724 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



"Washing bottle for gases, S. Famulari (Aba, in Jour. Chem.Soc. [London], 72 

 {1897), No. 421, II, p. 548). 



Report of the chemist, W. B. Hardin (South Carolina Sta. Rpt. 1896, pp. 34-38).— 

 A brief summary of the work of the year in the department of chemistry, including 

 analyses of sweet potatoes (see p. 754), canaigre, and fertilizers. 



BOTANY. 



Experimental investigations on the assimilation of ammoniacal 

 and nitric nitrogen by the higher plants, E. Laurent, E. Marchal, 

 and E. CARPIAUX (Bui. Acad. Roy. Set. Belg., 3. ser., 32 (1896), pp. 815- 

 865; abst. in Bot. Gentbl, 70 (1897), No. 6-7, pp. 232-235).— The ability 

 of some of tbe cryptogarnous plants to assimilate nitric and ammoniacal 

 nitrogen without the intervention of light has been shown by various 

 authors. In this paper it is shown that the ability to assimilate these 

 substances is not confined to the lower organisms, but is possessed by 

 the higher plants under certain conditions. Leaves and stems, both 

 green and etiolated, of potato, asparagus, barley, beets, elm, maple, 

 and Aspidistra were experimented with, 4 lots of each being taken for 

 the different portions of each experiment. The details of the methods 

 of analysis and of the experiments are fully given. 



As a result of the experiments it was found that the higher plants 

 require light and particularly the ultra-violet rays for the assimilation 

 of nitrates and ammonia salts and the formation of organic nitrogenous 

 compounds. 



Chlorophyll is not necessary for this assimilation, although it greatly 

 facilitates the assimilation of nitric nitrogen. Etiolated plants readily 

 assimilate ammoniacal nitrogen, in fact better than green leaves. 



In the assimilation of nitric nitrogen, intermediate products intervene. 



It appears that light is not only necessary to the higher plants for 

 the production of energy for the synthesis of the carbohydrates, but also 

 for the production of albuminoid substances. 



On the absorption of organic matter by roots, J. Laurent 

 (Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris, 125 (1897), No. 22, pp. 887-889).— The 

 author has made a study of the absorption of glucose and inverted 

 sugar by maize plants grown in water cultures. Before placing the 

 grains of corn to sprout they were thoroughly sterlized, and after 

 sprouting they were suspended in various culture media. The plants 

 grew readily, some of the specimens flowering while growing in the 

 solutions. 



Various amounts of glucose and inverted sugar were introduced into 

 the cultures and the plants were found to absorb amounts of these sub- 

 stances about in proportion to their weight. In some cases the absorp- 

 tion was out of proportion, but these were explained by having been 

 larger seed, hence more reserve material at the disposal of the plant. 



The saccharine materials absorbed were utilized and a great part 

 given off in the form of carbon dioxid, since the amount absorbed in 

 some cases exceeded the total dry weight of the plant. 



