36 PLANT LIFE ON THE FAKM. 



water given off from small flower pots containing plants, 

 grown without manure, was as follows : 



Grains. 



Wheat 112,527 



Barley 120,025 



Beans , . 112,231 



Peas 109,082 



or, say, an average loss for each pot for the whole period 

 of over one hundred thousand grains. To show the effect 

 of the season, it may be said that the average daily loss in 

 grains in the case of flower pots containing plants of 

 wheat grown in unmanured soil, was : 



Grains. 



March 19 to 28 . . : 14.3 



March 28 to April 28 40.9 



April 28 to May 25 162.4 



May 25 to June 28 1177.4 



June 28 to July 28 1535.3 



July 28 to August 11 1101.4 



August 11 to September 7 230.9 



Barley lost more in April and May than the wheat, 

 and more also in July and August. Beans lost much 

 less than either of the cereals, the amount increasing 

 regularly to June to July, and diminishing in August. 

 Peas evaporated less than beans, especially in June. The 

 results obtained from the plants grown with various ma- 

 nures were less uniform, and need not here be cited, the 

 object being merely to illustrate the large quantity of 

 water evaporated and its gradual increase with the de- 

 velopment and growth of the plant and the advance of 

 the season. While the precise effect of any particular 

 manure in promoting either absorption or transpiration 

 is not fully known, it has been shown that the alternate 

 use of pure water and of manure water has resulted in a 

 large proportionate amount of water being absorbed and 

 transpired by the plant, and a greater development of 

 the plant than is the case where either fluid is applied 

 alone (Vesque). 



