Relation to Chalk a?id Mineral Salts. 67 
containing chalk, and tap water (at Bale, with 0-025 per cent, chalk), were 
also harmful. 
Weber (’00) asserts that he grew Sphagnum cymbifolium, S.fuscum , 
S. acutifolmm , S. recurvum , S. fimbriatum , -S. platyphyllum in water con¬ 
taining chalk with success; he even added powdered chalk to his cultures 
without harming them ; 5 . recurvum fruited ; only 5 . medium died with 
powdered chalk, though it lived in chalk water. He concludes that the 
chalk is harmful only in the presence of other plants, which, growing more 
vigorously in the chalky water, rapidly supplant the Sphagnum. 
Graebner (’ 98 , ’01, ’ 04 ) agrees that chalk as such is not harmful, and 
believes that the failure of the Sphagnum is due to too high a mineral 
content in general. According to Ramann (’ 95 ), Sphagnum can persist 
only in water containing less than 0-003-0-004 per cent, of mineral 
substances. 
Dtiggeli (’ 03 ), as a result of experiments carried out on the moor, came 
to the conclusion that Sphagnum was affected adversely not only by chalk, 
but also by mineral salts in general. His results are not very convincing, 
as his mineral solutions apparently always contained chalk or magnesia, in 
addition to other constituents. 
Haglund (’ 12 ) carried on experiments on the moor at Granarp on 
a large scale. Table I summarizes his results. 
Table I. 
Kilos, per Hectare of: Sphagnum medium. S. rubellum. 
Lime, 6,000. 
Thomas phosphate, 1,000 
Superphosphate, 400 . . 
Kainit, 1,000 .... 
Potassium nitrate, 400 
died died 
severely injured 
died died 
induce growth of Mosses and Algae, 
S. laxifolium. 
died 
S. fuscum . 
severely injured 
which cover the young shoots. 
By far the most extensive investigation is that carried out by Paul 
himself (’ 06 , ’ 08 ). He tested many different salts and many different species 
of Sphagnum , and obtained important results. 
In the first place he determined the concentrations of calcium carbonate 
necessary to kill various species of Sphagnum , and arrived at the results 
given in Table II. 
Table II. 
Sphagnum 
CaC 0 3 in mg. 
per litre necessary 
to cause death. 
Station. 
rubellum 
77 ) 
papillosum 
High moor 
molluscum 
89 f . 
medium 
134 / 
Dusenii 
171 
High moor ditches 
acutifolium 
223 
Wood 
platyphyllum 
223 
Low moor 
recurvum 
312 
General 
