AIR WATER SOILS. 



1025 



ammonia into nitrates in the soil, it is rare that any nitrites are found 

 to be present in the soil. In artificial liquid media, however, the action 

 of the nitric ferment appears to be slower, as a rule, than that of the 

 nitrous ferments, and nitrites thus accumulate more or less. The 

 author succeeded, however, in preparing liquid media in which the 

 ammonia was transformed directly into nitrates without the interme- 

 diary of nitrites. 



Alkali studies, II, E. E. Slosson and B. C. Buffum ( Wyoming Sta. 

 Bui. 39, pp. 35-50). — In this bulletin the character of Wyoming alkali, 

 studies of the effect of alkali on the germination of seed, field experi- 

 ments on alkali soils with different plants, and the reclamation of alkali 

 soils are discussed in a popular manner. In Wyoming alkali the sul- 

 phates predominate, black alkali being very rare in the State. The 

 experiments made by the station indicate that the retarding effect of 

 alkali on the germination of seeds is due to its hindering the seed from 

 absorbing the water needed, and that this absorption "was influenced 

 not by the kind of alkali or the strength of the solution, but purely by 

 the osmotic pressure." In an experiment Avith wheat to test this point 

 the following results were obtained : 



Amount of water absorbed by wheat from salt and sugar solutions. 



Solution of 



Fure water 



Sugar 



Magnesium sulphate .. 



Sodium sulphate 



Sodium chlorid 



Sugar 



Magnesium sulphate .. 



Sodium sulphate 



Sodium chlorid 



P.ct. 

 

 1.43 

 .34 



.24 



.12 



14. 30 



3.94 



2.66 



1.39 



Is-i 



Water ahsorbed by wheat. 



P.ct. 



33.1 



33.4 

 31.4 

 32.1 

 34.0 

 26.3 

 31.2 

 29.7 

 31.5 



P.ct. 

 42.6 

 43.2 

 40.1 

 41.6 

 41.9 

 27.9 

 38.4 

 3?. 3 

 39.7 



P. et. 



49.2 

 49.3 

 46.3 

 47.8 

 49.5 

 41.8 

 43.3 

 43.6 

 44.3 



P.ct. 

 51.6 

 51.3 

 49.3 

 48.8 

 50.0 

 44.2 

 45.5 

 44.0 

 44.9 



P.ct. 

 54.6 

 54.3 

 52.1 

 53.2 

 51.8 

 45.0 

 45.9 

 45.1 

 46.6 



P.ct. 

 55.7 

 55.2 

 54.7 

 51.4 

 53.7 

 46.0 

 46.9 

 45.9 

 47.0 



P.ct. 

 58. 3 

 58.2 

 56.7 

 57.7 

 56.9 

 46.7 

 47.9 

 46.3 

 47.2 



P.ct. 

 60.1 

 59.8 

 57.7 

 58.3 

 57.9 

 47.8 

 48.9 

 47.il 

 47. 2 



P.ct. 

 60.1 

 60.8 

 59.6 

 60.1 

 58. 3 

 48.1 

 48.9 

 48.3 

 47.6 



P.ct 

 61. 1 



CI. 4 

 60.6 

 61.9 

 59.1 

 48.1 

 48.9 

 48.6 

 47.4 



P. ct. P. ct. 



62.3 62.3 



62.0 61.7 



CO. 8 61). 2 



61.7 00.7 



59.3 CO. 3 

 48. lj 47.9 



48.7 48.7 



48.3 49.2 



48.2 50.0 



"It will be seen from the table that the wheat absorbed just about the same 

 amount of water from each of these in the same length of time. . . . 



"Beans absorb the same amount of water when put into a saturated solution of 

 common salt as they do when put into pure water. The dissolved salt apparently 

 passes into the bean as readily as the water and destroys its power of germination. 

 Rye is intermediate between wheat and beans in this respect. 



"To decide the question whether the absorption of water is physical or physio- 

 logical, comparative tests were made between living seeds and seeds in which the 

 power of germination had been destroyed by age, heat, or exposure to formaldehyde 

 vapor. No difference between the living and dead seeds has been yet observed, so 

 it appears that water is drawn into the seed purely by such physical forces as sur- 

 face tension and osmotic pressure. It does not appear that the salts mentioned, 

 except sodium carbonate, exert any poisonous influence on the wheat. It germi- 

 nates readily when removed from the alkali solutions and put under favorable con- 

 ditions." 



In continuation of work reported in Bulletiu 29 of the station (E. S. R., 

 8, p. 5G8), the following experiments were made : 



"Seeds of wheat and rye were germinated in pure water and in solutions of 

 sodium carbonate (black alkali), sodium chlorid (common salt), sulphate of sodium 



