96 OF THE INORGANIC 



of the same species from Mont La Salle,and that even 

 the proportion of lime and potash was very different. 



Hence it has been concluded (erroneously, I 

 believe), that the presence of bases exercises no 

 particular influence upon the growth of plants ; but 

 even were this view correct, it must be considered 

 as a most remarkable accident, that these same 

 analyses furnish proof for the very opposite opinion. 

 For although the composition of the ashes of these 

 pine-trees was so very different, they contained, 

 according to the analysis of De Saussure, an equal 

 number of equivalents of metallic oxides ; or what is 

 the same thing, the quantity of oxygen contained 

 in all the bases was in both cases the same. 



100 parts of the ashes of the pine-tree from Mont 

 Breven contained*: 



Carbonate of Potash . 3-60 Quantity of oxygen in the Potash 0-4 1 

 Lime . 46-34 Lime 7-33 



6-77 Magnesia 1'27 



Sum of the carbonates 56-71 Sum of the oxygen in the bases 9-01 



100 parts of the ashes of the pine from Mont La 

 Salle contained-}-: 



Carbonate of Potash . 7-36 Quantity of oxygen in the Potash 085 

 Lime . 51-19 Lime 8-10 



Magnesia 00 -00 



Sum of the carbonates 58-55 Sum of the oxygen in the bases 8-95 



The numbers 9*01 and 8*95 resemble each other 

 as nearly as could be expected even in analyses 



* 100 parts of this wood gave 1-187 ashes, 

 t 100 parts of this wood gave 1-128 ashes. 



