88 



PHYSIOLOGY OF NUTRITION 



These elements act like catalyzers, 1 while the plastic ash-constituents (phos- 

 phorus, sulphur, potassium, magnesium, calcium) have to do with the structure 

 of the cell and its parts; these latter may also act as catalyzers, however. 



§4. Ash-analysis of Plants. — Besides the growing of plants in artificial 

 media, the analysis of plants grown under natural conditions is also useful in 

 the determination of the relative importance of the various mineral elements. 

 Large numbers of such analyses have been carried out, and the results obtained 

 up to 1880 have been assembled and arranged in a very helpful way by Wolff. 2 



The ash-analyses of entire plants show that the amount of each individual 

 ash-constituent is different with different plants. The agriculturalist, for ex- 

 ample, recognizes three groups of cultivated forms, silicon plants, calcium plants 

 and potassium plants, according to which one of these three elements is most 

 abundant in the ash. The following table (after Liebig) contains the results 

 of ash-analyses of some of the plants belonging to these three classes. 



Silicon j Oat straw and grain. . 



plants \ Rye straw 



Calcium j Havanna tobacco 



plants \ Stems and leaves of pea 



Potassium j Sugar cane 



plants \ Artichoke 



Salts of K and 



Na 



Salts of Ca and 

 Mg 



Silicic Acid 



per cent. 

 34.00 

 18.65 



24-34 

 27.82 



88.80 

 84.30 



per cent. 

 4.00 



16 

 67 

 63 

 12 

 15 



52 



44 

 74 

 00 

 70 



per cent. 

 62.08 



63 



89 



30 

 81 



The total amount of ash is also known to be different in different species. 

 Water plants are richest, woody plants are among the poorest, and herbs take 

 a middle place, with reference to the amount of ash they contain. A comparison 

 of the ash-analyses of the alga Chara and the tree Fagus (beech) is shown in 

 the next table. 



1 Agulhon, H., Recherches sur la presence et le role du bore chez les vegetaux. Paris, 19 10. 



2 Wolff, Emil, Aschen-Analysen von landwirthshaftlichen Producten, Fabrik-abfallen und wildwach- 

 senden Pflanzen. I Theil. Berlin. 1871. Idem, Aschen-Analysen von land- and fortswirtschaftlichen 

 Producten. II Theil. Berlin. 1880. 



