396 MR. R. RIGG'S EXPERIMENTS ON NITROGEN IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTS. 



Thus, for instance, it appears from the table of analysis, that the germ of beans and 

 peas contain by weight about 200 parts of nitrogen for 1000 parts of carbon, while 

 the cotyledons contain only from about 100 to 140 parts. 



A second series of experiments disposes me to think, that those seeds of the same 

 hind which contain the largest quantity of nitrogen germinate the earliest. Barley 

 of the growth of 1835, containing 46 parts of nitrogen for 1000 of carbon, germi- 

 nated in thirty-six hours after being taken out of the water in which it had been 

 steeped; whereas barley of 1837, and containing only 35 parts of nitrogen, steeped 

 in water at the same time, and kept under the same circumstances as the former, 

 germinated in forty-eight hours. Similarly, I find that of the seeds, mustard, cress, 

 rape, turnip, radish, and celery, those which contain the largest quantity of ni- 

 trogen and residual, germinate the earliest when kept under equal circumstances. 

 It is necessary to state, that in these analyses the seeds were examined in the mass. 



Table II. 



Carb. 



Hydr. 



Oxygen. 



Nitr. 



Resid. 



Water. Total. 



Nitr. for 

 1000 Garb. 



Barley of 1835 

 Barley of 1837 

 Mustard seed . . 

 Cress seed . . . . 

 Rape seed . . . . 

 Turnip seed . . 



Radish 



Celery. 



43-93 



39*57 



60-74 



46-8 



55-3 



55-4 



55-34 



50-39 



0-71 



2-36 



1-5 



3-4 



3-5 



3-48 



2-35 



3-45 



2-02 

 1-38 

 3-55 

 3-3 



2-7 

 3-6 

 5-03 

 2-37 



1-30 



1-30 



3-90 



4-8 



3-1 



3-1 



3-4 



6-6 



52-04 = 100 

 54-30 = 100 

 39-45 = 100 

 43-6 = 100 

 35-5. = 100 

 34-4 = 100 

 32-75= 100 

 38-29 = 100 



46 

 35 

 70 

 71 

 50 

 65 

 90 

 47 



The chemical constitution of the rootlets of seeds before the plumula extends the 

 whole length of the seeds, as in the instance of malted barley, differs from that of the 

 malt, and also from the constitution of the barley in its original state. In these we 

 have the rootlets containing a large quantity of nitrogen at a period when they will 

 have to perform important offices in preparing the food for the young plant. That 

 there is a similar difference between the chemical constitution of the roots and trunks 

 of trees will abundantly appear from the annexed Table. And I may also add, that 

 my experiments dispose me to infer that the quantity of nitrogen is largest in the 

 spring, and diminishes with the season. 



Table III. 



jsfote. — The apple, plum, and cherry-trees were all of them very small ; they had been in the ground several 

 years, and had been rooted up because of their general unheal thiness. In a healthy state of the trees the 

 nitrogen of the root is in a larger proportion. 



