The Growth of Seedlings in Wind. 



29 



Experiment II was arranged, therefore, as shown in Plate 2. By means of 

 a pail of water, and a syphon tube ending in a glass capillary tube, a gentle 

 trickle of water at room temperature was kept flowing along the wick. 

 Fig. 2 shows that the growth of the seeds exposed to wind was vastly less 

 than the control. The seeds sprouting in the wind were bent close to the 

 wick, and none of them showed root-hairs, which were abundant on the 

 control seedlings. 



Experiment III. — Part of the lamp-wick, with some of the control seedlings 

 on it, was transferred to the wind jar for a few days. The seedlings main- 

 tained their upright position, did not dry up and wither, but grew very 

 slowly if at all. 



Experiments IV, V, and VI. — Experiment II was repeated in warmer 

 surroundings, and the wind which was made to blow through the jar 

 scattered an abundant supply of water spray over the seeds. The results 

 were of the same order, but the growth a little greater. The following deter- 

 minations were made for me by Mr. A. Webster from random samplings : — 



Still-air seedlings. 



Wind-exposed seedlings. 



Average length of plant 



Total solids 



Water 



Protein 



Ash 



Wet weight of 40 plants 



Total solids 



Water 



Protein 



Ash 



Mustard. 



55 mm. 

 8 "3 per cent. 

 91 -7 



30 '0 1 per cent, of total 

 7 -8 J solids 



Cress. 



-7616 grm. 

 8 '4 per cent. 

 91 -6 



31 "2 "I per cent, of total 

 14 -8 J solids 



22 mm. 

 21 per cent. 

 78 -7 



26 '8 1 per cent, of total 

 8 '4 J solids. 



-5139 grm. 

 13 '3 per cent. 

 86 -7 



27 '3 1 per cent, of total 

 19 -7 J solids. 



The bent, contorted, wind-exposed seedlings have, when straightened out, 

 one-half to one-third the length, and contain more solids, less water, more 

 ash, less protein, and, presumably, more cellulose. 



Experiment VII. — -A piece of cotton net (ladies' veiling) was placed over 

 the seeds so as to anchor them and prevent the wind and water moving 

 them. The conditions were otherwise the same as in Experiment II. A 

 water film formed over the meshes of the net, and the seeds grew under the 

 shelter of this, raising the whole net as they grew. The growth of the control 

 and the wind exposed under these conditions were much more nearly equal. 



Experiment VIII. — The pail of water shown in fig. 1 was heated by a gas- 

 ring placed under it and fed by a tap, so that an outflow of warm water over 



