AND ITS RELATION TO ANIMAL LIFE 123 



good loam is usually well fitted for supplying 

 silica to plants, the inference being that the 

 humic acids of the organic matter act upon the 

 silicates in the soil slowly to decompose them, 

 and supply the plant roots with some form 

 of soluble silica. Vogel also claims that the 

 presence of much silica in sedges and other 

 inferior herbage of swamps depends upon the 

 abundance of humus in such situations." 



No doubt this agrees with Bloxam's state- 

 ment with regard to the large quantity of 

 silica in the Dutch rush. 



Professor Storer, Professor of Agricultural 

 Chemistry, Harvard University, says 



" there is no doubt that the better kinds of 

 humus have considerable influence in directly 

 promoting the solution of plant food." 



Professor Grandean is very emphatic as to 

 the action of humus on silica. 

 To condense the whole thing 



1. At the Rust Conference of 1892 it was 

 agreed that the stiff strawed wheats were the 

 best able to resist rust fungus. 



2. The Dutch rust is hard, through the 



