THE ASH COXSTITUEXTS OF PLANTS; THEIR ESTIMATION 

 AND THEIR IMPORTANCE TO AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY 

 AND AGRICULTURE/ 



B. TOLLENS, Ph. D., 

 Director of the Agricultural- Chemical Laboratory, University of Gottingen. 



Part II. — Importance of Ash Analysis y:o Plant Physiology 

 AND Agricultural Chemistry. 



summary of the various ash analyses. 



During the course of the century just closed many thousand ash 

 analyses of various products have been made, the reports of which are 

 widely scattered. The compilation of these by E. von Wolff in his 

 book on ash anal3'ses"^ was a noteworthy service and has made them 

 easily accessible. These analyses show that as between different kinds 

 of plants the ash content, both crude and pure ash, varies quite widely, 

 as does also that of the same kind of plants at different stages and 

 when grown in different localities. 



The following table shows in a general way the range of ash in the 

 dry substance of the principal categories: 



Approximate range in ash content. 



Per cent. 



Cereal grains, kernels 2 - 3. 5 



Cereal grains, straw 4. 5- 6. 5 



Grasses 3 - 9 or more. 



Clovers 5-9 



Tree leaves 3. 5-10 



Wood 0.2-0.8 



Bark 5 - 7 



Roots and bulbs 3 - 8 or more. 



In the case of some plants, as for example, Elodea canadensis and 

 Equisetum, these figures are greatly exceeded. 



' Continued from p. 220. 



^Aschen-Analysen von landwirthschaftlichen Producten, Fabrik-Abfiillen and 

 wildwachsenden Pflanzen. Berlin, 1871, \A. 1; 1870-1880, pt. 2. 



305 



