104 



THE SPIRIT OF THE SOIL 



peat should be contained in a litre of water. In 

 other words, the proportion of the dry Phospho- 

 tungstic acid fraction in the final solution employed 

 consisted of 17 parts per 1,000,000. 



Wheat seedlings were the first plants selected for 

 trial. Nine pots were taken, filled with sand, and 

 divided into groups of three. Ten wheat seeds were 

 planted in each pot. Three separate solutions were 

 made up. Each of these contained Nitrogen, Phos- 

 phate, and Potash in the ratio of 400, 200, and 

 1,200 parts per 1,000,000 respectively. The first 

 solution was then left as such ; to the second was 

 added the alcoholic extract from 10 grammes of peat 

 per litre of solution, while the third received instead 

 (in addition, of course, to the Ammonia, Phosphate, 

 and Potash) 17 parts per 1,000,000 of the dry sub- 

 stance obtained from the Phosphotungstic fraction. 

 Each week after sowing each pot received 100 c.c. 

 of solution. At the end of the period the plants 

 were uprooted, washed, dried, and weighed. The 

 results were as follow : 



This experiment indicated clearly that the sub- 

 stance in bacterized peat, which had proved its 





