New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 107 
Influence of Nitrate of Soda upon the Rate of Capillary Flow. 
Tube No. 1, distilled water. . 
Tube No. 2, distilled water. . 
Tube No. 3, nitrate of soda . 
Tube No. 4, nitrate of soda . 
Temperature of room 
In. 
4% 
4% 
2% 
3% 
DISTANCE TEAYEKSED ON — 
In. 
V&% 
10% 
6% 
7 
54 
In. 
14 
9 
9% 
47% 
In. 
16% 
16 
10% 
10% 
50 
In. 
19% 
18% 
12% 
12% 
60 
In. 
21% 
20 
13% 
14 
In. 
23% 
22% 
15 
15% 
50% 
In. 
25% 
23% 
16 
16% 
48% 
In. 
26% 
25% 
17 
17% 
58% 
In. 
28% 
26% 
17% 
18% 
48 
In. 
29% 
27% 
18% 
18% 
45% 
In. 
30% 
28% 
19% 
19% 
49% 
From this, it is very evident that nitrate of soda in a saturated solu- 
tion decidedly retards the rate of capillary flow. 
In the next trial eight tubes were arranged and filled precisely as in 
the last, with the exception that the garden soil used was washed, by 
filtering distilled water through it until it was free from matters 
readily soluble. Two of these were connected with distilled water 
two with water that had been filtered through muck, two with water 
filtered through garden soil, and the remaining two with manure 
water. The experiment was commenced March 10 and continued 
until April 27. The rate of progress was marked daily, but only 
weekly periods are reported in the table : 
