460 
Composition of wine. 
Name of brand. Rand or 
8°-| Specific |Alcohol, by |Alcohol, by | Acid,* per | Solids, per 
gravity. volume. weight. cent. cent. 
fr. el 
a AMON CAM SUOTCY jo-— 22-4) so0 ce - © io elicd ane eeeeee 17.0 14. 23 0.37 6.55 
2. Norton’s Virginia Seedling.|........-. 0. 995 12.2 9. 85 0. 66 2. 31 
PELE LONSINE e erie ae em aiesia ell ome wera ace 0. 990 13.9 11. 24 0.48") sc een eee 
BAlvey. eet foo. 45 cliec des oe UBS | aes Sees Se 10.4 8,13 0. 78 2. 52 
5. Taylor Bullet....-.-.-..--. 1874 0.995 12. 4 10. 01 0. 48 1,73 
P, AMOMean POVh po s..-\-~one|octenee ce = 1.03 13, 1 10. 59 0. 48 11. 30 
MaMa hay. eons ot ake Some ee 1873 0. 995 11.3 9,11 0. 43 1.22 
GE MABSOUEL ClATObi so0.25-c006 1874 0. 9975 11.8 9. 51 0. 72 2. 37 
WeEOLDOMONG,-2.- + 2<=schseeee 1874 0. 995 11.8 9. 51 0. 57 2. 42 
PONCataw bas... ci. sbeseeccclecee 1874 0. 990 12.0 9. 69 0. 37 1. 66 
i CORR FONT 7 Dh a ee ee 1875 0. 995 11.0 BiBT | emontt anes Liao 
12. Catawba, sweet’......-..... 1875 1.015 14.4 11. 65 0. 40 7. 86 
13. North Carolina Seedling’. -. 1874 0. 990 13.5 10. 92 0. 48 1. 80 
PAC yOiniaAns). ose anno mo ae 1874 0. 995 12.8 10. 33 0. 54 3.15 
PyVGOuie w= Al sa oe2 eeu els. 1873 0. 990 11.8 9, 51 0. 42 1. 68. 
BiG bntontce as 2s. Sea ese stack 1874 0. 998 13. 4 10. 83 0. 45 3. 70 
POO Wares seco reese noe 1874 0. 990 13.1 10. 59 0. 40 2.18 
18. Ives Seedling’ ..........-... 1874 0. 995 11.2 9. 03 0. 54 2. 29 
19. Norton’s Virginia ...-..--. 1873 0.995 12.6 10. 17 0. 47 2. 46 
ROMUONE DLE eh Lac some eee cna 1873 1. 000 9.4 7.56 0. 60 yy 2738 
Si Concord -.22. kpc cc ces soeees 1875 0. 9975 8.7 6.99 0. 48 2. 36 
22. Concord, white....--...-... 1874 0. 995 ipa) 9. 85 0. 47 1.59 
Calculated as dry tartaric. 
p FIXATION OF NITROGEN BY THE INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERIC ELEC- 
TRICITY.—It has for a long time been well known that plants contain 
more nitrogen than can possibly be supplied by the ordinary constitu- 
ents of the soil, together with the amount carried down by rain in the 
form of nitric acid and ammonia. This difference is undoubtedly due to 
the utilization of atmospheric nitrogen; but the manner in which this is 
brought about has not heretofore been satisfactorily explained. John- 
son, Armsby, and others have made valuable contributions to our knowl- 
edge of this phenomenon in the results of their investigations into the 
absorption of nitrogen by non-nitrogenous organic matter. in presence of 
alkalies. But amore satisfactory explanation will be found in the results 
of the late investigations of M. Berthelot. In papers presented to the 
Academy of Sciences of Paris, he has shown that nitrogen is directly 
absorbed at ordinary temperatures by organic matters under the influ- 
ence of the electric current, and that this absorption may take place 
either with pure dry nitrogen and the hydrocarbons, in which case oxy- 
gen is completely excluded, or with moist woody principles and dex- 
trine. It operates equally well with pure nitrogen and atmospheric 
nitrogen. The electric currents were developed by means of enormous 
tensions and with a large Rubmkorff coil, that is, under conditions com- 
parable to the electrical tension during thunder-storms. The application 
of the results to vegetation are therefore legitimate, but only for these 
exceptional conditions. The question then arose whether this absorp- 
tion of nitrogen will not also take place under the influence of much 
more feeble electrical tensions, such as are continually produced in the 
atmosphere. Experiments instituted for the examination of this ques- 
tion gave affirmative results. 
The apparatus employed for this purpose by M. Berthelot consists of 
two very light glass tubes, one placed within the other, and both her- 
metically sealed. In the inner tube was placed a piece of silver or 
platinum foil, rolled in cylindrical form and placed against the sides to 
act as an armatitre. To one end of this foil was attached a piece of 
platinum wire, which was soldered in both the inner and the onter tube. 
This wire communicates with a conductor electrified by the atmosphere, 
