The estimation of phosphate in soil extracts presents certain difficulties owing to the small amount usually present. Practically all the methods make use of the phospho-molybdate precipitate. Hehner's method based on the weighing of this precipitate was adopted by Dyer, and has been recently investigated by. Auld.

The life history of the black currant mite, Eriophyes ribis, Nal. is of a simple character from the month of May, when the buds of the current year's growth are entered, till March of the following year. During this time the mites live and multiply in the embryonic leaves producing the abnormal growth familiar to fruit growers as “big-bud.” From the end of March onward, however, the buds so attacked gradually die, and the mites which have lived in them for the past nine months are forced to find other plant food. At this time the buds of the black currant which the mites will eventually live in are rudimentary and it is the end of May before they are sufficiently developed for the acarids to enter.

Last season (1912) it was noticed that gooseberry trees were being seriously deformed by an attack of Eriophyes. Specimens of the mite were sent to Dr Nalepa and they were identified by him as Eriophyes ribis, the mite responsible for the disease known as “big-bud” in black currants.

Every growing crop results in the formation of a substance which is toxic to the growth of other plants, and still more so to itself.

By oxidation this toxin loses its toxic properties and enhances the fertility of the soil. The plants previously poisoned eventually outstrip those which had not been subjected to the poisoning, except in cases where the toxic effect has been sufficient to produce a permanent stunting.

The toxic effect must necessarily vary considerably with the different conditions obtaining, both as to the nature of the soil, the plant affected, and the vigour of growth of the plant producing the toxin.

There is no reason for assuming the excretion of any toxic matter from a plant, the debris from the growing roots is probably sufficient to account for the formation of the toxin.

The heating of a soil produces toxic matter from the organic substances present in it, and in much greater quantities than that produced by the growth of a crop. In both cases the toxin, after oxidation, increases the fertility of the soil.

1. The Sachsse method of estimating starch is unreliable in the case of plant material; not only does the presence of pentosans falsify the results as pentoses are formed during the hydrolysis, but actual destruction of dextrose occurs during the prolonged treatment with dilute acid.

2. O'Sullivan's method gives low results owing to the loss of dextrin which occurs during the purification of the solution after the conversion by diastase.

3. A method is described for estimating starch based on the use of taka-diastase; under suitable conditions this converts the starch into maltose and dextrose only and no loss of these sugars occurs when the solution is treated with clearing agents such as basic lead acetate.

4. The necessity of removing substances soluble in water, such as gums, etc., which are optically active and thus cause error in the estimation of starch in plant material is emphasised. Special care is also necessary in sampling.

Very little work has yet been carried out on the Texture of Cheese although this is one of the most important factors controlling its market value. The present investigation was undertaken with the view of ascertaining the influence of “acidity” on curd, caseinogen and casein.

While investigations were being carried out concerning the question of variability within a variety, the case of correlation described below was observed.

In our previous papers we have shown that the black pigment found in the mammary tissue of sows of various coloured breeds is related to the colour rather than to the sexual condition of the pig. We have also pointed out that this conclusion is contrary to the statements of bacon curers who rely on the presence of this pigment for an indication as to whether or not a sow is ‘on heat.’ Their method of testing the condition of the sow has been described by us in a former paper. It follows from the assumption made by the bacon curers that pigment should not be present in the ‘belly pieces’ of spayed sows (or to be strictly accurate, of sows spayed in early life, before the mammary ducts and glands have undergone development).

So far as I am aware, the manner of the dehiscence of the perithecium of Sphaerotheca mors-uvae has not hitherto been described. Although in the main features the process of dehiscence is very similar to that which I have described for Erysiphe Graminis and for Sphaerotheca Humuli, some new points of interest have been observed.

In the preparation of lime-sulphur solutions used for spraying purposes by boiling together lime, sulphur and water, the following equations represent reactions which might occur primarily:

(1) 3CaH2O2 + S4 = 2CaS + CaS2O3 + 3H2O,

(2) 3CaH2O2 + S12 = 2CaS5 + CaS2O3 + 3H3O.

According to the above equations 3 molecules slaked lime CaH2O2 or 3 molecules of quick lime CaO may combine with 4 to 12 atoms sulphur; or 1 part of quick lime (by weight) should combine with ·7619 to 2·2857 parts of sulphur.

During the month of February, 1913, an examination was made of a number of celery plants, grown in the gardens attached to the South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye, for the purpose of ascertaining the amount of damage produced at that time of the year by the parasitic fungus Septoria Petroselini var. Apii. Some of these plants were found to be in an advanced stage of decay, the affected portions being discoloured and pulpy, and showing every evidence of a soft, brown rot. As numerous pycnidia of the fungus were to be found on most of the plants examined and as that parasite is known to continue its ravages during the winter, even when the plants are dug and placed in storage, it was thought that the Septoria was the primary cause of the damage. It was found, however, in most cases, that when the soft pulp was subjected to microscopic examination, there was no trace of either pycnidia or mycelium, while bacteria and often eelworms were swarming in such material.

In earlier papers (this Journal, vol. IV. pp. 69 and 76) we have detailed the experimental evidence which led us to conclude (1) that the view as to the fungicidal action of Bordeaux mixtures favoured by Pickering, viz. the liberation of copper sulphate by atmospheric carbon dioxide, is untenable; and (2) that contact between the fungus and the copper compound present in the mixture will account largely for its efficiency owing to a solvent action on the part of the organism under certain conditions. Pickering (this Journal, V. p. 273) has criticised our general conclusions and the deductions which we have drawn from certain of our experiments; and therefore before describing our further work on the subject, a brief reference to some of the points which he has raised is desirable.

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.

In the preceding paper, attention is drawn to the fact that wide differences occur between individual animals in their capacity for converting food into fat. It is shown, for instance, that an individual ox on a fattening diet may increase in live weight as much as 3 lb. a day or as little as 1 lb. a day. The former would give out 17,000 Cals., and the latter 22,000 Cals. per day, a difference in heat evolution of about 25 per cent.