80 
SIR J. B. LAWES AUD PROFESSOR J. li. GILBERT OX THE 
Professor Atwater first made two series of experiments in which he grew peas in 
sand, to which he supplied nutritive solutions, containing mineral matters, and known 
quantities of nitrogen as nitrate. The plants were grown in free air, but protected 
from rain and dew. 
The following are the actual amounts of nitrogen supplied in seed and nutritive 
solution, the actual gains, and the gains per cent, on the total amounts supplied, in 
the first series of 3 experiments :— 
Supplied. . millig. . 103'7 120‘6 95‘7 
Gains. . . millig. . + 63'5 + 13‘2 + 13'0 
Gains. . . per cent. + 61‘2 fi- 10'9 +13‘6 
The second series included 12 experiments, in six of which generally less, and in 
the other six generally much more, nitrogen was supplied in the solution than in the 
seed. 
With the smaller quantities of total nitrogen thes results were :— 
Supplied . millig. , 
94-7 
128-2 
93-6 
130-9 
93-3 
129-2 
Gains , . millig. . 
+ 21-7 
+ 
30-7 
+ 62-5 
+ 27-2 
+ 93-2 + 
81-7 
Gains . . per cent. 
+ 22-9 
+ 
23-9 
+ 66-8 
+ 20-8 
+ 99-9 + 
63-2 
With the larger quantities of nitr 
ogen the results were 
Supplied . . millig. . 
169-3 
199-3 
170-5 
194-5 
135-8 
161-0 
Gains (or loss) millig. . 
+ 9-6 
+ 
1-3 
- 20-9 
+ 3-0 
+ 142-0 + 
99-2 
Gains (or loss) j^er cent. 
+ 5-6 
+ 
5-7 
- 12-3 
+ 1-5 
+ 104-5 .+ 
62-0 
With regard to the variations of 
result, it is 
concluded that wl 
Iiere the gains 
were 
less, or there was loss, the conditions were abnormal, and where the conditions were 
normal, the gains were the higher. 
Some of the results are calculated per hectare and per acre, showmg very large 
gains compared with the amounts of nitrogen in ordinary crops in the field. 
Numerous experiments were also made to determine the loss of nitrogen in the 
germination of peas; five by the water-culture method, and eight in sand. 
Three of the water-culture experiments were conducted in open air, when the 
results were :— 
Nitrogen in seed . 
millio’. , 
o 
215-6 
67-5 
41-4 
Niti’ogen lost . 
millio;'. . 
- 18-1 
— 6-6 
- 0-6 
Loss. 
per cent. 
— 8-4 
- 9'8 
- 1-5 
In two water-culture expei’iments in the air of the laboratory, there was gain not loss 
of nitrogen, which was attributed to ammonia in the air. The results were :— 
