THE SOIL. 



The figures showing the quantities of nitrogen, pot- 

 ash, and phosphoric acid, express the amount of nitro- 

 gen in the dry turf (in the first pot), and the amount of 

 potash and phosphoric acid in its ash. For the other 

 pots, the figures express the quantity of nutritive sub- 

 stances which had been added. 



In each of these pots, five dwarf-beans were planted, 

 the weight of which had been carefully determined, and 

 which had been allowed to germinate in pure water. 



The plants in the three manured pots grew very 

 evenly, and the luxuriance of their growth excited the 

 astonishment of all who saw them. 



During the first month, the plants in pots 2 and 3 

 (filled respectively with turf J and % saturated) pre- 

 sented a finer appearance than the others ; but those in 

 pot 4 (filled with saturated turf) soon overtook them ; 

 and the difference in the size of the leaves, in propor- 

 tion to the greater richness of the soil, was very 

 striking. 



Remarkable, too, was the influence of the soil upon 

 the term of the vegetating period. Each of the five 

 plants in the pure turf produced a small pod, and, to- 

 gether, the five pods contained 14 seeds. During the 

 ripening of the seeds, the leaves died from below up- 

 wards ; so that, before the pods had turned yellow, all 

 the leaves had fallen off. The plants in the saturated 

 turf remained green longer than any of the others, and 

 their seeds ripened latest. The last pod of these plants 

 was cropped on July 29, whilst the last pod of the 

 plants in the pure turf had already been cropped on 

 July 16. 



