the true stomach or the acid secreting portion of the stomach, normal inhibition is caused by the alkaline character of the salivary juices. This is likely to be the chief cause of the innocuous character of linseed cake.

In the case of sheep fed with linseed cake shortly before being killed small amounts of hydrocyanic acid were to be found, chiefly in the rumen.

Cyanogenetic feeding-stuffs are most likely to be poisonous when fed with acid containing or acid producing food-stuffs, or where the hydrocyanic acid is pre-formed, as in the case of an improperly made linseed gruel.

The small quantities of hydrocyanic acid normally produced from cyanogenetic feeding-stuffs may possibly have a strongly beneficial action.
Estimation of the Surface of Soils
Authors: Hanley J. A.
Published: March 2009

During the last few years a good deal has been heard of the estimation of colloids in soils by means of dye solutions.
The Estimation of Carbohydrates. IV.: The Presence of Free Pentoses in Plant Extracts and the Influence of other Sugars on their Estimation
Authors: Davis William A. , Sawyer George Conworth
Published: March 2009

Evidence is brought forward to show that free pentoses exist in the alcoholic extracts of foliage leaves of different plants. Their amount can be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy by the ordinary distillation process or by the reducing power of the purified liquor after other sugars have been fermented away.

When, however, small amounts of pentose have to be estimated accurately in presence of large quantities of other sugars, it is advisable, as suggested by Kluyver, to ferment away these sugars before applying Kröber's process.
Pasture problems: indigenous plants in relation to habitat and sown species
Authors: Stapledon R. G. , Jenkin T. J.
Published: March 2009

(1) Grassland has been classified as natural and semi-natural; both classes have been further sub-divided according to the botanical composition of the herbage in relation to habitat (pp. 27–36).

(2) The plants which colonise natural grasslands have been called primary indigenous species; and those which come in without being sown and contribute largely to the herbage on semi-natural types have been designated secondary indigenous species (p. 37).
Statistics of British Feeding Trials and the Starch Equivalent Theory
Authors: Wood T. B. , Yule G. Udny
Published: March 2009

During the last fifty years a very large number of investigations concerning the feeding of animals have been carried out. Many of them are of the greatest accuracy and interest in themselves, but perhaps the fact which strikes the student of the nutrition literature is the very small number of really far reaching generalisations which have been drawn from such a large amount of experimental results.
Some conditions affecting the value of calcium cyanamide as a manure
Authors: Mosscrop T. Duncan
Published: March 2009

[The following is an account of experiments carried out by the author during the year 1913–14 in collaboration with Professor S. J. M. Auld, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.I.C., etc., of University College, Reading. Dr Auld is now engaged in military duties and the task of presenting this report therefore devolves upon the author who wishes it to be clearly understood that Professor Auld must not be held responsible for any inaccuracies or other faults.]
The fixation of nitrogen in faeces
Authors: Richards Eric Hannaford
Published: March 2009

In the course of a general study of the chemical changes taking place in the manure heap, a number of experiments were made with the object of determining the loss of nitrogen during the aerobic fermentation of urine, straw and faeces, both separately and in various combinations. In the very first experiment with faeces, however, instead of finding a loss of nitrogen, appreciable gains were recorded, and this opened the enquiry which forms the subject of the present paper. In all the experiments a current of washed air was drawn for several hours daily through the flasks containing the substance under examination, any ammonia volatilized being retained by N/10 sulphuric acid. At the end of the experiment the total nitrogen left in the fermented substance, added to any nitrogen recovered in the wash flasks, was compared with the original total nitrogen.
The influence of palm kernel cake upon the composition of milk-fat
Authors: Crowther Charles , Woodhouse Hilda
Published: March 2009

The experiment described in the present communication was carried out at the Manor Farm, Garforth, during the summer of 1916, with the object of obtaining information as to the nature of any changes in the composition of milk-fat that might be effected by the feeding of palm kernel cake to cows.
Partial sterilisation of soil by antiseptics
Authors: Matthews Annie
Published: March 2009

1. Quantitative determinations have been made of the effect on soil protozoa and bacteria of various antiseptic substances, including benzene and its homologues and derivatives, carbon disulphide, ammonia, formaldehyde and chlorpicrin. Ammonia and nitrates were determined at the same time in many cases. The effect on fungi, eelworm, etc., was also determined roughly.

2. It was found that nearly all the substances disappeared from the soil fairly quickly and at the same time the numbers of bacteria fluctuated. The usual march of events was that the bacteria were reduced in number for the first few days, then rose to a maximum and finally fell slowly towards normal. The whole fall was sometimes very slow and the whole process was much slower in field soil than in the richer, lighter and better aerated greenhouse soils.

3. Aeration was found to have great influence on the rapidity of the changes.

4. The increase of the bacteria during the early days of an experiment varied in the same direction as the molecular weights and heats of combustion of the antiseptics and is attributed to the latter property. Naphthalene, for instance, which has a large heat of combustion, caused enormous rises, while benzene with its lower heat caused smaller rises.

5. This rise was independent of the effect of the substance on the protozoa. Both naphthalene and toluene in large doses cause high rises; the first has no effect on the protozoa, while the latter kills all amoebae and ciliates.

6. Similar results were obtained when the experiments were made on soils already free from protozoa, such as a field soil which had been in bottle for 76 years, soil in which they had been killed by steaming, and soil in which they had been killed by antiseptics. If the protozoa were killed by the use of a strong dose of a suitable antiseptic and the soil were then set aside for a long period, a second dose caused an even greater rise than the first.

7. It is therefore concluded that the rise in the number of the bacteria is largely due to the feeding effect of the antiseptic on the bacteria and not only to the destruction of the protozoa, and that the increased fertility observed by Russell and Hutchinson is to be attributed in large measure to the activity of the greater bacterial population in breaking down the organic matter of the soil. Bacterial rises following treatment with lime or steam are similarly caused in part by the preparation of the plant residues.

8. Aliphatic compounds cause quicker but smaller rises than those of aromatic series.

9. The introduction of a CH3 group into the benzene ring lessens toxicity to soil organisms, while a single Cl or nitro-group increases both toxicity and stability in the soil.
Some factors affecting the evaporation of water from soil
Authors: Fisher E. A.
Published: March 2009

In1914 the result of a study of the evaporation of water from soil was published by B. A. Keen, who distinguished two factors governing the rate of evaporation. One factor was that the available surface from which evaporation takes place decreases as the moisture content decreases. Keen deduced an equation that expressed the operation of this factor, viz.

in whichDis a constant,w= percentage of water by weight ands= the real specific gravity of the soil. He showed that this equation agreed with his experimental results with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
Observations on the life history of the wheat-bulb fly [Leptohylemyia coarctata, Fall.]
Authors: Petherbridge F. R.
Published: March 2009

During the past fifty years there have been many records of the damage done by this pest to wheat and rye on the continent.

The first record in this country is by Ormerod(i) in 1882 in wheat. She says “there is good reason for believing that it was present to a serious extent before.” Since that time numerous complaints of serious damage to wheat have been recorded in various parts of the country, but the eastern counties of England and parts of Scotland have suffered most and the intensity of the attack has varied enormously from season to season.
Investigations on yield in the cereals. I
Authors: Engledow F. L. , Wadham S. M.
Published: March 2009

Itis unlikely that as a formulated problem any consideration of settled crop-husbandry is of greater antiquity than the cereal yield problem. In its broad form it embraces all the possible means of increasing the output of grain per unit area. The earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt must have been compelled to explore these means as soon as they began to encounter the limitations to cultivable area which dwelling in fixed communities imposed. Wheat and barley were their principal food stuffs so that the cereal yield problem, the most comprehensive concern of present-day agriculture, goes back to the remotest antiquity. It must have evoked incessant effort along divers lines and the cumulative result is appreciable from a comparison of the best cereal races of to-day and the forms which likeHordeum spontaneumandTriticum dicoccum dicoccoideshave been regarded as the progenitor types. Unfortunately it is not possible to trace back very far the sequence of the solution of the problem as constituted by improvements in husbandry and the utilization of better cereal forms. Fragments of information may be culled from the writings of various periods but they are of doubtful value. The author's reliability is often in question, the unit of measure uncertain, and even the identity of the crop a matter of doubt. Herodotus' well-known story, passed on from another, of increases of 200 and even 300 fold yielded by barley in Mesopotamia in 500B.c.is possibly the oldest fragment. It is difficult to interpret but it gains colour from the further statement that the leaves of the plant were of the width of four fingers. Concerning progress in England, while reasonably precise information goes back no further than forty years, there are widely separated records of sufficient worth to indicate the historical trend. It has been deduced from the Manorial Records that at the time when that system had become established there was a flat rate of about ten bushels per acre for wheat. Much later, when Sir Charles Davenant compiledAn Essay upon the Probable Methods of making a People Gainers in the Ballance of Trade(published 1699), he computed the “neat produce” of eight million acres of arable land to be 79 million bushels of grain.
Studies on the metabolism of the ruminant by indirect calorimetry. I. The influence of variations in the external temperature on the energy exchange of the goat
Authors: Magee H. E.
Published: March 2009

In calorimetric work the ideal experimental conditions are that all factors capable of influencing metabolism, except the one whose influence is the object of investigation, should be made constant or otherwise accounted for. It was while striving to attain such conditions that the necessity for this study arose.

During an investigation into the effect of food ingestion on the basal metabolism of the goat by the method of indirect calorimetry described by Orr and Magee(1) it was deemed inadvisable to ignore the diurnal variations in external temperature, and, consequently, it was decided to submit the animal to varying changes of external temperature and to determine their effect upon its basal metabolism. It was the special objective of the experiments to ascertain the critical temperature of the goat or the temperature at which the vital processes of the animal are most economically maintained.
The relation between the clay content and certain physical properties of a soil
Authors: Keen Bernard A. , Raczkowski Henry
Published: March 2009

A simple experimental method has been described for measuring certain physical constants of soil, using small brass boxes into which soil passing a sieve of 100 meshes to the inch has been packed by hand. The quantities determined are:

(1) The weight of unit volume (100 c.c.s.) of air-dry soil, or the apparent specific gravity.

(2) Amount of water taken up by unit weight of soil.

(3) Pore space.

(4) Specific gravity of the soil.

(5) The volume expansion of unit volume (100 c.c.) of soil when saturated.

The results for one soil only are given, and discussed, to illustrate the method. With the co-operation of the Science Masters Association it is being applied to a number of soils by various schools.

The particular soil used was obtained in six depths as follows: 0–6–12″, 12–18″, 18–24″, 2–3′, 3–4′, and the above constants were determined on each depth. It was shown that (1) and (4) varied inversely with the percentage of clay in the soil, while (2), (3), and (5) varied directly with the clay percentage. The effect on the constants of the larger quantities of organic, matter present in the top two layers of soil was, weight for weight, approximately equal to that of the clay, except in the volume expansion results where the effect if any was within experimental error.

It is possible that the fraction fine silt II, whose upper limit of diameter is ·005 mm., has similar effects to the clay fraction.
Pheasants and agriculture
Authors: Evershed A. F. C.-H. , Warburton Cecil
Published: March 2009

The following Report on the contents of 311 pheasant crops presents the results of a very laborious investigation undertaken by Miss A. F. C.-H. Evershed during 1915 under my direction. Only those who have themselves attempted it will fully appreciate the amount of time and trouble involved in identifying the fragments of insects and plants met with in such a research.
The fungicidal properties of certain spray-fluids. II
Authors: Eyre J. Vargas , Salmon E. S. , Wormald L. K.
Published: March 2009

1. The resistance of the hop-mildew (Sphaerotheca Humuli (DC.) Burr.) to polysulphide solutions varies according to its stage of development. The earliest stages after infection and antecedent to the production of conidiophores are the most resistant, requiring approximately a solution of double the concentration lethal for the “powdery” conidial stage. The “powdery” conidial stage occurring on young leaves is more resistant than the same stage on older leaves.

2. Conclusive proof has been obtained that with polysulphide solutions neither the total sulphur content nor the sulphide sulphur content gives an index of their fungicidal value.

3. The percentage of polysulphide sulphur in polysulphide solutions appears to be the factor determining their fungicidal value.

4. The fungicidal value of such solutions does not depend upon the nature of the polysulphides present.
A note on the capillary rise of water in soils
Authors: Keen Bernard A.
Published: March 2009

Very diverse views are expressed on the height to which water can rise in soils under the forces of capillarity. Alway and MacDole in the course of a brief historical review, point out that these estimates range from two or three feet only, to as much as two or three kilometres, although the majority do not exceed 200 feet. Most of the investigators who advance a high value for the capillary rise are careful to point out that in all probability the movement of water in this case would be exceedingly slow, owing to the excessive friction in the minute capillary spaces. Actual experiments on the rise of water in tubes of compacted soil result in low values, which are in all probability exceeded in the field. Warington in his book Physical Properties of Soil gives a typical table showing the results of Loughridgeb for Californian soils.
Note on the mechanical analysis of humus soils
Authors: Robinson Gilbert Wooding
Published: March 2009

It is generally recognised that the mechanical analysis of soils containing large quantities of organic matter presents considerable difficulties and that in the case of peaty soils mechanical analysis can have little significance. Apart from the masking effect of organic matter on soil properties which will naturally vitiate any correlations with mechanical composition, the actual dispersion of humus soils is difficult owing to the cementing action of humified organic matter, whereby soil particles are aggregated together into compound structures which resist ordinary methods of dispersion. Various methods have been suggested for the destruction of organic matter as a preliminary to mechanical analysis. Atterberg recommends the use of alkaline sodium hypobromite solution. In the case of diatomaceous soils, however, oxidation of the organic matter with hot nitric acid (d. 1·14) is recommended. For soils free from calcium carbonate the use of hydrochloric acid (d. 1·12) is suggested.
Experimental methods with cotton V. A study of ginning percentage and its determination in variety trials
Authors: Fielding W. L.
Published: March 2009

1. The results of a study of sampling for ginning percentage in cotton variety trials are given. The investigation was undertaken to determine the most satisfactory method of obtaining the necessary ginning percentage factors for conversion of yield of seed-cotton to yield of lint.

2. The material consisted of a widerange of strains derived from the jassid-resistant Upland, U4, planted out in trials of randomized block design, in different seasons.
Magnesium metabolism in the dairy cow V. Experimental observations with a purified diet low in magnesium
Authors: Storry J. E. , Rook J. A. F.
Published: March 2009

1. An artificial diet low in magnesium (0·01–0·02% of the dry matter), and providing about 0·5 g. magnesium daily, was prepared from paper pulp, maize gluten, magnesium-free minerals and vitamins A and D and used in experimental studies with two non-lactating cows.

2. The omission of a dietary supplement of magnesium oxide (5 g./day) caused a rapid fall in the excretion of magnesium in the urine, from values of 1–2 g./day to virtually zero within about 4 days. There was a similar rapid fall in the concentration of magnesium in the serum, from about 2·7 to 2·0 mg./lOO ml., and then a slow fall to between 1·0 and 1·5 mg./lOO ml. after 12 days. Faecal excretion of magnesium was also reduced but the faecal loss continued at about 1·0 g./day after 2–3 days on the low magnesium diet.

3. The availability of the magnesium of various salts was determined by giving them as supplements to the basal diet and measuring the increase in the excretion of magnesium in the urine. The mean value was 26·2% in one cow and 34·5% in the other, a highly significant difference (P< 0·01). The availabilities of the oxide, nitrate, acetate and lactate were similar, but the citrate gave a higher value and the sulphate, silicate and, in one cow, the chloride a lower value.
The influence of varying phosphorus and water supply on the growth and yield of a swamp rice variety (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Enyi B. A. C.
Published: March 2009

1. ‘Wet’ soil plants had greater tiller and leaf number, and were also taller than ‘dry’ soil plants.

2. The straw and grain dry weight, and grain weight as percentage of straw weight, were greater in ‘wet’ soil plants than in ‘dry’ soil ones.

3. Wet soil hastened the time of ear emergence.

4. Increasing the phosphate supply, on the whole, tended to increase the tiller and leaf number, weight of straw and grain and also hastened time of ear emergence.

5. Under ‘wet’ soil conditions high phosphate application is not necessary.

6. The yield of grain at high phosphate level of plants grown on ‘dry’ soil is significantly lower than the yield from those grown on ‘wet’ soil with low phosphate application. This suggested that under ‘dry’ soil conditions availability of nitrogen, as well as of phosphorus, is a limiting factor.
The influence of crossing on the nicotinic acid content of maize
Authors: Gorfinkel L.
Published: March 2009

When maize forms a large part of the diet of any group of people, pellagra can be prevented by increasing the amount of nicotinic acid or by increasing the amount of tryptophane in the diet. The possibility of increasing the nicotinic acid content of maize by genetical means presents a promising field.
Nutritive value of lucerne. II. Investigations into the influence of systematic cutting at three different stages of growth on the yield, composition and nutritive value of lucerne
Authors: Woodman H. E. , Evans R. E. , Norman D. B.
Published: March 2009

The present communication is the second contribution to the study of the nutritive characters of the lucerne crop. It deals with investigations that are the outcome of certain preliminary trials carried out in the 1932 season and reported on in an earlier communication(1). The primary object of the present trials was to investigate the composition, digestibility and nutritive value of the first, second and third growths of lucerne under conditions of systematic cutting at the stages of (1) bud and (2) flower. A determination of the digestibility and nutritive value of lucerne in its pre-budding stage of growth was also made. In addition, account has been kept of the effect of cutting lucerne systematically at certain definite stages of growth, namely, pre-budding, budding and flowering, on the yields per acre of dry matter, starch equivalent and digestible protein, and on the health and vigour of the crop.
The mineralogical composition of some Scottish soils
Authors: Hendrick James , Newlands George
Published: March 2009

1. Previous investigations showed that certain Scottish soils were of glacial drift origin, that they were comparatively rich in unweathered silicates and therefore in reserves of plant-food, that they showed considerable variation in such silicates and were capable of classification accordingly. Some indication was also shown that the glacial drift, and hence the resulting soil, was sometimes of local origin, its character being determined by the underlying rock. In the present investigation a more extensive survey of Scottish soils has been made in order to discover to what extent these preliminary findings might be applicable generally.

2. For this purpose soils have been collected from various localities in the north, north-east, west and south of Scotland, and have been analysed mechanically and the “fine sand” fraction examined mineralogically.
A critical study of the hygroscopic coefficient of soil
Authors: Puri Amar Nath
Published: March 2009

With the aid of a careful technique a critical investigation has been made of the Hygroscopic Coefficient of soil at five temperatures, ranging from 15° C. to 35·6° C. It has been shown that (1) the customary 12–24 hours' period used by previous workers is much too short to give any approach to final values; (2) at the lower temperatures all except very light soils continue to take up water almost indefinitely, and it is not possible to extrapolate to an approximate final value; (3) these final values decrease with increasing temperature but in the early stages the rate of moisture absorption increases with increasing temperature; (4) the disputes as to whether the Hygroscopic Coefficient increased or decreased with temperature were due to the unrecognised operation of the effects detailed in (1) and (3) above.
“Single Value” Soil Properties. A Study of the Significance of Certain Soil Constants. III. Note on the Technique of the Keen-Raczkowski Box Experiment (With Three Text-figures.)
Authors: Coutts J. R. H.
Published: March 2009

A modified technique for the Keen-Raczkowski box experiment is described; it is believed that this new method is as accurate as, and is more convenient than, the one employed earlier.

The results obtained for pore space by the new method are very nearly the same as those obtained by the old method. The old and new results obtained for water retention and swelling are not the same, but are related to one another by simple linear expressions, and correlations with other soil properties deduced from the old data are applicable also to the new.
Scientific research in soil drainage
Authors: Russell J. L.
Published: March 2009

The science of land amelioration, or “Kulturtechnik” as it is called in Germany, where it has been chiefly developed, is concerned with the scientific principles underlying the improvement of agricultural land by such means as artificial soil drainage, irrigation, river regulation and land reclamation. Since the War it has been attracting increasing attention throughout the Continent, and it now ranks as one of the most important branches of soil science. In England land amelioration has, for political and economic reasons, been very much neglected during recent years, and in consequence there has been little opportunity for scientific research on problems relating to it. The difficulty of studying these problems is greatly increased by the fact that some of the most important literature is either inaccessible or is only available with difficulty in Great Britain. It is hoped that the present résumé will to some extent fill the gap as far as one particular branch—that of artificial drainage in mineral soils—is concerned. Discussion of the drainage of peat soils has been omitted, since this presents rather different problems, and can only be adequately considered in relation to the reclamation of such soils as a whole. Mole drainage and the various combined mole-tile systems have also been left out of consideration to a great extent, since, in spite of their importance, very little scientific research has been done on them. Except where otherwise stated, the present account is confined to tile drainage.
Note on the estimation of dry matter in mangels
Authors: Elphick B. L. , McMahon P. R.
Published: March 2009

The results indicate that the usually accepted methods of sampling mangel roots by means of horizontal cores in a north-south direction through the largest diameter of the root or one-third way down from the crown, are subject to greater inaccuracies than similar cores taken twothirds to three-quarters way down, which gave consistently samples of satisfactory accuracy.

Our best thanks are due to members of the College StafE for helpful criticism of all stages of the work, also to the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture for a detailed description of technique and apparatus in use for their work on dry matter in root crops.
The calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D requirements of swine
Authors: Dunlop George
Published: March 2009

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The results of experiments conducted on 156 swine, from time of weaning till bacon weights were reached, are reported. One hundred and twenty of these animals were subjected to complete dietary control as regards the quantity of food consumed and the composition of the diet.

Twenty-nine treatments, consisting of different amounts of Ca, P and vitamin D added to an otherwise adequate diet, were imposed.

The reaction of the animals to the treatments was studied in relation to growth (increase in weight), appetite, utilisation of the food, the blood picture (concentration of serum Ca, blood inorganic phosphate, serum phosphatase and blood Hb), and the morphology and chemical composition of the bone. The results obtained are summarised in Table XVIII.
On the capillary forces in an ideal soil; correction of formulae given by W. B. Haines
Authors: Fisher R. A.
Published: March 2009

1. The omission of the tension in the air-water interface has introduced an erroneous factor into Haines’ formulae; certain additional factors have also crept into his expressions for average stress.

2. With these corrections, the stress due to moisture varies comparatively little with changing water content, though falling slightly throughout the range. The energy needed to cause rupture rises continuously in a manner not unlike Haines’ measurements, and should more probably be associated with them than should the tensile stress.

3. The geometrical approximation used by Haines gives a close geometrical representation of the figure, but a mechanical approximation which is less satisfactory. Since neither the formulae connected with the true curve, nor the tables needed to use them, are readily, accessible, sufficiently exact numerical data have been here put on record.
The Microbiology of Farmyard Manure Decomposition in Soil II. Decomposition of Cellulose
Authors: Jensen H. L.
Published: March 2009

1. Addition of farmyard manure to soil gives rise, in laboratory experiments, to an abundant development of cellulose-decomposing bacteria of the genusVibrioin approximately neutral soils (pH 6.5–7.0). In faintly acid soils (pH 5.7–6.2) these organisms develop less abundantly, and are partly replaced bySpirochaeta cytophaga. At lowerpH values only the fungi are active in the decomposition of cellulose. Similar results were obtained by adding filter-paper or straw to soils of different reactions. Of the fungi, Trichoderma and Penicillium appear more active in acid soil, whereas other forms, among othersMycogone nigra, Stachybotryssp.,Coccospora agricola (?), and Botryosporiumsp. seemed prominent in neutral soil.

2. The vibrios, of which four strains were studied in pure culture, are very sensitive to acidity. They fail to develop in thepH interval 6.0–6.4, and have an optimum atp7.1–7.6.Spirochaeta cytophagaappears to be slightly more resistant to acidity, being able to grow atpH 5.6–6.0.

3. The bacteria as well as the fungi are capable of decomposing the lignified cellulose of straw.
The effect of borax dressings on the growth and yield of field beans (Vicia Faba L.)
Authors: Owen E. C. , Snow D. , Thom C. L.
Published: March 2009

1. Dressings of 12–100 lb. borax per acre resulted in marked temporary ‘yellowing’ of bean seedlings. Dressings of 25 lb. or more depressed the stand and reduced the yield.

2. Determinations were made to ascertain the distribution of boron within the treated plants and to measure the uptake of boron from the soil. The relevant figures are quoted in the text.
A Study on the Extraction of Papain, the Active Digestive Principle from Papaya
Authors: Sen H. D.
Published: March 2009

The Papaya tree is common in all parts of India and is grown also in the Philippine Islands, Federated Malay States, Java, Ceylon, and other tropical countries.
Establishment studies. III. The effect of method of establishment on one-year leys in the first harvest year
Authors: Charles Allen H.
Published: March 2009

The effect of using a cover crop of spring oats under three managements and two levels of Nitro- Chalk in the seeding year on Italian rye-grass and broad red clover in the first harvest year were investigated and the following results obtained.

1. Undersowing increased the total yield of dry matter in the Italian rye-grass/broad red clover mixture in the first harvest year. Using a cover crop with the April sowing only increased the yield of herbage when frequent grazing was practised in the seeding year. The percentage of broad red clover and the yield and percentage of crude protein in the clover were higher in spring when a cover crop was used. In the hay cut the percentages of clover and of protein were higher in the Italian rye-grass/broad red clover mixture sown without a cover crop and the yield of crude protein was not affected by undersowing.

2. Early sowing in April resulted in a higher total yield of dry matter and Italian rye-grass in the first harvest year. The growth of broad red clover and the yield of crude protein were also increased in the spring grazing but not in the hay cut. The August sowing resulted in higher winter casualties of the Italian rye-grass and broad red clover, but gave a greater density of plants in the following spring than the swards sown in April.
Oiliness in milk
Authors: Mattick A. T. R.
Published: March 2009

During recent years a large number of samples of milk having a peculiar flavour have been sent to this Institute by farmers, retailers, and wholesalers of milk.

The flavour is marked and has almost invariably been described as “oily.” In many instances it has been referred to as the “castor oil flavour.”

Although, as would be expected, the opinions of individuals on the flavour of such samples were not unanimous the majority agreed that “oily” was an appropriate name and since this is the name by which this taint is known to the trade it is proposed to retain it.
The vitamin A and B content of the pigeon pea (cajanus indicus)
Authors: Miller Carey D.
Published: March 2009

The pigeon pea (Cajanus indicus or C. cajan) grown extensively in India, Africa, and other tropical and semitropical countries has attained considerable prominence as a stock food in Hawaii, where it is being grown as an important field and pasture crop in some sections. Its culture and utilisation in Hawaii have been exhaustively treated in a bulletin of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station written by F. G. Krauss(1).
The growth, yield and composition of certain tropical fodders
Authors: Paterson D. D.
Published: March 2009

XII. Summary

The experiment was designed to compare under Trinidad conditions three varieties of fodder grass and ascertain the correct stage at which each should be cut to give the maximum nutritive value per acre. It consisted of a yield trial in the form of a Latin square in which the treatment series included four cutting rotations on main plots and three varieties of fodder grass on subplots as appended
Rotation experiments with cotton in the Sudan Gezira
Authors: Crowther F. , Cochran W. G.
Published: March 2009

Rotation of crops is based in most countries upon the accumulated experience of past years; experiments testing the relative merits of various rotations are rarely resorted to unless some serious disturbance arises, such as the inclusion of a new crop. But in the Sudan Gezira (lat. 14–15° N., long. 33–34° E.) the need for rotation experiments was urgent, since growing cotton by artificial irrigation was a recent introduction, and, moreover, the soil was known to be intractable. Any improvement in rotation which would allay seasonal fluctuation in yield and raise the general level would greatly add t o the prosperity of the area.

Thus when the Gezira Research Farm was inaugurated in 1918 some unreplicated plots of various two-course rotations, and of continuous cotton, were laid down. These were supplemented in 1925–6 by a replicated trial comparing various three-course rotations, designed by E. M. Crowther of Rothamsted. Later, in 1931–2, a new ‘Combined Rotation’ experiment, designed by M. A. Bailey and E. M. Crowther, was added, and this comprised comparisons of one-, two-, three- and four-course rotations. These last
Conformation of the Cow as Related to Milk Secretion, Jersey Registry of Merit.
Authors: Gowen John W.
Published: March 2009

This paper presents an analysis of the relation borne by eight body measurements and age to the cow's milk-secreting ability. The analysis is first presented from the viewpoint of conformation as related to milk secretion without regard to age. The data are then utilised to determine the relation of conformation to milk secretion when age is considered. In the last section we have attempted to consider conformation as a whole and to relate this to milk secretion. Defining the ideal as quantity production of milk or butter-fat the following points of conformation are important. First, the cow should be of better than average weight for her breed and age; second, she should be of good wedge-shaped form particularly in the region of the shoulders; third, her milk veins should be of good size; and fourth, her udder should be of good size and quality. Time has brought about the inclusion in the animal husbandry text-books of many other points asserted on a priori grounds to be of significance in determining the cow's milk secreting capacity. The effect of several of these points on milk secretion has been analysed in these data, the results showing them to be without significance.
The horse-chestnut as a source of food for livestock. I. The composition, digestibility and nutritive value of alcohol-extracted horse-chestnut meal, water-extracted horse-chestnut meal and horse-chestnut residue
Authors: Woodman H. E. , Evans R. E.
Published: March 2009

Repeated attempts have been made, both during the recent war and the war of 1914–18, to make the store of starch and other nutrients in the horse-chestnut available for farm animals. Unfortunately, the extremely bitter taste of the horse-chestnut, due to the presence of saponins and, to a smaller extent, of tannins, has proved a severe obstacle, and horse-chestnuts have been found to be an unsuitable food for livestock both on account of their unpalatable character and their constipating action.
The influence of season and nutrition on the sulphur content of wool from Merino and Cheviot sheep
Authors: Doney J. M. , Evans C. C.
Published: March 2009

Sulphur content, expressed as a percentage of clean dry wool weight, was measured at monthly intervals in two breeds of sheep, Cheviot and Merino x Cheviot backcross (¾ Merino, ¼ Cheviot), offered an equivalent annual amount of feed in three ways—constant level, natural grazing cycle and reversed grazing cycle. The relationships between S content and wool growth rate or nutrient intake differed with both breed and nutrient cycle, but all the results could be explained satisfactorily on the basis of a constant optimum composition for each individual with sulphur impoverishment related to lack of balance between follicle activity rate and high-S substrate availability.

The difference in mean maximum S content between breeds (3·87% and 3·81% for Cheviot and ‘Merino’ respectively) was much smaller than the difference between individuals within the breeds (4·05·3·72% and 3·92·3·66%). The seasonal depression within individuals varied with nutrition and wool growth rate, Cheviot sheep showing the greatest depression and lowest values (2·89 and 3·28% for Cheviot and 'Merino, respectively in the reversed cycle group). There was no consistent seasonal trend in the relationship between clean and unscoured wool weight.
Culture of fertilized cattle eggs
Authors: Sreenan J. , Scanlon P. , Gordon I.
Published: March 2009

Culture studies were conducted with eggs recovered from cattle following super-ovulation treatment. Transfer of eggs to pseudo-pregnant rabbits led to continued cleavage in 71 of 138 attempts. Culture of eggs in vitro met with limited success in 58 of 189 attempts. The maximum cleavage stage reached in the in vivo studies was 64 cells; in the in vitro work it was 24 cells.
The determination of organic carbon in soils
Authors: Robinson G. W. , McLean W. , Williams Rice
Published: March 2009

(1) It is proposed to estimate the amount of organic carbon in soils by determining the amount of sulphur dioxide produced in the ordinary Kjeldahl digestion. The gaseous products of reaction are passed through standard iodine solution, and the excess iodine titrated with standard sodium thiosulphate. Details of the method are given.

(2) The results obtained with a number of soils of differing character and origin are compared with the figures obtained for organic carbon by dry combustion. The sulphur dioxide method gives results which average 89.6 ±1.03 per cent, of the combustion figures. It is proposed therefore that the percentage of organic carbon found by this method should be corrected by the factor 100/89.6 = 1.116.

(3) The percentage recovery of carbon indicated by the proposed method is rather higher for pure substances but still falls short of 100 per cent.

(4) The proposed method is applicable to carbonate soils without the necessity for any correction for inorganic carbon.

(5) It is likely that soils containing inorganic reducing substances such, as sulphides will give high results by the proposed method.

(6) Absorbing the sulphur dioxide in 25 per cent, sodium bichromate, it is possible to determine the carbon dioxide by passing the gases through standard baryta in a Reiset tower. The organic carbon thus indicated agrees with that by the sulphur dioxide method.

(7) From data with certain peats, it appears that the factor 1.724 for converting organic carbon to organic matter is too low.