328 EXPEEIMEKT STATION RECORD. 



lower germination figure witli the clovers, excepting with red clover and ser- 

 radella. AminoHium chlorid tiad an injurious effect on beets, the most with 

 clovers and the least with rye. 



Potassium nitrate had a noticeably better effect than potassium chlorid, and 

 this was especially marked in the germinating energy. There seemed to be no 

 noticeable difference between the influence of these 2 salts on clovers and 

 lupines. The influence of the nitrate of soda on the germiaation figure was 

 similar to that of potassium nitrate, but the energy of germination declined, 

 especially with kidney beans and white and alsike clovers. Calcium nitrate 

 worked similarly to potassium nitrate, favorably on alfalfa and serradella, and 

 unfavorably on lupines and alsike clover. Ammonium nitrate was similar in 

 influence to ammonium chlorid. 



Potassium sulphate produced favorable results in general, being injurious 

 only to serradella. Sodium sulphate had a similar effect, but the germinating 

 energywas somewhat less, although with serradella a greater number of germi- 

 nations occurred than with potassium sulphate. Magnesium and calcium sul- 

 phates had generally good effects on all the seeds, while ammonium sulphate 

 seemed injurious to the clovers, serradella, and rape. 



Of all the salts, sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate produced the 

 most beneficial effect on germination, especially as regards the energy of germi- 

 nation. Sodium phosphate had in general an effect similar to sodium sulphate, 

 but a specially beneficial influence on the germination ability of all seeds w^as 

 observed, and an injurious eifect on white clover. Calcium phosphate had a 

 favorable influence; only with lupines could a lower germination figure be de- 

 tected. Ammonium phosphate had a good effect in general, working injuriously 

 only with clovers, serradella, and rape. A more or less injurious effect on the 

 germinating energy of all the seeds was noticed with the phosphate salts. 



A 40 per cent potash salt produced, with the exception of aLsike clover, some- 

 what better results than did potassium chlorid. Kainit in general produced a 

 better effect on germination than the 40 per cent salt, and especially so with 

 serradella. Thomas slag, superphosphate, and ammonium phosphate had a more 

 or less favorable influence. The germinating energy seemed to be more favor- 

 ably affected by Thomas slag than by the other two, althought it was noted 

 that Thomas slag had a slightly injurious effect on lupines, due to the calcium 

 it contained. 



The influence of each salt on the root development was as follows: With the 

 cereals the nitrates apparently produced the shortest roots, the chlorids some- 

 what longer, the sulphates and phosphates the longest, and the carbonates an 

 intermediate growth. Of the bases, potash produced the best and ammonia the 

 poorest root growth. With beets the greatest root system was produced by 

 sulphates and the smallest by ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, calcium 

 nitrate, and sodium phosphate. Witli the peas the largest roots were found 

 on the unfertilized plants. The length decreased with the sulphates and the 

 nitrates produced the shortest. With kidney beans the ammonium salts worked 

 the most unfavorably, and the potassium salts most favorably. With clovers 

 the sulphates, carbonates of potassium, sodium, and magnesium, and also 

 sodium nitrate produced the longest roots. The remaining nitrates, and 

 especially the phosphates and chlorids, showed a much shorter root growth. A 

 small growth was also noted with calcium and ammonium salts and sodium 

 chlorid. In general, alfalfa presented a similar development, but the sodium 

 salts and ammonium phosphate almost always proved injurious and the mag- 

 nesium chlorid proved beneficial. With lupines the chlorids and carbonates, 

 with the exception of sodium chlorid, produced beneficial results, while mag- 

 nesium and calcium compounds, with the exception of calcium nitrate, worked 



