Chap, iv The Ash of Plants 367 



living substance, with subsequent or concurrent hydro- 

 lysis. 



The only observations pointing to any special function 

 associated with manganese were those of Bertrand in 1897. 

 These connected it with processes of oxidation taking place 

 in various plants, especially the lacquer-tree, and to a less 

 extent the leguminous plant lucerne. Bertrand considered 

 it to enter into the constitution of the oxidases. 



