The action on the growth of crops of small percentages of certain metallic compounds when applied with ordinary artificial fertilisers

1. No beneficial effect on the growth of barley or mustard on two types of soil was obtained by the addition of quantities of copper sulphate ranging up to 4 per cent. of the total artificial fertilisers applied. Experiments on English acid and alkaline peats with barley, rye and turnips failed to show the striking results obtained by American workers on saw-grass peat in the Everglades of Florida.2. Increased fineness of grinding of basic slag in some cases brings about a certain reduction of crop. This may be due to the presence of vanadium in such slags, as experiments show that this element is definitely toxic to plant growth.3. Lithium compounds are much less toxic than copper to the growth of barley. In some water culture experiments a suggestion of stimulation was obtained with very dilute concentrations of lithium chloride in the presence of nutrient salts, paralleling Voelcker's results with other lithium compounds in soil. Buckwheat is much more sensitive to the toxic action of lithium, and also shows no stimulation with any concentration.