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Sir J. B. Lawes and Prof. J. H. Gilbert. [Jan. 9, 



four pots ; but in each of the four pots of blue lupins, and in 

 each of the four of yellow lupins, one or more seeds failed, 

 and had to be replaced; and in some cases these also failed. 

 There was in fact failure, not only in the poor Flitwick sand, 

 but in the less poor lupin sand, and also in the rich garden soil. It 

 is admittedly very difficult to secure healthy growth with lupins in 

 pots. On discussing the matter with Hellriegel, at the meeting of 

 the Naturforscher Versammlung, at Cologne, in September, 1888, he 

 stated that it had required the experience of several years to insure 

 favourable growth of lupins under such circumstances ; and that one 

 essential condition seemed to be that the soil must be kept open and 

 porous; a result which, even with saud, was seldom attained if tbe 

 dry materials were put into the pot, and then water poured on ; the 

 better plan being to bring the sand to a proper condition of moisture 

 by well mixing water with it by degrees out of the pot, and then 

 putting it lightly into the pot. It is also important that the mineral 

 matter added to the soil should be quite neutral. 



The failures are well illustrated by the photographs exhibited. 

 Thus, in spite of the re-sowings, there were, on November 3, that is 

 after three months since the first sowing of blue lupins, three plants 

 in pot 1, with the yellow Flitwick sand without soil-extract ; only two 

 in pot 2, with the same sand and soil-extract seeding ; none in pot 3 

 with the lupin sand itself, from which the soil-extract was prepared ; 

 and three, but of very varying size, in pot 4, with garden soil. 



Then the photographs of the yellow lupins show that, in pot 1, with 

 the yellow Flitwick sand, there remained only two plants; in pot 2, 

 with the same sand and lupin soil-extract seeding, only two; in 

 pot 3, with the lupin sand itself only two ; and in pot 4, with the 

 garden soil, only two plants. 



We shall call attention to the development of the roots, and of 

 nodules on them, in the case of the blue and yellow lupins, further on. 

 Nitrogen determinations have also been made in most of the products ; 

 but, as with both blue and yellow lupins, there was actually less 

 growth with than without the lupin sand extract, assumed to supply 

 the organisms, we do not propose to discuss the analytical results on 

 the present occasion ; but, so far as that part of the subject is con- 

 cerned, we shall confine attention to results relating to the peas, of 

 which the growth was much more satisfactory, and the analytical 

 results afford very important indications. 



As already said, the peas in each of the four pots germinated and 

 grew well. Throughout, those in the garden soil were more luxuriant 

 than those in either of the other pots. Pots 2 and 3 were each seeded 

 with 25 c.c. of the garden-soil-extract on August 13, that is just a 

 week after the sowing of the seed. For some time, however, the 

 plants in pot 1, with the sand without soil-extract, showed more 



