Nov. 1896. j BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 7 



in every case there was an assimilation of atmospheric 

 nitrogen, but mostly in the case of leguminous plants. He 

 published his researches, but the results were received 

 with incredulity. They differed so totally from those of 

 Boussingault, a distinguished member of the French 

 Academy, that scientific men felt sure he had made some 

 mistake, and the bitter things said against poor Georges 

 Ville's researches rendered his life miserable. He never 

 lost confidence, however, in the accuracy of his work, and 

 eventually he threw down a challenge to the French 

 Academy to appoint a committee of experts to superintend 

 one of his experiments. The Academy took it up, and 

 a committee of very eminent men were appointed — Dumas, 

 Eegnault, Payen, Decaisne, Peligot, and Chevreul. They 

 superintended the experiments for several months ; one 

 important part of their supervision was to see that no 

 nitrogenous matter was supplied to the plants in the water 

 they were watered w4th. Accordingly, every time the 

 plants were watered the residue of the water was put into 

 a large vessel for after investigation. At the close of the 

 experiment this water was analysed, and it was found to 

 contain some ammonia. This staggered Yille very much, 

 and on inquiring into the matter he found that a few days 

 before the water was tested some of the pupils in the 

 Museum of Xatural History, where the experiment was 

 conducted, had been making ammonia gas, which, being a 

 penetrating gas, had very probably reached the water and 

 been absorbed by it. 



The committee were of course constrained to report that 

 they were not satisfied that the plants had not received 

 some anmionia from the water used in watering them. 

 But the Academy voted Ville 2000 francs to defray the 

 expenses of the investigation, and other 2000 to enable 

 him to go on with it. 



Thereafter two English experimenters entered the field, 

 viz. Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert, at Eotharasted. They 

 resolved to repeat Boussingault's experiments, but with the 

 adoption of a number of elaborate precautions, so as to 

 prevent any possible chance of error. The result of their 

 investigation was to confirm the accuracy of Boussingault's 

 conclusion, and that practically disposed of the question for 



