THE ASH OF PLANTS. 161 
development of the plant, numerous illustrations will be 
adduced, (p. 214.) 
6. Vigor of development. Arendt, (Die Haferpflanze, 
p. 18,) selected from an oat-field a number of plants in 
blossom, and divided them into three parcels—1, composed 
of very vigorous plants; 2, of medium; and, 3, of very 
weak plants. He analyzed the ashes of each parcel, with 
results as below: 
1 2 3 
SUG issue scases vevxe yeast 39.9 42.0 
Sulphuric acid............ 4.8 41 5.6 
Phosphoric acid.......... 8.2 8.5 8.8 
CRIOMING 5 ccaswaxsenisucee 6.7 5.8 4.7 
Oxide of Wotses cs ccsvueee 0.4 0.5 1.0 
TAT sao 5:saisiaieralarsis veeersa ioc 6.1 5.4 5.1 
Magnesia, Potash & Soda.45.3 343 ° 30.4 
Here we notice that the ash of the weak plants contains 
15 per cent less of alkalies, and 15 ‘per cent more of silica, 
than that of the vigorous ones, while the proportion of the 
other ingredients is not greatly different. 
Zoeller, (Liebig’s Erndhrung der Vegetabilien, p. 340,) 
examined the ash of two specimens of clover which grew 
on the same soil and under similar circumstances, save 
that one, from being shaded by a tree, was less fully devel- 
oped than the other. 
Six weeks after the sowing of the seed, the clover was 
cut, and gave the following results on partial analysis: 
Shaded clover. Unshaded clover. 
Alkalies...........0e005 54.9 36.2 
THM is sin isis oraiessreielsicioiasionse 14.2 22.8 
SU CBs. isis dies cardia dene 5.5 12.4 1 
c. The variety of the plant or the relative development 
of its parts must obviously influence the composition of 
the ash taken as a whole, since the parts themselves are 
unlike in composition. 
Herapath, (Qu. Jour. Chem. Soc., U1, p. 20,) analyzed 
the ashes of the tubers of five varieties of potatoes, raised 
on the same soil and under precisely similar circumstances. 
His results are as follows: 
