THE ASH OF PLANTS. 177 



on the unmanured soil, and on the same, after applica- 

 tion of the substances specified below : 



12 3 4 6 6 



Unma- Ohloride Nitrate Carbonate Sulphate Carbonate 



nured. of of .of of of 



X sodium, potash, potash, magnesia, lime. 



Potash 31.7 21.6 39.6 40.5 28.2 23.9 



CMorideof potassivun.... 7.4 26.9 0.8 3.1 6.9 9.7 



Chloride of sodium 4.6 3.0 3.2 3.8 3.4 1.7 



Lime 15.7 14.0 12.8 .11.6 14.1 18.6 



Magnesia 1.7 1.9 3.3 1.4 4.7 4.2 



SulphTirlo acid 4.7 2.8 2.7 4.3 7.1 3.5 



Phosphoric acid 10.3 9.5 6.5 8.9 10.9 10.0 



Carbonic acid 20.4 16.1 27.1 22.2 20.0 23.2 



Silica 3.6 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.8 5.2 



100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 



It is seen from these figures that all the applications 

 employed in this experiment exerted a manifest influ- 

 ence, and, in genei'al, the substance added, or at least one 

 of its ingredients, is found in the plant in increased 

 quantity. 



In 8, chlorine, but not sodium ; in 3 and 4, potash ; 

 in 5, sulphuric acid and magnesia, and in 6, lime, are 

 pi'esent in larger proportion than in the ash from the 

 unmanured soil. 



6. What is the normal composition of the ash of a 

 plant ? It is evident from the foregoing facts and con- 

 siderations that to pronounce upon the normal composi- 

 tion of the ash of a plant, or, in other words, to ascer- 

 tain what ash-in^redients and what proportions of them 

 are proper to any species of plant or to any of its parts, - 

 is a matter of much difiiculty and uncertainty. 



The best that can be done is to adopt the ayerage of a 

 great number of trustworthy analyses as the approximate 

 expression of ash-composition. From such data, how- 

 ever, we are still unable to decide what are the abso- 

 lutely essential, and what are really accidental, ingredi- 

 ents, or what amount of any giyen ingredient is essential, 

 and to what extent it is accidental. Wolff, who appears 

 to have first suggested that a part of the ash of plants 

 12 



