S. W. Johnson on some points of Agricultural Science. 81 
grew luxuriantly, putting forth new roots, leaves and blossoms in 
profusion, when transferred from the soil to pure water su 
, with carbonic acid, to which was added 335th of clover ashes 
, that had been neutralized with nitric aci 
It is true that most river and spring waters yield by analysis 
but the minutest traces of potash, ammonia and phosphoric acid, 
but we cannot perhaps infer with safety that they are actually so 
deficient in these ingredients, for it may easily happen, as all 
chemists know, that in the evaporation of a large mass of water 
, traces of salts are likewise carried off,* and in the oe of 
) saline residues, as is customary in the poallyeie of a water, uch 
_ more loss of potas ash may oceur from the ready volatility of chlo: 
_ rid of potassiu 
 - But nalinitiinas that our Cal pats are sufficiently accurate to 
_ base calculations upon, and that the soil-water never contains 
_ more potash for example than river and well waters; viz., fret 
2 to 10 parts in 1,000,000,+ it must be r emembered that the 
_ mineral matter to that portion of water which it transpires, 
The rokdeiia of a plant placed in a saline solution at once 
establish osmotic currents, in virtue of the mutual but unbal- 
anced attractions that exist between the iit the liquid of 
# the cell, the surrounding liquid and the saline and o organic 
_ tatters in solution in these liquids, e sesiinaheny 
ree So rhino ret apple to anes oh and Physiology (5th German ed, 
seq.,) ma! account of some of the more striking instances of 
is velatiléantieas Se aa yo Robert A. ose permits me to mention the re- 
t of some of his gn er ey para He found in “st ct that a 
"quantity (very small indeed | but still sufficient to be estimated by volumetry) of 
_ eaustic potash is oe in the vapor when oe aqueous solution is distilled. 
+ Eichhorn found in rts of distilled water that had been in contact 
with a soil for ten a, tr sans ea 
SECOND SERIES, Vou. XXVIII, No. $2,—JULY, 1859, 
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