28 HOW CROPS FEED. 
Table. The weights are expressed in the gram and its 
fractions. 
= 8 3, 
Bedee ale & tales ae 
Fe ration |e) we | ws sw: 
3] Kind of Plant. 38 Re | SS] 88 S33 any 
§ Experiment. $3 $2 gs Sa Iss S25 
= 7 i“ =“ i 5 & 
1} Dwarf bean. ........ 2months | 1] 0.780] 1.87 |0.0349'0.0340|—0. 
2] Oat... --.. 2 10 | 0.377] 0.54 {0:0078'0.0067|—-0.0011 
8 3 1 | 0.530 | 0.89 |0:0210'0.0189; 0.0021 
4 3 Ot 1 | 0.618 | 1.13 |0:0245'0.0226/—0.0019 
5 2% 4 | 0.139 | 0.44 {0.0031/0.0030|—0. 
6 1% 2 | 0.825 | 1.82 |0.0480'0.0483]-+0.0003 
7 2 -6 | 2.202 | 6.73 |0.1282/0.1246|—0. 
8 7 weeks 2 | 0.600) 1:95 |0.0349/0.0339|—0..0010 
9 1 | 0.343] 1 05 /0.0200/0.0204/-+0.0004 
10 6 2 | 0.686 | 1.53 |0:0399'0:0397/—0.0002 
1 2months | 1 | 0.792] 2.85 |0.0354'0.0360|-+0.0006 
12 2% 1 0.665 2:80 |0.0298\0.0277/—0.0021 
3y% a) y 
13) | as manure 19 | 0.035} 0.65 |0.0013/0.0018| 0.0000. 
5 months 2 ; er 
14 Soe arare:! a4 susie tbe 0.1927/0.1697 —0.0130 
Dal Obenicsechsnauin oe edad easnine 68 .... [11.920 | 30.11 |0.618510.5868|—0.0247 
While it must be admitted that the unavoidable errors of 
experiment are relatively large in working with such small 
quantities of material as Boussingault here employed, we 
cannot deny that the aggregate result of these trials is de- 
cisive against the assimilation of free nitrogen, since there 
was a loss of nitrogen in the 14 experiments, amounting 
to 4 per cent of the total contained in the seeds; while a 
gain was indicated in but 3 trials, and was but 0.13 per 
cent of the nitrogen concerned in them.—(Boussingault’s 
Agronomie, Chimie Agricole, et Physiologie, Tome I, 
pp. 1-64.) 
The Opposite Conclusions of Ville.—In the years 1849, 
60, °51, and °52, Georges Ville, at Grenelle, near Paris, 
experimented upon the question of the assimilability of free 
nitrogen. His method was similar to that first employed 
by Boussingault, The plants subjected to his trials were 
cress, lupins, colza, wheat, rye, maize, sun-flowers, and to- 
bacco. They were situated in a large octagonal cage 
made of iron sashes, set with glass-plates. The air was 
