INFLUENCE OF THE ALKALI SALTS UPON THE GROWTH OF RICE PLANTS. 249 
fluence on the germination and the early development of many cultivated 
plants. According to Yoshii 15 , sodium chloride, calcium chloride and 
magnesium chloride were toxic on the germination of rice seeds in con- 
centration of 0.2 %, o. i % and 0.5 % respectively. Recentry, Coupin 15 
proved, that carbonate, phosphate, sulphate, chloride and nitrate of potas- 
sium acted as stimulant on the germination of wheat, in very dilute 
solution. Kato S) also studied the influence of sodium chloride upon the 
germination of rice and found that, in concentration of 1.2 %, the ger- 
mination period was greatly delayed while, in 2.8 % concentration, ger- 
mination was completely checked. 
All of these results point to show that the salts, in large amounts, 
are highly injurious to the germination of seeds, but, in a slight concen- 
tration, act as stimulating agents. This is confirmed by the results of our 
own experiments. 
B. Experiments with Salts in pure Solutions as regards 
their Influence upon the Growth of Rice Seedlings. 
In the first experiment we began with the young rice seedlings, 15- 
16 mm. high, which were grown in distilled water from seeds of almost 
uniform size and specific gravity (1. 2—1. 25). Fifty six beakers of about 
5.5 cm. diameter and 7 cm. deep, each containing 50 cc. of 1/2, 1/10, 1/20, 
1 / 1 00, 1/200, 1/1000, 1/2000 and i/iodoo molecular solution of each salt 
already mentioned, were used for the experiment, the seedlings being 
placed in the solution on Aug. 3rd (191 r), while one beaker with distilled 
water served as control. Twenty five seedlings were grown in each culture 
at ordinary temperature and the evaporated water was supplemented with 
distilled water from time^to time to keep the* solutions always in their 
initial dilutions. After ten days, the difference in development was very 
striking, when the following determination was made. 
1) . Yoshii, — Jour. Scie. Agric. Soc., Tokyo, 2, p. 17 (1889) (in Japanese). 
2) . Coupin, — Compt, rend., 132 . p. 1582 (1901). 
3) . Kato, — Jour. Scie. Agric, Soc,, Tokyo, 105, pp. 1-13 (1911) (in Japanese). 
