NATURAL LAWS OF HUSBANDRY. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE PLANT. 



Chemical and cosmic conditions of the life of plants Conditions for the germina- 

 tion of the seed ; moisture and oxygen, their action Influence of the seed in 

 the formation of the organs of absorption, and the production of varieties ; 

 influence of climate and soil in producing varieties Importance of a knowl- 

 edge of the developement of roots ; radication of different plants Comparison 

 of the process of vegetation in annual, biennial and perennial plants Growth 

 of the asparagus, as an example of a perennial plant storing of reserved food 

 in its underground organs ; use of this store Meadow and woody plants- 

 Growth of biennial plants ; turnips : Anderson's experiments Growth of an- 

 nual plants ; summer plants : tobacco ; winter wheat, its developement like 

 biennial plants ; oats ; Arendt's experiments ; Knopp's experiments with 

 maize in fiower The protoplastem (matter for forming cells) ; conditions for 

 its formation ; Boussingault's experiments ; organic processes in plants, di- 

 rected to the formation of the protoplastem Absorption of food by plants not 

 an osmotic process ; marine-plants ; duck- weed ; land-plants ; Hale's experi- 

 ments on absorption by the roots and evaporation from the leaves Power of 

 the root to exclude certain substances from absorption not absolute ; Forch- 

 hammer, Knopp Comportment of the roots of land and water plants to solu- 

 tions of salts ; De Baussure, Schlossberger ; comportment of land-plants to so- 

 lutions of salts in the soil Use of those mineral matters which are constant in 

 different species of plants ; iron, magnesia, iodine, and chlorine compounds 

 Absorption of matters by plants from the surrounding medium ; influence of 

 the consumption of them by the plant ; part played by the roots in their ab- 

 sorption. 



TO obtain a clear view of the theory and practice of 

 Agriculture, we must keep in mind the most general 

 chemical conditions of the life of plants. 



Plants contain combustible and incombustible con- 

 stituents. Of the latter, which compose the ash left by 

 all parts of a plant on combustion, the most essential 

 elements arephosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, silicic 

 acid, potash, soda, lime, magnesia, iron, and chloride 

 of sodium. 



