BOTANY: A. R. HAAS 
565 
After the experiment was ended, it was found that the mass of roots 
was so soft as to be easily compressible by the fingers into a small ball. 
The solutions were tested with litmus paper prior to taking out the 
roots from the dishes. Experience with litmus paper has brough out 
the fact that it may require some time before the paper indicates the 
reaction of a solution which is close to the neutral point. The water, 
that contained the decaying roots, gave no evidence of being acid to 
blue litmus paper even when the water contained CO2. 
The corn seedlings had been used because of the convenience in mak- 
ing cultures, and because of the opportunity to choose only healthy 
seedlings having no brown spots on the roots. Whenever any brown 
spots appeared on the roots before the time for the first analysis the 
culture was discarded. 
Having found that no acid, other than CO2 was excreted from the 
roots of corn, experiments were made upon wheat seedlings. Porce- 
lain pans (with no spots on the inside of the pan) were used. The 
pans were about twelve inches in diameter at the top and were quite 
shallow. The same volume of water was run into each pan. Bronze 
screening was dipped a few moments into nitric acid and then washed 
a long time in running water. If any acid had remained adhering to 
the wire, we should expect to find acid in certain of the pans at the end 
of the experiment. The screening was dried and then dipped into hot 
high grade paraffine until the screening was coated. The paraffined 
screens were placed as covers upon the pans of water but were not 
allowed to come in contact with the water. 
Wheat seeds were soaked over a half day in water and were sown in 
a uniform layer over four of the screens, the other two screened pans of 
water being used as controls. In two of the four seeded screens, the 
screens were purposely pushed down until they touched the water and 
in these two pans the seeds also were partially in contact with the 
water. Pans were inverted over the seed until they had germinated 
and their roots had entered the distilled water. The seedlings were 
then exposed to the light and the control pans were always treated in 
the same manner. 
The cultures were allowed to grow for four weeks without attention 
of any kind. The plants had grown about 6-8 inches in height in 
about a week after germination and then ceased to grow. At the end 
of the experiment the roots in no case were coiled up but grew straight 
downward. The roots of the seedlings had softened and were well de- 
cayed after four weeks. Analysis of the water was made as in the other 
experiments. 
