110 OF THE INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS OF PLANTS. 



Hence it has been concluded, (erroneously, I be- 

 lieve,) that the presence of bases exercises no par- 

 ticular 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 analyses 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*41 

 '' Lime . 46-34 " " " Lime 7-33 



" Magnesia 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 0.85 

 " Lime . 5119 « " " Lime 810 



« 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 

 made for the very purpose of ascertaining the fact 

 above demonstrated, which the analyst in this case 

 had not in view. 



Let us now compare Berthier's analyses of the 

 ashes of tw^o fir-trees, one of which grew in Norway, 

 the other in Allevard (department de PIsere). One 

 contained 50, the other 25 per cent, of soluble salts. 

 A greater difference in the proportion of the alkaline 

 bases could scarcely exist between two totally dif- 



* According to the experiments of Saussure, 1000 parts of the wood of 

 the pine from Mont Breven gave 11-87 parts of ashes; the same quan- 

 tity of wood from Mont La Salle yielded 11-28 parts. From this we 

 might conclude that the two pines, although brought up in different 

 soils, yet contained the same quantity of inorganic elements. 



