30 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
in the course of the experiment, the tendency in all cases seeming 
to be for the plant to remove from any and all of these solutions the 
material in the ratio which normally existed where greatest growth 
occurred. This did not actually occur in all cases, owing to the 
unbalanced condition of some of the solutions. 
The results show that the higher the amount of any one constituent 
present in the solution, the more does the culture growing in that 
solution take up of this constituent, although it does not seem able 
to use this additional amount economically. 
In the very early periods the ratio of phosphate absorption is low — 
and the potash absorption high, although in final growth the greater 
response is obtained with nitrate, indicating relatively low phosphate 
requirement and high potash requirement of the seedling plant. 
BUREAU OF SOILS 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
WasHincTon, D.C. 
