CHAPTER V. 



ANALYSES OF THE COTTON PLANT, WITH SUGGESTIONS 

 AS TO MANURES, ETC. 



SEC. i. SHEPARD'S ANALYSIS OF COTTON WOOL AND SEED. 

 1. Cotton Wool. 



ONE hundred parts weight of cotton wool, on being heated 

 in a platina crucible, so long as brightly burning gas continued 

 to be emitted, lost SG'09 parts the residuum being a perfectly 

 charred cotton, which, on being ignited under a muffle, until 

 every particle of carbon was consumed, lost 12'9S5, and left 

 almost a purely white ash, whose weight was rather under one 

 per cent., or 0'9247. Of this ash, about forty -four per cent, 

 was found to be soluble in water. It contained 12'88 per cent, 

 sand, which must have been acquired adventitiously, in the 

 of silicious process of harvesting the fibre. Deducting the sand 

 from the ash, the constitution of the latter is as follows : 

 Carbonate of Potassa (with possible traces of Soda), . 44'19 

 Phosphate of Lime, with traces of Magnesia, . 25'44 



Carbonate of Lime, . , . . .8*87 



Carbonate of Magnesia, .... 6*85 



Silica, . . . -,..;- 1^ . . 4-12 



Alumina (probably accidental), ; '; . . 1'40 



Sulphate of Potassa, v . . . 2'70 



Chloride of Potassium, 

 Chloride of Magnesium, 

 Sulphate of Lime, 

 Phosphate of Potassa, 

 Oxide Iron, in minute traces, J 100 00 



and loss, . . 6-43 



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