37 



oaly), 'IikI slight decrease in N (Plats III and IV only) in the dry 

 substance. 



Rice. Large increase in CaO, smaller increase in MgO, and 

 decrease in FcoOj m the ash. Decrease in total ash. Large increase 

 in CaO, large decrease in FejOj and SiOj in the dry substance. 



Pixieapples.' Marked increase in CaO and marked decrease in 

 MgO and Fe^Oj ill the ash. Large increase in total ash and large 

 increase in CaO in the dry substance. 



Li general the carbonate of lime afl'ccted the ash composition of 

 the plants m varying the quantities of lime, magnesia, and iron. 

 All the plants, however, did not show variations in all three of these 

 elements. In regard to the variations in the percentages of these 

 constituents in the ash, the different jdants behaved as follows: 

 Bush beans, iron alone decreased; soy beans and radishes, lime 

 increased, magnesia and iron decreased; sunflowers, magnesia 

 decreased; sweet cassava, lime increased: rice, lime and magnesia 

 increased, iron decreased; ]nneapples, lime inci'eased, magnesia and 

 iron decreased. In regard to the variations in the c[uantities of 

 these elements in the dry substance of the plant, the results were as 

 follows: Bush beans, decrease in iron; soy beans and radishes, increase 

 in lime, decrease in magnesia aiid iron; sunflowers, decrease in 

 magnesia; sweet cassava, increase in lime and magnesia, decrease 

 in iron (in Piat IV only); rice, increase in lime, decrease in iron; 

 pineapples, increase in lime. Thus the ])lants varied cpialitatively 

 in regard to which mineral constituents were affected and quanti- 

 tatively with respect to the degree that they were affected. 



THE EFFECT ON GROWTH COMPARED WITH THE EFFECT ON ASH 

 COMPOSITION. 



In comparing the effect of the carbonate of lime on the growth 

 of the plant with the effect on the ash composition of the plant, it can 

 be seen that there was not always a parallelism between the two 

 effects. For instance, the decrease in the iron content of bush beans 

 on the calcareous soils was not accompanied by a. depression in 

 growth; the slight increase in lime, the slight decrease in magnesia, 

 and the marked decrease in iron in soy beans on the calcareous 

 soils were accompanied by a slight depression in growth, although 

 on Plat III where the growth was iiKjst de])ressed the changes in 

 ash composition of the plant were less marked than on Plat IV where 

 the growth was very slightly if at all depressed. The slight increase 

 in lime, the decrease in magnesia, and the marked decrease in iron 

 in radishes on the calcareous soils were not accompanied by any 

 changes in the growth of the plant. The rather marked depression 



