308 BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
As an example of the testing of a nitrogen compound (ossein) I 
would submit the following table of results obtained by growing 
plants in an intimate mixture of 560 grms. calcined loam from Mr. 
Beatley’s garden, 760 grms. Berkshire sand, and 15 grms. of not 
particularly fine bone-meal. ‘These experiments were carried on 
simultaneously with those relating to roast leather (see vol. 2, 
p- 58) and are comparable with them, though they were made for 
another purpose, to test namely the power of plants of supporting 
phosphate of lime. 
S The crops. 
on Harvested April 20th, 1876. e ; 
=) A awd nies GS Dee : zrew to 
; The jars were watered with Pisin height in cued 
7, Zh Bt inches. 
i Phosphate of. potash "%) ees e4'wra ekern 3-730 74-145 60 
A, og RAIN -WOEEE oe Ge Lick tow. Se Saas aot hes 2.450 9-11 25 
Sat Nitrate of. potash) iss) se uhs ite) ca ita ta ae 5.850 14-165 38 
ATCA NIGEATC OL TIE Wiese eeteet ae tle? tele elt at ite 5.360 10-183 69 
5 | Phosphate of potash and nitrate of lime . . 6.950 14-17 37 
The sands employed in the experiments on p. 306 may be de- 
scribed as follows : — 
The Essex sand is a fine soft micaceous variety of sea sand, 
from sheltered bays behind Cape Ann, Mass., such as is sold by 
grocers in Boston as ‘‘ washing-sand” for sanding floors and for 
scouring wood-work. It contains flakes of mussel-shells besides 
numberless scales of mica, and has evidently been deposited from 
still waters. Before using this sand I washed it thoroughly, by 
stirring it up repeatedly with successive portions of rain-water in 
order to float off any dust that might have adhered to it. It was 
afterwards dried and weighed. Analysis * showed that the Essex 
sand contained a good deal of potash (2.384%), and 0.051% of 
phosphoric acid. ‘The experiments of the table, on the other hand, 
show that this sand contained an appreciable amount of nitrogen 
available as plant-food, much potash and a noteworthy amount of 
phosphoric acid. 
The Provincetown sand, from a dune at the end of Cape Cod, 
evidently contained no nitrogen but a good deal of phosphoric 
acid and potash. Analysis * had shown that this sand contained 
0.613% of potash and 0.05% of phosphoric acid. 
The Berkshire sand* showed no nitrogen and the usual small 
quantities of phosphoric acid and potash. 
* Bussey Bulletin, 2. 11. 
