The Effects of Radio- Active Ores and Residues on Plant Life. 



LETTUCE continued. 



During the period of growth it was very difficult to discern much difference 

 between the several lots, so far as the size of the plants was concerned, and 

 the heaviest weights recorded are evidently due to the fact that in certain 

 cases there was greater solidity in the heads. 



It will be seen again that most of the boxes containing radio-active Ore 

 gave a greater weight than the " control " box with plain soil. But only four 

 of the [former proved heavier than the trial grown with farmyard manure, 

 whilst the box treated with a complete fertiliser produced the heaviest heads 

 of 'all. Some allowance, however, must be made on account of the extremely 

 dry character of the weather, and this undoubtedly gave farmyard manure, 

 which always contains moisture, an undue advantage. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH PEAS. 



The tests with Garden Peas were conducted with Ore containing the 

 same amount of Radium Bromide (approximately 8 milligrammes per ton) 

 as used for the trials of Radish and Lettuce, and in similar proportions. 



A very dwarf Pea Sutton's Hundred-fold was selected, the plants 

 being grown in boxes from seed sown May I2th. To prevent the depredations 

 of birds the trials were carefully netted, and no pods were removed from either 

 lot until harvested, when the seeds gave the following results : 



PEA TRIALS. 



The table shows that a heavier weight was obtained from each of 

 the boxes dressed with radio-active Ore and with manures than from the 

 plain-soil " control," but the best result was given by the box treated with 

 the complete fertiliser. 



