THE ASH OF PLANTS. 157 
The composition of the ash of a number of ordinary 
crops is concisely exhibited in the subjoined general 
statement. 
9  Mfag- +; hor- Sulphur 
Atkalies, MQ9- tame FRophor- suiea, Super cnorine. 
CEREALS— 
Grain*.... 380 122 3 46 2 2.5 1 
Straw...... 138-27 3 q 5° 50-70 2.5 2 
Lzcumes— 
Kernel .... 44 g 5 35 1 4 2 
Straw...... 2i—AL q %—39 8 5 2-6 6—7 
Roor Crorps— 
Roots.... . 60 3-9 6-12 8-18 14 512 329 
Tops...... 37 3-16 10-3 3-8 3 613 5-17 
GrassEs— 
In flower.. 33 4 8 8 3 4 5 
3. Different parts of any plant usually exhibit decided 
differences in the composition of their ash. This fact is 
made evident by a comparison of the figures of the table 
above, and is more fully illustrated by the following anal- 
yses of the parts of the mature oat-plant, by Arendt, 1 to 6, 
(Die Haferpflanze, p. 107,) and Norton, 7 to 9, (Am. Jour. 
Sci., 2 Ser. 3, 318.) 
4 
Lower Middle Upper Lower Upper juss, Chaf. Husk. Kernel 
Potash 81 % 3 ay ce rie 13.0 eerige 
00) £1.) ens a ss ¥ 
Soda... 04 15 1.0 0.9 0.4 O14 }10.6 12.4 31.7 
Magnesia ........-. 21 36 39 38 3.9 8.94 2.3 8.6 
iilehiinsceeeecaee 36 5.8 86 16.7 172 731i 9 43 5.8 
Oxide of Iron... 2... 1 0.0 0.2 “2.7% 0.5 eal 40:3 0.8 
Phosphoric acid...... 2% 14 2% 1.0 1.5 36.5 0.6 49.1 
Sulphuricacid........ 0 13 1 32 75 49° 5.3 413 010 
Silica ......e.cccsecee 9:3 20.4 3840 41.8 26.0 68.0 4.1 118 
Chlorine. 0000. 86 11.% 74 1.6 24 388 31 1:4 0.2 
The results of Arendt and Norton are not in all respects strictly com- 
parable, having been obtained by different methods, but serve well to 
establish the fact in question. 
We see from the above figures that the ash of the lower 
stem consists chiefly of potash, (81 °|,.) This alkali is pre- 
dominant throughout the stem, but in the upper parts, 
where the stem is not covered by the leaf sheaths, silica 
and lime occur in large quantity. In the ash of the leaves, 
* Exclusive of husk. 
