436 Phytin on the Growth of Seedlings [Mar. 



(varying from 0.0006 per cent. to o.oi per cent.) root growth 

 progressed in a very healthy manner, as is shown by the results in 

 beakers Nos. 37, 57, 58, 87, 88 and 89. These seedhngs, compared 

 with those in the beakers numbered 55-56 and 84, to which similar 

 amounts of CaHP04 were added, show a similarity of growth, the 

 averages from the six phytate Solutions differing only by one half 

 millimeter from the averages of the three containing calcium phos- 

 phate. The seedlings in the Solutions of calcium sulphate (Nos. 9, 

 46, yy) and calcium nitrate (Nos. 32-78), which were planted on 

 the same days as the others just referred to, do not show much 

 improvement over the seedlings in the Solutions of calcium phos- 

 phate and phytate, in spite of their greater concentration of calcium 

 ions. The initial growths in beakers 78, 84, 86, and ^y are identical, 

 but there is more sustained growth in the Solutions which are more 

 concentrated. 



The addition of calcium phytate to a Solution containing another 

 calcium salt, caused no pronounced change in the rate of growth 

 observed when calcium phytate was absent, as will be seen by com- 

 paring the data f or breakers 9 and 1 1 of Series II, and 46 and 47 of 

 Series IV, in which calcium sulphate alone, or calcium sulphate plus 

 calcium phytate, were used. Substitution of calcium phosphate for 

 calcium phytate, as shown in Series VI, resulted in an average root 

 increase of from i.i mm. to 3.0 mm. under the influence of the 

 phosphate as compared with the phytate, but this difference is not 

 enough to Warrant emphasis. 



As stated earlier, Solutions containing potassium nitrate, potas- 

 sium phosphate or magnesium sulphate alone will not stimulate or 

 sustain root growth. If this is due to an inhibitory effect on the 

 part of these Compounds, the behavior of the seedlings in beakers 

 Nos. 27,, 26 and 28 (Series III) indicates that calcium phytate 

 completely overcomes this adverse influence. The same phenome- 

 non seemed to occur in beakers 11-15 (Series II), where 0.12 per 

 cent. of calcium sulphate was present in each, with or without cal- 

 cium phytate. In No. 9 of this series is shown, for comparison, the 

 effect of calcium sulphate alone. 



When added to mixtures of salts, such as are ordinarily used 

 in laboratories to promote growth for experimental purposes, cal- 



