36 THEORIES ON THE ABSORPTION OF NITROGEN 



Ilellriegel alone will find acceptance by reason of their con- 

 firmation in practice. At the same time, it would be unwise 

 to be too exclusive and to reject Jamieson's arguments a 

 priori. M. Henry, Professor of Forestry at Nancy, shares 

 this opinion, for a number of points in Jamieson's researches 

 have been confirmed by experiments in Hungary. 



Dr. Geza Zemplen and M. Julius Roth, of the Central 

 Station for Research in Forestry at Selmec Banya, in 

 Hungary, have . recently published their researches in the 

 bulletin of this station. 



''It is of particular interest to the forester," say these 

 Hungarian scientists, " that Jamieson should have already 

 undertaken researches on various trees of our woods. As 

 a matter of fact, he does not consider forest trees to be 

 particularly suitable for this kind of research ; but, in spite 

 of that, he has found special organs for the fixation of 

 nitrogen in the common maple, linden, &c. 



" Following Jamieson's researches we have endeavoured 

 to find these organs for assimilating nitrogen in our own 

 indigenous trees as well as in a few exotic species. Our 

 researches confirm the views of the Scotch scientist and at 

 the same time extend the evidence for them, as we have 

 found these structures in a number of genera which he had 

 not examined. 



" Our researches prove that our forest trees, when at the 

 height of their activity, possess organs analogous to those 

 found by Jamieson, serving, perhaps, divers purposes, but 

 having their real, primary object in the direct absorption 

 of atmospheric nitrogen." 



There will be no need to dwell any further on the paper 

 published by the Directors of the stations at Selmec Banya, 

 as the passages quoted are sufificient to show that these 

 gentlemen are in complete agreement with Jamieson. Fur- 

 ther, accurate notes made by the two scientists on various 

 plants prove the occurrence of an increase in nitrogen which 

 can only have come from the air. 



