324 ‘Prof. Norton on the Analysis of the Oat. 
Taste XXXII. 
| Hopeton Oats. 
Potato Oats, | 
Northam. | Peete ce: | Ayrshire. | Ayrshire. 
Sulphuric acid, . ‘ ‘ ‘ j; PRN hE be syd 
Phosphoric acid, . : : : 49-19 38-48 46:26 50-44 
Chlorid of sodium, (common salt,) 0-35 0-49 
Chlorid of potassium, . P . ae rare 5°32 1-03, 
sh : 2 } 31-56 20-96 16:27 20-65 
a 
Lime, 5-32 657 | 10-41 | 10-28 
A 11-00 9-98 7:82 
Peroxi ? 0°88 0-38 5:08 3°85 
Peroxid of manganese, i ite ; 1:25 0:42 
Soluble silica, it y ‘ : | 0-89 1:29 
Insoluble silica, R 3 ‘ 0-98 2-31 3°70 -40 
9786 98-85 | 98-27 F. |! 98-89 F. 
In every part of the plant hitherto, we have found sulphuric 
acid in the watery solution of the ash; in the grain it seems to 
give way to phosphoric acid. In only one of the above analyses 
is it present; the grain was froma poor crop, grown on an ex- 
hausted soil, and it is possible that the sulphuric acid may have 
been present only because it was impossible to obtain a full sup- 
ply of phosphoric acid. 
The large quantity of this acid is remarkable ; in nearly every 
case it constitutes almost or quite one-half of the ash. It is easy, 
therefore, to see how the addition of bones or guano should ben- 
efit the oat crop. 
Silica, heretofore so prominent an ingredient in the ash, is here 
very small in quantity. : 
The second sample of Hopeton oats was grown on what is 
called lime-sick land, but it will be perceived that the proportion 
of lime is not larger than in some of the other ashes. ‘This is in 
accordance with an opinion of Prof. Johnston, first suggested 
after an analysis of a lime-sick soil, that the defect does not con- 
sist in a superabundance of lime, but in a physical condition of 
the soil, produced originally by too large a dose of lime at once. 
The oats from this soil were very poor, the grain full sized but 
light. 'The quantity of chlorine is large compared with the oth- 
ers, as is that of the oxide of iron also, otherwise there are no 
very striking differences. 
The grain constitutes three-fourths of the weight of the oat, 
and furnishes a little more than one-half of the ash ; in which ash, 
if we consider 45 Ibs. of phosphoric acid the average, a crop of 
bushels will carry off about 68 lbs. of that acid, equivalent to 
about 300 Ibs. of bones. 
From the many analyses of grain that I have made, I will 
only select three, in addition to those which I have 
given. 
