U4 



"Moisture. — With the exception of the Fameuse, the {xjrcentage of water in all 

 the specimens taken 25th May lies between 70*94 and 72-11 — practically, between 71 

 and 72, The Fameuse is more succulent, and contains 75-45 per cent, water. In 

 the loaves gathered 20th September we find a general diminution in the percentage 

 of water, the loss being in the neighbourhood of 12 per cent. It is interesting, and 

 perhaps instructive, to note that with regard to the amount of water, the leaves of 

 25th May fall into the same order with those of 20th September, the Duchess of 

 Oldenburgh containing least and the Fameuse most water, showing clearly that while 

 all have followed the general law in loss of moisture, each has retained its own 

 characteristic individuality. 



Average percentage of water in young leaf. 72*36 



do do maturerleaf 60*71 



" Organic flatter. — This includes all the combustible material of the leaf, and is 

 composed of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. In the leaves of 25th May, 

 those of the Duchess of Oldenburgh and of the Wealthy, the percentages of organic 

 matter are almost the same, and head the list. The Tetofsky and Northern Spy also 

 contain almost identical amounts, or somewhat less than the two first mentioned, 

 while the Fameuse contains the smallest quantity of organic matter. This order is 

 preserved in the leaves plucked 20th September. From an inspection of these two 

 columns it will be observed that there is a general diminution of water and increase 

 of organic matter as the season advances, and that any special variety preserves its 

 relative position to other varieties in this respect throughout the season. 



Average jjercentage of organic matter in young leaf. 25*31 



do do maturer leaf... 35-83 



"Ash. — The percentage of all the inorganic or mineral constituents of the leaf 

 are found in this column. With the exception of the Wealthy we find the 

 amounts of ash of the leaves of 25th May closely approximating one another. The 

 leaves of the Wealthy fall about -5 per cent, below the others in ash constituents. In 

 those of the 20th September we find a general increase in the percentage of ash, 

 amounting from -5 to 1*5 per cent, over those of 25th May. 



Average percentage of ash in young leaf. 2*33 



do do maturer leaf. 3*46 



" Phosphoric Acid. — With regard to the composition of the ash as detailed in the 

 columns following, it is difiicult to discover in many cases what principle, if any, 

 underlies the distribution of the mineral constituents throughout the tissues of the 

 leaf during its growth. Without reading too much, however, into the results of a 

 single analysis, an inspection of this column shows most clearly that the young leaf 

 contains in its ash a much larger percentage of phosphoric acid than the maturer 

 one — in some instances the phosphoric acid in the latter is but one-half, or even less, 

 than that of the younger leaf. This would lead us to suppose that, as the season 

 advanced, there was a retrograde movement of the phosphoric acid of the leaf to 

 other parts of the tree. As the seed is well known to contain a relatively large 

 quantity of this acid we may legitimately be allowed to think that the food 

 elaborated in the leaf found its way finally, in part, at all events, to the fruit and 

 other portions of the tree. And this undoubtedly expresses a truth (though pro- 

 bably not the whole truth), for we observe that the average number of pounds of 

 phosphoric acid per 1,000 pounds of the younger leaf is higher than the correspond- 

 ing number for the maturer leaf, viz.: as 2*45, 1*94, and this in spite of the fact that 

 the percentage of ash in the latter is considerably higher than the former. 



Average percentage of phosphoric acid in the young leaf... 10*47 

 do do maturer leaf 5-82 



"* Potash. — It would not be safe from the results tabulated to advance strongly 

 any theories I'Cgarding the disposition of this im[iortant element in the leaf. The 

 percentage of potash in the young leaf is somewhat lower than that in the maturer 

 leaf When we, however, consider the inci-eased anaount of ash in the latter, we find 



