350 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAY l,l'i44 



ANn HORTICULTURAL RKG13TER. 



Edited bjr JosepU Breok. 



UosToN, Wednesday, Mir 1, 1844. 



SAUSSURES PROOFS OF ASSIMILATION OF 

 ABSORBED HUMUS, ANU REMARKS ON 

 I.IEBIG S THEORY. 



San.'^sure adduces in proof of assimilation of tiumus, 

 tlie fact ihal the starch of wheat flows into the growing 

 plant to nourish it. The starch in the " endospermium" 

 may be detected by iodine, so long as it is unexhausted, 

 but when it has passed into the plant, iodine dt-tects no 

 starch in the sap. The young plant owes not its first 

 developement, in any considerable degree, to carbonic 

 acid and water, "for iis weight has not been increased 

 by them, even admitting inlo the calculation that carbon 

 which It hist during this process of gr.iwing." This 

 starch lias nul been absorbed by roots. Here is then a 

 distinction. On the other hand, tills starch is not essen- 

 tially requisite for the growth of wheat, for, " if the 

 greater pai I of the endospermium be removed from the 

 germinating wheat, and the roots of the germinaiing 

 need be put into mould, they will at the commencement 

 make slower progress than the perfect grain, but such 

 progress will afterwards be sufficiently visible to prove 

 a similar development, and that the extractive intro- 

 duced by the roots, has replaced the starchy fluid." 

 Saussnie fortifii^s this by the observation, that in fields 

 where the albumen of seed is destroyed, either by in 

 Beets oi by putrefaction, the young shouts absorb organ- 

 ic mailer from the soil. " Since, then, ihe assimilation 

 of the elements of the endospermium has been proved, 

 that of the extractive ot mould, which is introduced by 

 the routs into a plant, is equally proved." 



Saussure, in farther proof, addi, that the colorless 

 transpir.ition of his plants showed a slow deposition of 

 traces of organic multei, not amounting to a twentieth 

 part ol" that absorbed by the plant. Salts of ammonia 

 and lime were also found in the transpired fluid, in pro- 

 portion of .()4(i-3 grs. to 9-26.04 of fluid. The plants ab- 

 sorbed no azote from the air, and Saussure |ioints out 

 some s urces of error in Baussingiiull's experiments on 

 this subject. He then goes into an examination of Lie- 

 big's views, that carbonic acid, water, and salts are the 

 sources, the only sources of ihe nutrition of plants. 

 Sau»siire admits that plants can increase their organic 

 substance by water and air only, but adds, that such 

 plants are of no agricultural value. He objects to ex- 

 periments adduced in proof nf Liebig's view, because 

 they were made on ijoung plants. " By employing such 

 yoang plants, their nuirilion is for the mrst pari — inde- 

 pendent of the impurity of spring water— attributable to 

 the transference of the organic matters of these small 

 plants into nil those parts which are in course of devel- 

 opmenl. ' The results are different if the experiment is 

 made with seeds, nourished by distilled water and at- 

 mospheric air. Saussure thus found, in glass vessels 

 filled with pure sand, beans grew and increased their 

 dry vegetable matter in proportion of twice their weight, 

 while peas cultivated in thin manner, ga\e jilants whose 

 dry vegetiible matter w:is 3 1-4 tunes the weight of the 

 seed; while, in vegetable earth, the increase was in 

 proportion of from 1 to 00. Whether frurlifiealion has 

 taken place or not, the smullness of plants, obtained by 

 distilled waler and air, is a result which cannot be de- 

 nied. Liebig founds an objection to Saussure's view, 

 upon the insolnbi'ity of humus in waler. In answer- 

 ing this, Saussure also ojiposes Liebig's view of the 

 source ol azote. S. observes : " Mould nearly infertile, 



exhnusted by ihe filtration of rain-waler, cannot furnish 

 any considerable quantity nf exiractive matter. It al- 

 ways, however, contains a small quantity, which may 

 be discerned by its yellow color,|and laste, alter t|ie wa- 

 ler in which it lias been soaked is evaporated." This 

 matter contains azote, which it furnishes to plants. It 

 contains, also, phosphate of lime and other salt.i, and, 

 being soluble in water, "has a powerful action on ilie 

 nutrition ol plants." " This nourishing property must 

 not, however, be ascribed in preference to the soluble 

 extract which can be drawn immediately Irom a similar 

 eartk : _it contains a much larger quantily of organic 

 matter, whirh at first is insoluble in water, and which 

 is imperceptible to the eye, but which, however, by iis 

 solubility in carbonate of potash, or by combustion, can 

 be detected. When moistened, this substance is contin- 

 ually in a stale of slow fermentation — forming an ex- 

 tractive matter easily soluble in water, and furnishing 

 the plant with a continual source of nourishment." 

 Saussure continues, that if thi.s process takes place, 

 without free access of air, the quantity of soluble nutri- 

 ment thus prepared, is much more limited. " Another 

 disadvantage of imperfect contact is, that it prevents the 

 escape of acetic acid, which is prejudicial to the growth," 

 finding no base with which to combine. Saussure at- 

 tributes the efficiency of irrigation with "muck water" 

 to its properly of inducing that fermentation which pro- 

 duces from the insoluble, a soluble organic matter. He 

 finds this extractive soluble matter in charcoal, which 

 he found better than sand in forwarding plants, though 

 he allows that its power of condensing ammonia and 

 carbonic acid, here play the greatest part. Let us see 

 however, the use he assigns to ammonia " We do not 

 deny, in other respects, the beneficial influence of am- 

 monia as a component part of dung, marl, burnt clay, 

 &c. ; we have only to say, that il.s chief use is, not to be 

 totally absorbed, but as a means of dissolving humus 

 and those insoluble organic matters contained in the 

 soil and atinospi.ere" : " the bodies floating in the air 

 perform a part in the vegetable kingdom." This atmos- 

 pheric matter furnishes earths, sails, carbon, oxygen, 

 liydrogen, azote. 



"The azote of extractive matter, so necessary for the 

 growth of plants, escapes sometimes during their growth, 

 as gas, or by the rapid fermentation produced by porous 

 bodies in an atmosphere of carbonic acid and azote." 

 This loss is replaced in the succeeding vegetation, by 

 the condensation of atmospheric azote, either " I si, by 

 the porous Organic substance ; 2d, by o.-sides of iron and 

 manganese in vegetable earihs ; or, 3d, by the electrici- 

 ty of thunderstorms, which produces sulphuric acid and 

 ammonia" If these all co operate in vegetation, then, 

 since we hiive no proof, as yet, of the direct assimila- 

 tion of ammonia, nor of sulphuric acid, it must, says 

 Saussure, " be inferred that plants appropriate to them- 

 selves the dead mailer of plants in order to produce 

 combinations, which are very similar to those which 

 they receive for their nutrition from mould." Saussure 

 then adds, in conidusion to his observations— " 1st. That 

 fertile soil contains a mixture of soluble and insoluble 

 org.inie matter; and that the introduction of the former 

 by the roots into a plant, is a powerful aid to that nu'.ri- 

 tion which is afforded by the atmospheie and waler. 

 2d. That the insoluble organic matter of soil, always 

 being in greater quaniity than the soluble, undergoes by 

 means of water, slow lerment.ition, which then furnish- 

 es nourishing soluble mailer, which partially and gradu- 

 ally replaces the insoluble. 3d. 'I hat plants receive 

 Iheir azote almost entirely by absorption of soluble or- 

 ganic matter, direct experiments proving that they do 

 not assimilate it in form of gas, in any considerable 

 quantity, and that it is not contained as ammonia in the 



distilled water, which they arc allowed to dissolve, i 

 That there is a difference between those colored s 

 stances serviceable for the nourishment of plants, j 

 those which have not this property. The former 

 changed in color, mix with the plani ; the latter en 

 the plant, but undergo no decomposition. As it I 

 been proved, that those colored extractive matters, s 

 vicenble for the nutrition of phinis, are ab.sorbed 

 plants, and that neither in that which remains alien 

 sorption, nor in the traiispiralion Irom the plant, nor 

 the surrounding air, nor in the plant itself, are tli 

 found in their previous unchanged slate; so we m 

 presume that they hiive disappeared in consequence 

 tiie plant assiniihiiing part of iheir elements." 



1 have thu-^, Mr Editor, laid before you the expi 

 nients of Saussure, and Liebig's summary of his 

 marks, in their own language. I have condensed 

 their olhur remarks, and the whole is now before yi 

 reailers. Perhaps 1 ought not to have added, in y 

 last paper, any observations of my own, but the oc 

 sion seemed fit, and 1 shall defer any further rema 

 until a future day — merely adverting now to the coir 

 dence between the views of Saussure and those genei 

 ly prevalent in this counlry. S. L. D 



lMwM,.april 2.5, 1844. 



Erratum. — In the second paragraph of 1st column 

 page 339 of our last paper, "carbon or carbonic acii 

 should have read — carbon of carbonic acid. 



DANA'S ESSAY ON MANURES. 

 We conclude the publication of this valuable treat 

 in Ibis paper. Few who have read it, we think, c 

 have failed to derive instruction from it— and many, 

 trust, have been prof tally instructed by its teichin 

 II abounds with principles and suggestions of llie utm 

 practical importance to all who earn their bread by t 

 culture of the earth, and whose prosperity depends up 

 keejiing up its fertility. II the general .-iiid leadi 

 theory of the Essay, so clearly elucidated by the auth 

 shall be proved by trial to be correct, he will dossrve 

 be ranked with the most dislinf;uished benofaciors of t 

 farming interest. The great point of the Essay is 

 show the farmer the value of muck— or raiber the nioi 

 of muck — and how it may be made as valuable for n 

 nure as stable dung— and this matter is the subject 

 the concluding portion of the Essay, given on anotl 

 page. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FLOWERS. 



Saturday, J}pril 27, 1844, 

 Mr Wm Meller exhibited numerous varie.ies of si 

 perb Geraniums— among which were the followirs, vi 

 Oliver Twist, Life-guardsman. Decorium, Gaines' Kir 

 Erectuni, King John, and Jewess. Seedlings of J 

 Meller's, as follows : Henry Clay, Beauty of Iloxbui 

 Franklin, George Wnshiiiglon, Martha Washin^tn 

 Alicia, British Queen, Prince Albert, &c. Also, Thr 

 fine Bouquets, Violas, and other flowers. 



This IS the first display of the season, and we ve 

 much regret ibere were not other e.icliihitors and comp 

 titors for the best Geianiums. 



The committee award to Mr Meller the premium 

 $3, for the best 10 named varieties. 



For the Coinmitlee, J. BRECK, Chm'n. 



SCJ^NoTicE. — Growers of the Hyacinth are herd 

 noiified that the premiums for the best 12 named Hy 

 cinihs, and the r.i second best do., will be aw.irded i 

 Saturday, May 4lh. 



For the Coinmitlee, J. BRECK, Chm'n. 



[CrTlic communication of " Economy" is unavoid 

 bly deferred until our next. 



