WATER AND DRY MATTER IN PLANTS 



II 



Dry Matter of Plants. As previously stated, the plant is made 

 up of water and dry matter. When water is driven off from 

 plants the dry matter is what remains. Now if we burn this 

 dry matter a large proportion of it passes off in the form of 

 invisible gases. This material which so disappears, in burning, 

 is known as organic matter; that which is left is the ash or 

 mineral matter. 



The organic matter is composed of protein, fats, nitrogen free 

 extract and fiber. The ash is made up of soda, phosphorus, 

 sulphur, iron, potash, lime, sand, magnesia, etc. 



Jordan 1 shows the relation of the fifteen elements to these 

 compounds : 



All vegetable or 

 animal matter 



Incombustible 

 or inorganic 

 matter 





Ash 



Combustible or 

 organic matter 



Protein 



Oxygen 



Sulphur 



Chlorine 



Phosphorus 



Silicon 



Fluorine 



Potassium 



Sodium 



Calcium 



Magnesium 



Iron 



Manganese 



Carbon 



Oxygen 



Hydrogen 



Nitrogen 



Sulphur 



(generally) 

 Phosphorus 



(sometimes) 

 Iron (in a few cases) 



Composition of Plants. We may express the composition of 

 plants and parts of plants (feed stuffs) in a condensed form as 

 follows : 



Plant f 



(feedstuff) \ 



Water 

 Dry matter 



Ash 



Organic 

 matter 



Protein 



Fats 



Carbohydrates 



Nitrogen 



free extract 

 Fiber 



The chemist usually expresses the composition as: 



Protein Crude fiber 



Fats (ether extract) Water 



Nitrogen free extract Ash 



1 " The Feeding of Animals " 



