78 On saline combinations in vegetable structure. 



4 per cent, of foreign matter, chiefly inorganic ; they deve- 

 loped themselves, attained the height of four inches, and died, 

 at intervals between the seventh and tenth week, not having 

 undergone any apparent increase of growth, during the pre- 

 vious three weeks.* These two comparative experiments ap- 

 pear to prove that the presence of inorganic saline matter is 

 absolutely necessary for the perfect developement of a plant ; 

 as we might expect from theoretical reasoning. 



If we admit that the skeleton of vegetable tissue is formed 

 of saline or siliceous matters, it follows that we can no longer 

 consider them as incapable of being organized, seeing that 

 they assume precisely the form of the tissue of which they are 

 the bases. Hence, although we may apply to such saline 

 substances the term inorganic, bee ause they are derived from 

 without, and are not the products of organization, yet, we 

 cannot avoid considering them as organized, seeing they as- 

 sist in constituting the parietes of the vegetable. No better 

 term can perhaps be applied to these saline matters, than that 

 of saline bases of tissues, a term applied by Raspail in the 

 work before quoted; although the ingenious web of theory 

 with which he has surrounded this part of his subject, may be 

 more questionable. " Une molecule de carbone, et une mo- 

 lecule d'eau, s'associent pour former la molecule organique 

 sous forme spherique ; la molecule organique, en se combinant 

 avec une base, forme les parois des tissus ligneux, si la base 

 est fixe, et glutineux ou albumineux, si la base est ammonia- 

 caler Nouv. Syst. Raspail. 1439. 



From a consideration of the foregoing observations, it is 

 evident that the saline matters existing in the tissues of plants 

 have been too much neglected, seeing that the part they play 

 in the economy of vegetable life, is as important as that of 

 any other constituents ; and that we have been far too hasty 

 in declaring their presence adventitious and accidental. And 

 have we not also sufficient grounds to justify our considering 

 that those botanists, however high their names may rank in 

 the records of science, have been in error in assuming that all 

 principles, except carbon, ^hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, 

 are foreign to vegetable structure ? 



22, Wilmington Square, Dec. 20th, 1836. 



* Wiegmann's Archiv fur Naturgeschichte ; 1837. See also the transla- 

 tion of Prof. Meyer's Report on the Progress of Vegetable Physiology, far 

 1836, in Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag. Nov. 1837. 



