680 CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR KNOWLKDOK OF SOIL-FERTILITY, iv., 



sterilisation. The possibility of other factors was mentioned, 

 and an instance given in a nitrogenous substance very soluble 

 in toluene, the distribution of which would be affected by the 

 toluening. This toluene-soluble substance is so suggestive of 

 agricere, that it is probable that further investigation would 

 show that the claim to its being nitrogenous, has been founded 

 upon insufficient data. 



Agricere is presumably derived from the substances "soluble 

 in ether" of plant-roots, stubble, and similar organic matter, 

 which have slowly decayed, and have become incorporated 

 with the soil. The rate of decay of the cellulose and other 

 carbohydrates of the vegetable matter will naturally be more 

 rapid than that of the fatty substance, so tliat, ultimately, 

 the latter will become concentrated upon the remains of the 

 former, and, by saturating the residual fermentable organic 

 matter, the agricere will act as a preservative. I have referred 

 to this condition as a "waterproofing." By the removal of 

 agricere, the soluble portions of the organic matter will more 

 readily diffuse out, and the soil-bacteria will more readily get 

 into contact with the fermentable fragments of organic mat- 

 ter. From its presumed origin, the agricere shotild be asso- 

 ciated with the organic matter, and should, to a certain 

 extent, be proportional to it. The amount in soils is small, 

 but the quantity of organic matter is, as a rule, also small. 

 The effect of treatment with antiseptics is much as if the crop 

 had received a nitrogenous manuring, which indicates an 

 accelerated decomposition of the organic matter, such as would 

 occur if the agricere were segregated. 



I believe that to be the behaviour of the agricere in the 

 soil. With regard to its presence, there can be no doubt, for 

 Schreiner and Shorey* have, simultaneously with me, shown 

 the presence of the glycerides of fatty acids and of paraffin- 

 hydrocarbons in soils. These are the agricere-components 

 which I have referred to as saponifiable and non-saponifiable. 



Schreiner and Shorey, Journal American Chemical Society, Jan. 1911, 



