TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTION 17 



DIVISION I. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE PLANT. 



CHAP. I. THE VOLATILE PART OP PLANTS 26 



1. Distinctions and Definitions 28 



2. Elements of the Volatile Part of Plants 31 



Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Sulphur, Phosphor- 

 us, Ultimate Composition of Organic Matter 45 



3. Chemical Affinity 46 



4. Vegetable Organic Compounds or Proximate Elements 52 



1. Water 53 



2. Cellulose Group 55 



3. Pectose " 81 



4. Vegetable Acids 85 



5. Fats 89 



6. Albuminoids 04 



Appendix, Chlorophyll, etc 109 



CHAP. H. THE ASH OF PLANTS Ill 



1. Ingredients of the Ash Ill 



Non-metallic Elements 112 



Carbon and its Compounds 113 



Sulphur " " " 114 



Phosphorus" " " 117 



Silicon " u " : 11!) 



Metallic Elements 123 



Potassium and its Compounds 124 



Sodium " " vl 124 



Calcium " " " 125 



Magnesium and its Compounds 120 



Iron l ' " " 127 



Manganese " " " 128 



Salts 120 



Carbonates.. 130 



Sulphates 132 



Phosphates 133 



Chlorides 135 



Nitrates 136 



2. Quantity, Distribution, and Variations of the Ash 138 



Table of Proportions of Ash in Vegetable Matter 130 



3. Special Composition of the Ash of Agricultural Plants 147 



1. Constant Ingredients 148 



2. Uniform composition of normal specim's of given plant.148 

 Table of Ash-analyses 150 



3. Composition of Different parts of Plant 157 



4. Like composition of similar plants 159 



5. Variability of ash of same species Ifi!) 



0. What is normal composition of the ash of a plant ? 1G3 



7. To what extent is each ash-ingredient essential or acci- 



dental 1 66 



Water-culture 167 



Essential ash-ingredients 172 



Is Soda Essential to Agricultural Plants ? 172 



Oxide of Iron indispensable 178 



Oxide of Manganese unessential 179 



Is chlorine indispensable ? iso 



Silica is not essential IN. -> > 



Ash-ingredients taken up in excess 187 



Disposition of superfluous matters ISO 



State of Ash-ingredients in plant 103 



^4. Functions of the Ash-ingredients 106 

 1. Quantitative Ilelations among the Ingredients of Plants 201 

 2. Composition of the plant in successive stages of growth 203 



Composition and Growth of the Oat Plant 2U4 



DIVISION II. THE STRUCTURE OF THE PLANT AND OFFICES OF 

 ITS ORGANS. 



CHAP. I. GENERALITIES 220 



Organism, Organs 221 



8 



