ATMOSPHERIC AIR AS THE FOOD OF PLANTS. 29 
constantly renewed, and carbonic acid was introduced in 
proper quantity. The experiments were conducted ona 
larger scale than those of Boussingault, and their result 
was uniformly the reverse. Ville indeed thought to have 
established that vegetation feeds on the free nitrogen of 
the air. To the conclusions to which Boussingault drew 
from the trials made in the manner already described, Ville 
objected that the limited amount of air contained in the 
glass globes was insufficient for the needs of vegetation; 
that plants, in fact, could not aitain a normal development 
under the conditions of Boussingault’s experiments.— 
(Ville, Recherches sur la Vegetation, pp. 29-58, and 53-98.) 
Boussingault’s Later Experiments,—The latter there- 
upon instituted a new series of trials in 1854, in which 
he proved that the plants he had previously experimented 
upon attain their full development in a confined atmosphere 
under the circumstances of his first experiments, provided 
they are supplied with some assimi'able compound of ni- 
trogen. He also conducted seven new experiments in an 
apparatus which allowed the air to be constantly renewed, 
and in every instance confirmed his former results.— 
(Agronomie, Chimie Agricole et Physiologie, Tome I, 
pp. 65-114.) 
The details of these experiments are given in the follow- 
ing Table. The weights are expressed in grams. 
e | ¢ Ss Ss & 
xg a lS oe fe pen emt 
x SSi xv 2S : Ss 
S| Kind of Plant. yg jasizs | se) 8s | eile 
S Experiment. SR! SB fe S2 | => | S25 
= E = | = is | °~ = 
x A | 1 | SQh 
VU Se ee tee ae ee 10 weeks | 1 | 0.337 | 2.140:0.0196 0.0187 —0. 0009 
= ee 10 * 1 | 0.720 | 2.000/0.0322 0.0325 +0.0003 
Rye ant ont or es ee 12“ 1 | 0.748 | 2.847 0.0335 0.0341 +0. 0006 
Sle 4 1 | 0.755 | 2.240 0.0339 0.0329 —6.0010 
eat peewee 13 * 2 | 1.510 | 5.150,0.0676 0.0666 —0.0010 
g « 1: 1 BO fo 
LO ee eee + se tamsinteol cca aer ree 730/0.0858 0.0824 —0 O08 
Bar otkasnas a aint PER ee Ted 0.100 | 0.583 0. 0046 0.0052 +0, 0006 
| |___— 
{asmanure! 12 
Sum .4.780 | 16.64,0.2269 0.2240 —0.0035 
