NEvV ENGLAND FARMER 



APRII. 10, IS 



SAUSSURE'S EXPERIMENTS. j 



^ihe Etlifior of the N. E. Farmer : 

 Lt.Dear ar.R~I sf'iid yon tlic followinp in answer 

 tto the iiii|uiry of " A Conslaiit Reader," in your 

 last. The e.xpeiimenl.5 of S.ius.-ure u> which he 

 refBrs, arc those, I suppose, peifonned to sulve the 

 followint: q\)estiot), prnpnseil by •' Le Cunpi-es Scp- 

 entificiiio (le France" ; — "Is it possible that sub- 

 jSlanccs of ternary and quaternary composition, can 

 be assimilated, after having been absorbed by the 

 joots of plants ?" Ainon;; such substances, humus, 

 .and other organic matters of fertile soils — that is, 

 Boluble geine, and ijeates — Sanssnre considers the 

 ■piost important, and it is to these that his (jbserva- 

 (tions refer His remarks, &c. were originally pub- 

 Tished in the " Bibllotheque Universellede Geneve," 

 -from which tHty were e.xtracled by Liebij, who, 

 .appendincr certain strictures of his own, inserted 

 -the whole in his " Anncikn" from which they have 

 .teen copied into the London '' Annals of Chymis- 

 .|try," the source to which I am indebted for them. 

 ,. With reward, your friend and ser'vt, 



-' Lowell, Mirch:iO/U. SAM'L L. DANA. 



,.1. " Msorplion of Humala of Polassa hj Benvs.* 



,, " Ttie root of the plant was placed iii a test 



Ttube of 2"2 millimetres (nearly nine-tenths of an 



jjinch) interior diameter, and 1.50 in heioht, (6 in- 



Tches,) uhich contained a dark brown solution of 



r|CarboirjtHd luimate of potassa, or 7 centigrammes 



I (1 grain) of dry humic salt, containing according to 



analysis, 18 milligrammes (nearly 3-10 of a grain) 



of humus. Besides the before mentioned plant, a 



similar vessel, tilled with a solution of the humic 



salt, was placed, with a view to ascertain what 



change would be effected in it by evaporation and 



the influence of the atmosphere. 



" After a fortnight, the original weiglit of the 

 plants, 11 grammes, (170 grains,) had increased ti 

 grammes (93 grains.) It had absorbed 135 gram- 

 mes (about 4 1-2 oz ) of the liquid. The absorbed 

 liquid was replaced every day by distilled water. 

 The while roots of the plant had obtained their 

 full length. No sediment had been deposited 

 either on the plant or from the liquid. The latter 

 had evidently lost in color nearly in the same pro- 

 portion as if it had been diluted with twice its vol- 

 "'tttne of water. These results are so striking and 

 "'yd Hksily obtained, that no doubt can exist in the 

 "^iftfnd oftiny one who will be at the pains to repeat 

 the experiment. 



" Tlie liqyid rem.'vini^ be''''"'i sfier the growth 



of the plant^i yielded, on eyapora,tion in a water- 



|,;J)ath, 2 cenligrainmes (3-l() of a grain) of herniate 



!_. of potassa, containing 9 milligrammes (nearly 1-10 



of a graifi),!?^,. humus — ,a quantity wl|icl) inay be. 



.about equivalent, to that absorbed by the plant. 



C 2. ^' Msnrption rf the Humnts of Potnam lij the 

 luutbmmon Knot-'grasg, (Polygaitumpersmaii/t.) j 

 C "I plunged the roots of a Polyfranuin persicaria, 

 [ weighing 20 gianinies, (nearly 310 graitiSi) into a 



sdlntioii of 430 ciibre-b'eiitiineties ((»tJ22 gpariSs : a 

 1' pint imper»»i of distMleil water is b780 grains :) ot 



hinnuo nf polisso. This plant, on account pf its 

 - absorbent pr.opertu>« as a mafsli plant, .is much 

 ,,jjriorB 8iiite4 3i"p>;,,c)«R?iW^B^r,«fi.thi^ k\t\i, l^an an 

 oa hea;i plant.;,, j,,;,,,^-,, .,,, ;,,..:,„ ,,„; ,.,,, ,, , ,. J 



.b'jtitH.flljeibuMic «alt wag plepaIel^l»y boriing,ifur seve- 

 ral minuics, siftad inould, frOmi if^liSn'h'n, uilh half iI8 

 weight *►(■ ijicarhonale of^iQlasfia, uaii'S ^^ times iia 



a qiiaiititv or waier euRicient 16 uialntam tnd perfect 



"These 430 cubic centimetres of solution con. 

 laincd 0.73 grammes (a gramme is 15 4 troy grains) 

 of dry hiimate of potassn : the absorbed liquid was 

 not replaced. In the course of ten days, the liquid 

 had diminished to 65 cubic centimetres, {1003 

 grains.) Its color was darker tlian that of the 

 original solution, in consequence of the healthy 

 plants alisorbing the water in greater proportion 

 than the substances held dissolved in it. 



"The plant had increased in weight 3 1-2 

 grainuies, (nearly 54 grain.s.) The dry saline hu- 

 inale which had been absorbed, must, according to 

 the weight of the residue, have been 0.352 gram- 

 mes, containing, according to analysis of the humic 

 acid salt before and after absorption, as the coinpo. 

 sition is not invariable, 43 milligrammes (.GG2 grs.) 

 of humus. 



3. "Absorption of Extract of Mould hy Polygamtm 

 persicaria. 



" I macerated for two days a certain quantity of 

 heath mould from Mendon,* in half its weight of 

 rain water. 100 grammes (1543 grains) of the fil- 

 tered liquid yielded on evaporation in a water-bath, 

 a dark brown neutral extract, which weighed, 

 whilst warm, 0.338 of a gramme — not an invaria- 

 ble result, I would observe. This substance, as is 

 also the case with the greater part of the extrac- 

 tive of mould, did not contain any perfect humus. 

 The aqueous solution deposits, however, on evapo- 

 ration, a precipitate which is a modification of hu- 

 mus. These extractive matters are, therefore, not 

 to be considered as solutions of humus, but rather 

 as substances capable of producing humus. These 

 e.xtracts, especially the latter, are plentifully im- 

 bued with azote. 



"Tivelve centigrammes (nearly 2 grains) of this 

 extract, were then mixed with 100 grammes of wa- 

 ter, (1543 grs.) : one-half of the filtered solution 

 was taken for the nutriment of two plants, (Polyga- 

 num persicaria) — the other was retained in a simi- 

 lar vessel, which did not, however, contain any 

 plant. After the lapse of nine days, (during which 

 time the absorbed fluid was replaced by water,) 

 the plants, which seemed in a very healthy state, 

 having grown 7 centimetres (nearly 3 inches) and 

 sent forth long white roots, were taken out. The 

 CO nparing fluid evaporated yielded a dry extract 

 weighing 39 milligrammes, (.0006 grs.) whilst that 

 of the liquid left by the plants, weighed only 33 

 milligrammes, (.5082 grs.) 



" T,his experiment was remarkable, first, from 

 tbe-circumstaHce that,, the liquid containing the 

 plants partially lost its color: secondly, from the 

 perfect transparency of this solution compared with 

 the change which the comparing liquid had sus- 

 t^jined, this latter being altogether turbid: thirdly. 



•"The fertile mould of which we speak, does not 

 efffervcsre with acids. Burnt, ll leaves behind 22 of 

 earthy mailer and metallic oxides, combined with seve- 

 raUalta. iMoistened with a little water, in consequence 

 olUhe partial solubility of organic matter, it enters into 

 fernienlation, ifthe air be eicluded by ajar over a mer- 

 curial bath, and disengages carbonic and acetic acids, 

 wfiirli, previous to 1erm«fitation, were not coniaii:ed 

 therein. The first infusion o(" this extract, contained 

 (like most moulds) about one-fourth of deeply colored 

 grape 90gaij,beaido6 much destrin, a substance eiuuain- 

 i/ij; azote, willi a deposit of extractive, sonie traces of 

 ni(rate potash, riiirate animoni.i, nidriate lithe and mOri- 

 aie potash. It left 14 1 -2 per cent, of asiies, containing 

 3 pet «enl. < J salts soluble in wiit?r,<>f whi<.h 1-10 was 

 cotbotiate oj; potassa. U conlaii)s4 pbo^phaio oi' lime- 

 and poiass, and other alkaline salts. 'Tnat pV>rtion of 

 the ashes '^wTiich was ■inkt)l\ible' in Water, contained 

 chiefly phosphite of lime, metallic oxide", and sdica." 



for the quantity of water evaporated from 

 plants. This amounted, at a temperature of i 

 ly 22° Centigrade, (= 68° Fahrenheit,) some) 

 to 3 1 2 times the weight of the plant, in thes 

 of 24 hours. 



" In some of my experiments on the absoq 

 of organic extract^, the roots suffered, bee 

 black, especially at their evtremities. By re] 

 iiig 'he absorbed liquid with water, the solu 

 did not lose their color, and the weight of thi 

 tractive dry residue was sometimes greater 

 that of the extract previous to absorption. 



" It appears that these operations are exposi 

 two different influences ; first, the absorptio 

 the nourishing substance ; and secondly, to th 

 placement of humus by organic matter vielde 

 the decomposition of the plants. In case the 

 ter influence prevails, or even when both iiifl 

 I COS are equal, the quantity of substances const 

 in the nutrition of the plants, could net be def 

 This, I conceive, explains the discrepancy of 

 results obtained by M. Harteg. 



" Having thus proved the absorption of hi 

 by the roots, it remains for me to refer to ihi 

 similation of the said humus after bavin"' ent 

 the plants. One of the proofs of this assimih 

 is derived from the absence of that peculiar c 

 ing matter of the hiimua in the interior of t 

 plants which have absorbed a strongly colored 

 lution of humate of potassa, as compared wit! 

 different effects of coloring matters, (such as 

 &c.,) which are not fitted for the nutritioi 

 plants. The latter leave behind them trac 

 their passage, while the former are changed 

 partly assimilated by plants. A bean plant o 

 teen inches high, whose roots were plunged 

 filtered decoction of Brazil-wood acidulated wi 

 a little alum, was not able to absorb one- 

 of its weight of this solution which dyed of a 

 color four-fifths of its stalk before it withe 

 whilst Knot-grass, (Polyganum persicaria,) g 

 very well in the same liquid, absorbed its colo 

 components, and showed no trace thereof in 

 stalk ; but when, on the other hand, a similar f 

 was absorbed in dilute ink, it received a blu 

 color from absorption, which at the same i 

 caused it to wither. The coloring matter of 

 zil-wood underwent a change during its partial 

 similatiou by the knot-grass ; whilst in the b 

 plant, for winch it was unfit nutriment, no dec 

 position ensued." 



[Here end Saussure's experiments. If you v 

 for Liebig's remarks on them, 1 will send tliem 

 your paper, next following the publication of 

 above.— S. L. D.] 



ICj^'Dr. Dana would add to the obligations 

 are already under to him, by furnishing as the 

 marks of Liebig which he mentions. — Ed. 



Corn and Crows. — As the season for corn-pli 

 ing is approaching, it may be of service to ki 

 how to prevent the depredations of crows. 



"Take after the rale of one pound of coppt 

 tx) Q bushel of seed corn: dissolve in water, i 

 sprinkJe the corn with it; the corn may at 

 same time be rolled in plaster." 



This experiirent has been tried now for th 

 years, with great success, by a veteran farn 

 and be permits me to hand it to you for publi 

 tion. — Springfield nap. 



