12 



BRITISH CHAROPHYTA. 



Professor Prosper, in 'Las Carofitas de Espana,' 



devotes an interesting chapter (pp. 197-202) to the 



present and potential uses of Charophyte vegetation. 



He begins by referring to certain parts of Switzerland, 



vrhere the Charophytic deposits are collected from 



pools and lakes, left to dry in heaps, and then spread 



upon the land as manure,- and he advances the opinion 



that the offensive odour emitted by these plants serves 



to some extent to free the soil from insects and 



rodents. He tells us that in order to study for himself 



the importance of the Charophytes . as manure, he 



requested Professor Don Ramiro Suarez to make a 



chemical analysis of samples of Ghara hispida from 



the Lake of the Isles (Daimiel) with the following 



results : — 



Centesimal composition of the plant dried in " air." 



Water 5-25 



Pure ashes and silica . . . 47*00 



Crude fat 1'80 



Crude protein ..... 4"37 

 Crude cellulose .... 7'64 



Other carbonic hydrates . . . 33"94 

 In the ashes for every 1,000 parts 161 are lime and 

 1-67 phosphoric anhydride. He adds : " This analysis 

 will suffice to demonstrate the importance of the Charo- 

 phytes for manure and -their potent calcareous incrus- 

 tation, but, in order further to convince myself, I have 

 compared the cultures of various grasses and papilio- 

 naceous plants manured with the said dried Charas, 

 and others grown without any such manure, and have 

 convinced myself of the enormous efficacy of the 

 Charophytes." Dr. Prosper gives photographic illus- 

 trations of the growth of two pots of barley, the one 

 manured with Chara-ddbris showing a higher and 

 stouter growth than the other not so manured. He 



