3 68 



K. ASO. 



The accompanying illustration (Plate XLV.) is from a 

 photograph taken on May 15th. At that time, in a and b, one 

 branch had completely withered. 



On May 28th, the plants were weighed in the fresh state, 

 and the branches measured : 





CaO : MgO 



Number of 

 branches. 



Total length of all 

 branches combined. 



Weight of 

 each plant. 







March 29. 



May 28. 



March 29. 



May 28. 



May 28. 



a 



0.3 : 1 





3 



33.7 cm. 



88.2 cm. 



3-3 E 1 "" 1 - 



b 



0.6 : 1 





5 



33- 2 » 



139-7 ,. 



5-0 ,. 



c 



I : I 



2 



6 



26.3 „ 



15c- 2 „ 



6.5 



d 



2 : I 



2 



6 



27-3 » 



150-1 „ 



6.6 „ 



e 



3 : 1 





4 



27-7 .. 



140.5 » 



5-3 » 



It will be observed, that the proportions between lime and 

 magnesia, as 2 : I and 1 : 1 were much more favorable to the 

 onion plant than the other ratios applied, which is in accord 

 with the above mentioned results obtained with wheat and barley. 

 An excess of magnesia depresses the yield more than an ex- 

 cess of lime, as a comparison of (c) with (a) and (e) plainly 

 shows. 



I also intend to make further studies of this kind with rice. 

 It is an opinion widely held in Japan that the liming of paddy- 

 fields is very injurious to the rice crop, and experiments by 

 Kellner with slacked lime gave a decrease of protein in the 

 grains. But we must here take into consideration that the 

 slacked lime in such a soil rich in water remained long in the 

 caustic condition and liberated ammonia from the salts which 

 in a certain concentration is very injurious to the roots. Experi- 

 ments with finely divided calcium carbonate might yield a 

 different result when applied in very moderate quantities. 



Gypsum might yield in such cases an increase of harvest 

 only where there exists an excess of magnesia in the soil and 

 a want of sulphates. As a general rule, however, paddy-fields 

 which have been for hundreds of years under cultivation and 

 have annually received manure in the form of excrements may 



