232 Prof. Norton on the Analysis of the Oat. 
Composition of Ash from Oat Straw at three different heights. 
Hopeton Oat from Mr. Harbottle, Hexham, Northumberland. 
Tasre XII. 
| Top Straw. |Middle Straw. Bottom Straw. 
Sulphuric acid, : 18-45 16-10 
Chlo ne of sodium, (common salt, ) , 38:55 303 15- 
Potash and soda, 21-80 40:17 
Phos we hates * lime, magnesia and i iron, 2-8 3-03 ‘78 
ime, . 7-02 1-23 06 
Magnesia, 2 Bz 2-91 2-07 
Oxyd we iron, i 3 -40 61 
OW hee Hiei. S fei 8S 13 734. | 5-03 
feats silica, a Sean ee eee 43-3 33-14 12-29 
f BBO9 98-33 98-47 
An reference to the above analyses, I wish to direct attention to 
several points. 
1. To the great difference in the proportion of salts soluble in 
water. Part of these are grouped together in the top straw analy- 
ses; with the addition of the soluble silica, their amount is 42 - 
calculated as sulphate ; this, subtracted from the united weight of the on plat as 
culate above, gave the loss as sulphate of soda, from which the soda was cal- 
culat 
Il. acid solution.—1. Ammonia was added to throw down the oe 
The precipitate was sa sa mixture of phosphates of lime, ma ape esia and iro! 
It was fused with carbonate of soda, the phosphor 
ne of these has been highly recommended ; it is that oft throwing down the phos- 
horic acid as a phosphate he the per oxyd of iron, from a soluti tion in acetic acid. 
he precipitate obtained is ary 
to analyze it Fonte erg ane the whole process is so uncertain, that afier many 
trials T abandoned it. 
2. me was thrown down by oxalate of ammonia, and collected afier stand- 
ing at least twelve hours. 
s I found, in almost every instance, potash and soda in this — of the acid 
solution, it became necessary to determine the magnesia in some other than the 
usual way, by phosphate of soda. The solution was therefore ovepiraied nearly 
to dryness, mixed with a little peroxyd of mercury, and rather strongly heated. 
The chlorids of pota sicisint and sodium decompose with great difficulty, and pe of 
magnesia with ease; the fabeit was therefore by heating baateral ti to 
magnesia ia, and se separa rated by pica one. with oor Ades "The solution, containing 
1, The insoluble ¢ portion. —1. This was fused with five times its et ci of car- 
bonate of soda, ca obta ined 
in the ory way. 
e phosphates were Rab) soap = ammonia, and, after weighing, were 
analyzed with the te ame s of the acid solution. 
he lime w “e - faces as ial by oxalate ofammontfa, and the magnesia 
by phosphate e of 
4. Potash and so reed A small quantity of loaea na soda i is often present even 
in the reese part of the ash, and I have, therefore, in many cases been obliged 
e shinee i is an outline of a coinplete analysis, a the methods I — 
enerally pret sappeding all the substances mentioned to be pr Of co 
ir pi ce or absence was Sealy. Cheqeet ained by a qualitative ped hao 
and Shdlyeis a me a he quantity I considered proper for analy~ 
sis was from grai 
