34 TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sbss. lviii. 



Composition of the Air in the Flask. 



At start of Experiment. At end of Experiment. 



Oxygen 20'40% 000% 



Nitrogen 79'57% 77"17% 



Carbonic Anhydride 0-03% 22-83% 



100-00 100-00 



Volume of Air — c.c. % c.c. 



At start of Experiment 98-33, containing 79-57 Nitrogen = 78 -23 



At end of Experiment ...100-87, ,, 77-17 ,, =77-84 



Loss= 0-.39 



Result of the Six Experiments— Gaix or Loss of Nitrogen. 



Gain c. c. Loss c. c. 



Experiment 1 0*06 — 



2 0-33 — 



3 — 0-15 



4 0-07 — 



5 — 0-25 



6 — 0-39 



Sum 0-46 0-79 



The total loss of nitrogen in the six experiments is there- 

 fore 0-79 — 0-4 6 = 'S 3 c.c, or an average loss of 0-0 5 5 c.c. 

 nitrogen in about 80 C.C. for each experiment, a quite 

 inconsiderable quantity, and well within the limit of ex- 

 perimental error. 



The result arrived at shows pretty conclusively that 

 atmospheric nitrogen takes no active part in the germina- 

 tion of barley. An examination of the daily differences in 

 the volume of the confined air in Experiments 5 and 6, 

 reveals the fact that when the oxygen becomes nearly 

 exhausted, the volume of air increases owing to the evolu- 

 tion, by the seeds, of more carbonic anhydride than can be 

 accounted for by true respiration. The cause of this is no 

 doubt due to intercellular fermentation. 



The germination of the barley in all the experiments, 

 even in those occupying the longer period, was perfectly 

 healthy, and no still corns were met with. The corns, when 

 extracted from the flask, had that peculiar fragrant odour 

 which is always noticed in barley when germinated in a 

 confined space. 



