63 



Table 57. Amount of Inorganic Ingredients in 100 

 Bundles of the Rice Plant, 1915. 



The percentage of ferric oxide contained in the entire plant 

 gradually decreases in the course of the plant's life. On the whole, 

 the leaves and roots have increasing percentages of ferric oxide, and 

 the roots become particularly rich with this ingredient during the later 

 part of plant's life. The old roots are always found to be of a 

 reddish brown colour, probably owing to the adherence of ferric oxide, 

 of which the larger portion can easily be extracted by means of a 

 very dilute solution of hydrochloric acid. The percentage of feme 

 oxide in the stems gradually decreases until the time of flowering, 

 at which stage an abrupt decrease takes place, caused by a rapid 

 increase of dry matter and also a reduction in the actual amount of 

 ferric oxide. The grain contains a very little ferric oxide. This 

 ingredient accumulates in the leaves and roots throughout the plant's 

 Ijfe, but it decreases appreciably in the stems at the time of flowering, 

 although at this stage they (stems) possess a maximum amount of 

 the other ash ingredients. A certain amount of ferric oxide in the 

 stems migrates to the grain, but perhaps this may not be of a suffic- 

 ient amount to account for the comparatively great reduction of this 

 ingredient in the stems. However, it is not clear whether the ferric 

 oxide deposited in the stems migrates to the leaves and roots before 

 the time of flowering, or whether this reduction of ferric oxide in the 

 stems is incidental. 



(Agricultural Experimental Station, Formosa, Dec. 1915.) 



