IOO 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XI, No. 4 
FORMATION OF SULPHATE IN SEEDS ON GERMINATION 
As the results in Table III indicate that the excess of sulphur in those 
plants which have been grown in soil to which this element has been 
added exists in the form of sulphate, it was thought that it might be of 
interest to ascertain whether sulphate is formed in seeds from their 
sulphur compounds when they are allowed to germinate. 
As a control the sulphate was determined in the finely ground unger¬ 
minated seed by the same method used for the work in Table III, and 
about the same weight of the seeds were then allowed to germinate in 
covered dishes between cheesecloth kept moistened with distilled water, 
after which the sample was ground in a mortar and the sulphate deter¬ 
mined. As a precaution all precipitates of barium sulphate were fused 
with sodium carbonate and reprecipitated and blanks made on the 
reagents. 
The results of these experiments are given in Table IV. 
Table IV .—Percentage of sulphur existing as sulphate in seeds before and after 
germination 
Variety. 
Before 
germina¬ 
tion. 
After 
germina¬ 
tion. 
Increase 
during 
germina¬ 
tion. 
Period of 
germina¬ 
tion. 
Com. 
None. 
None. 
0.0003 
. 0079 
.0144 
. 0223 
. 0312 
None, 
0. 0003 
. 0079 
.0144 
. 022 3 
Days. 
6 
Beans.•. 
None. 
6 
Cowpeas. 
None. 
6 
Alfalfa. 
None. 
6 
Millet. 
None. 
None, 
o. 0007 
. 0007 
. 0014 
.0034 
. 0048 
. 0072 
. 0117 
. 0220 
. 0258 
.0483 
6 
Oats. 
. 0312 
6 
Soybeans. 
.0034 
. 0219 
. 0107 
.0316 
. 0168 
. 0027 
. 0212 
.OO93 
. 0282 
6 
Wheat. 
6 
Hemp. 
6 
Timothy. 
6 
Rye. 
. 0120 
6 
Tobacco.. 
. 0261 
. 0212 
. 0566 
.0309 
. OA 4.7 
. O189 
.OO95 
.0346 
.0051 
a . 0006 
13 
Peas. 
■ L o 
6 
Onion. 
6 
Bluegrass. 
13 
6 
Clover. 
<* Loss. 
GENERAL DISCUSSION 
While a few of the duplicates in Table II vary widely, yet on the whole 
they agree fairly well, considering work of this character. If an allow¬ 
ance of 10 per cent, compared with the controls, which is a safe amount, 
is made for unavoidable factors, then we find from an examination of 
Table II that applications of sulphur have affected the crops grown on 
the soils from the different counties as follows: 
Lawrence. —Beneficial, clover from the smaller application and wheat 
grain and straw from the larger application. Injurious, none. 
