THE ASH CONSTITUENTS OF PLANTS. 



311 



cultiiros and iU'cordiiigly supplied Avitli all tlie cloinonts of plant 

 growth, and the other in the .soil. The following .shows the composi- 

 tion of the erude ash: 



At<h of maple lean's (jruu'ii in soil and iji water vultures. 



Sand and carbon 



Silica 



Sulphuric acid 



Pho.sphoric acid 



Alumina 



Ferric dxid 



Magnesium oxid 



Calcium oxid 



Sodium oxid 



Potassium oxid 



Carbon dioxid, chlorin, and loss 



Grown in 

 soil. 



Grown in 

 I water 

 cultures. 



Per 



!• cent. 



35.98 

 9.94 

 4.06 

 1.91 

 2.23 

 .51 

 2.62 



15.06 

 .37 



18.88 

 8.74 



Per cent. 



9.15 



3.24 



14.84 



8.90 



.00 



.74 



2.88 



12. 10 



.47 



36.91 



9.77 



In an extended fertilizer experiment, organized b}' the late Professor 

 Liebscher. with oats on soils from 24 estates von Seelhorst^ obtained 

 the following results as to the composition of the ash of the part 

 above ground (roots not included): 



Fhosplioric acid and pot((sJi in. oat phmt {air-dry sabsfance e.vchmre of roofs). 



Potash. ^^fj'^.P^^"'^ 



Not fertilized 



Fertilized with potash 



Fertilizei', with phosphoric acid 



Per cent. 

 2.122 

 2.997 

 2.175 



Per cent. 

 0.588 

 .597 

 .735 



Atterberg^ has made a long series of experiments. He obtained, 

 for example, the following range of potash (in diy matter) in oats 

 grown in sand cultures with increasing amounts of potash: In unripe 

 harvested plants, 0.75 to 2.46 per cent; in ripe straw, 0.41 to 2.76 per 

 cent; and in the ripe grain, 0.76 to 0.80 per cent. 



He secured similar results for phosphoric acid, lime, magnesia, 

 and nitrogen content of the plant. With increasing amounts of the 

 respective ingredients, the yield increased and the percentage of the 

 respective ingredients, as a rule. 



In the renowned researches of Lawes and Gilbert'* at Rotham.sted 

 the influence of the fertilizers upon the composition of the plant is 

 shown, as in the growth of barle}' for 30 A^ears with and without an 

 application of potash. With the addition of potassium sulphate the 

 ash of the straw contained from 27.8.5 to 34.48 per cent of potash, 

 while without the potash fertilizers the straw contained only from 8.70 

 to 18.44 per cent of potash. 



> Jour. Landw., 46 (1898), p. 386. 



''Jour. Landw., 49 ( 1901) , p. 97. 



^See K. Bieler, Die RothaniHted V(m-8Uc1u'. IVrliu, 1S96, p. 50. 



