BY R. GREIG-SMITH. 729 



8*8% of moisture, the chloroform was present to the extent of 

 one part in 15,000 of the soil-moisture after a storage-period of 

 180 days. 



Attempts were made to see if there might be any considerable 

 fixation or alteration of the chloroform by the soil. The pro- 

 cedure consisted in chloi'ofoi-ming the soil in a stoppered separat- 

 ing funnel, and, after a lapse of twenty-four hours, in aspirating 

 the free chloroform through alcohol contained in washing-towers. 

 All apparent leakage was guarded against, but, in spite of all 

 precautions, there was a loss of from 20% to 30% of the chloro- 

 form, not only from soil, but also from sand or cotton-wool, when 

 these were substituted for the soil. The elucidation of the 

 question, therefore, was temporarily abandoned. 



Passage of the aspirated air through water did not yield any 

 hydrochloric acid, from which it was concluded that the disin- 

 fectant was not altered into carbonyl chloride. 



The chlorine-content of the soil is not increased by chloroform- 

 ing, as was shown by the chloride removable by water being the 

 same, whether the soil had been treated with 1% or with 2%, or 

 had not been treated. 



In a final experiment, a kilogram of garden soil was air-dried, 

 and treated with 2% of chloroform for four days, aired-ofi" for 24 

 hours, and the moisture brought up to 10%. It was then stored 

 in a fruit-jar with a loose lid. The chloroform was determined 

 from time to time. 



Oue day after storing 



Six days 



Twenty days ... 

 Forty-seven days 

 One hundred and sixty-nine days 



(Jhlorofonn in milligrams per 100 

 grams of moist soil. 



4*9 milligrams. 



2-5 



1-5 



0-9 



0-4 



Since traces of chloroform are retained by the soil for some 

 time, these may cause a stimulation of enzymic action and of 

 bacterial growth. Fred showed that such a stimulation was 

 exercised upon certain cultures of pure bacteria when grown in 



