STRAWBERIES AND THEIR NUTRITION. 



factory impression. Yet the careful obserrer will perceive, that the potuoU alone, is quite 

 equal to all the requirements of the plant in the department of inorganic constituents, 

 and even here enforces its place as one of the special constituents, which is demanded as 

 an increased, correspondent and specific nutrition, that bears no proportion to that of the 

 exact analj'sis." 



Let us see. The potash of the anal3'sis of the strawberry is, or ought to be, chemi- 

 cally pure; that of Dr. Hull's experiment, was commercial potash, containing all the 

 soluble constituents of wood ashes, sulphates, carbonates, phosphates, and silicates of pot- 

 ash and soda, together with salt of lime and magnesia, and chlorine. This potash, itself 

 containing nearly every inorganic ingredient of the strawberry, is neutralized with muck, 

 which presents the same inorganic composition as wood ashes, and in addition, a large per 

 centage of organic matter. 



Dr. Daija says that the addition of potash to muck, furnishes a material equal 

 in all respects to cow-dung, so that the plants which flourished so admirably under 

 " potash nutrition " were supplied in addition to the substances contained in the soil, and 

 no doubt abundantly, with a manure, including all the inorganic, and all the organic sub- 

 stances requisite for the most perfect production! It is easy to see that Dr. Hull's 

 potash is synonymous with good stable manure, and "alone, is quite equal to all the re- 

 quirements of the plant in the department of inorganic constituents," &c. 



It is not surprising that ashes, treated with muck, should be less valuable than potash 

 if used in equal proportion, because they contain less soluble matter; and mere bone-dust 

 cannot be supposed to exert the beneficial action that is exhibited by a manure abounding 

 in more soluble phosphates, and all other required ingredients. 



In the case of the application of nitre, potash, glauber salt, sal-soda, and nitrate of 

 ammonia, we have potash, soda, and ammonia; sulphuric, nitric, phosphoric, silicic, 

 and carbonic acids. Quite a variety of nutriment, the main efficacy of which is probably 

 due to ammonia and nitric acid; at any rate there is no reason to ascribe it exclusively 

 to potash and soda, as seems to be done by Dr. Hull. 



The exceptional cases are in some sense interesting. It is useless to speculate upon the 

 causes of the apparent anomalies, without a basis of repeated and com[)rehensive experi- 

 ments, made with a full knowledge of the conditions that may affect their accuracy. 



Reserving to the close of the article, some further observations suggested by this part 

 of the subject, I shall notice briefly Dr. Hull's remarks on the organic nutrition of the 

 strawberry. He quotes an analysis, representing the organic constituents of the straw- 

 berry to be " citric and 7tialic acids, and a large proportion of mucus sugar." This 

 mucus sugar is undoubtedly a mixture of grape sugar, and some combination of pectic 

 acid. Dextrine and woody fibre must be added to the list on analogical grounds. The 

 analysis is obviously incomplete. 



Dr. Hull, on the authority of Prof. Mapes, adds tannic acid to the list of ingredients. 

 Prof. Mapes asserts, that it exists "in the cortical or external surface of the fruit, that 

 he has detected it by subjecting a large quantity of these surfaces to the appropriate 

 chemical tests. He attributes the flavor and fragrance of the strawberry te the specific 

 property of this acid, and has found tan-liquid, a most valuable watering for the plant." 



Dr. Hull adduces various instances of the beneficial effects of tan-bark as mulchlirg, 

 and of tan-liquid as a watering. He assumes, with Prof. Mapes, that tannic acid is a spe- 

 cific nutrition for the strawberry. 



Every chemist knows that a solution of one part of pcr-chloride of iron in 200,000 

 of water, gives a characteristic blucish-black tint with tannic acid, and that the 800,000th 



