ANTAGONISM BETWEEN ANIONS 305 



in antagonism between salts as kations, and 3rd, to the prom- 

 ising pro])ability of employing the principle of salt antagonisms 

 as a formidable weapon in the solution of alkali problems in soil 

 management as well as in other problems of practical' value which 

 are related to the physiology of i:)lants. Briefly stated the con- 

 clusions flowing from these investigations are as follows: 



1. Antagonism exists to a more or less marked extent between 

 the anions of alkali salts when the ammonifying powers of soils 

 are employed as criteria in the study of that problem. 



2. Marked antagonisms have been found to obtain between 

 NaCl and Na2S04, Na2C03 and Na2S04 and between NaCl and 



NaaCOa. 



3. Evidence is given that there is antagonism between toxic 

 concentrations of salts as well as between stimulating concen- 

 trations of them. 



4. Antagonism between anions is most strikingly proven when 

 the nitrifying power of a soil is employed as a criterion. 



5. Such antagonism has been shown to obtain between fixed 

 quantities, known to be toxic, of each of the alkali salts and 

 vaiying quantities of every one of the other salts. 



6. Not only improvement in the ammonifying power, and 

 nitrifying power of soils can be induced by addition of salts to 

 toxic salts already contained in them, but antagonism between 

 anions may be made to improve very markedly the nitrogen 

 transforming powers of soils over those characteristic of the 

 normal soils which are wholly free from alkali. 



7. These facts possess profound significance for the reclama- 

 tion of alkali lands, especially since similar ones have been ob- 

 tained b}^ us as regards the growth of higher plants with which 

 the efl"ects on the soil bacteria of alkali salts must always be 

 correlated. 



To Prof. L. T. Sharp who assisted me in the ammonification 

 work above described and to Prof. P. S. Burgess who likewise 

 did ^'aluable analytical work in connection with the nitrification 

 studies, my sincere thanks are due and this opportunity is gladly 

 taken to express them. 



THE PLANT WORLD, VOL. 17, NO. 10, 1914 



