Kentucky Agricultural Eaxperiment Stcttiovz. 61
amount of mineral plant food which they carry in solution.
` This investigation is nearly finished and the results will be l
ready for publication in 1915. They show that the waters
of the Bluegrass Region of Central Kentucky carry in solu-
tion a much larger proportion of phosphorus than those
A coming from areas based upon geological formations above
the Cincinnatian.
OCCURRENCE or MANGANESE IN PLANTS. Many determi-
nations of manganese have been made in parts of seeds and
fruits and the leaves of plants and some of the results have
been published in a paper on "The Occurrence and Signifi-
cance of Manganese in the Seed Coats of Different Seeds/’
by J. S. McHargue, Journal of the American Chemical
Society, December, 1914, p. 2532. This study is being
continued.
BARIUM IN PLANTS. The study of the presence of barium
in plants and its effect upon plant growth is being prosecuted. A
A series of 12 pot experiments has been carried out during
the past year and analyses have been made of the plants
grown therein. _
OSAGE ORANGE. Material has been collected and prepared
for some work on the composition of the fruit of the Osage
orange. L
THE LIBERATION OF POTASSIUM FROM TNSOLUBLE SILI-
CATES. This study has been continued. both in the field
experiment with tobacco and in the action of yeasts and bac-
A teria, in collaboration with Dr. Healy.
METHODS or ANALYSIS. A short method for the deter-
mination of manganese in soils, much superior to the official
method both in accuracy and speed, has been developed.
The results are very satisfactory. A description of this
method was read by Mr. McHargue before the Lexington
Section, American Chemical Society, February 11th, 1914.
An indirect method for the determination of strontium in
the presence of calcium and one for lithium in the presence
of sodium, in the analysis of mineral waters, have been
studied with very satisfactory results in the case of stron-