TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTION 1 



DIVISION I. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE PLANT. 



CHAP. L THE VOLATILE PART OF PLANTS 12 



1. Distinctions and Definitions.. 12 



2. Elements of the Volatile Part of Plants 14 



3. Chemical Affinity 29 



4. Vegetable Organic Compounds or Proximate Elements 36 



1. Water 37 



2. Carbhydrat.es 39 



3. Vegetable Acids 75 



4. Fats 83 



i. Albuminoids and Ferments 87 



6. Amides 114 



7. Alkaloids 120 



8. Phosphorized Substances 122 



CHAP. II. THE ASH OF PLANTS 126 



1. Ingredients of the Ash 126 



>cui-iiifiiil I i<- Elements 127 



Carbon and its Compounds 128 



Sulphur and its Compounds 129 



Phosphorus and its Compounds 132 



Chlorine and its Compounds 132 



Silicon and its Compounds 134 



Metallic Elements 138 



Pot assium and its Compounds 138 



Sodium and its Compounds 139 



Calcium and its Compounds 139 



Magnesium and its Compounds 140 



Iron and its Compounds 141 



Manganese and its Compounds 142 



Salts 143 



Carbonates 144 



Sulphates 146 



Phosphates 147 



Chlorides 149 



Nitrates 149 



2. Quantity, Distribution, and Variations of the Ash 151 



Table of Proportions of Ash in Vegetable Matter 152 



3. Special Composition of the Ash of Agricultural Plants 1G1 



1. Constant Ingredients 161 



2. Uniform composition of normal specimens of 



given plants 161 



Table of Ash-analyses 164 



3. Composition of Different parts of Plant 171 



4. Like composition of similar plants 173 



5. Variability of ash of same species 174 



6. What is normal composition .of the ash of a plant? 177 



7. To what extent is each ash-ingredient essential 



or accidental 180 



Water-culture 180 



Essential ash-ingredients 186 



Is Sodium Essential to Agricultural Plants ? 186 



Iron indispensable 192 



Manganese unessential 193 



Is Chlorine indispensable ? 194 



Silica is not essential 197 



Ash-ingredients taken up in excess 201 



Disposition of superfluous matters 203 



State of Ash-ingredients in plant 207 



4. Functions of the Ash-ingredients 210 



CHAP. III. 1. Quantitative Relations among the Ingredients of 



Plants 220 



2. Composition of the plant in successive stages of 



growth 222 



Composition and Growth of the Oat Plant 223 



V 



