76^ 



matter in the leachings or perhaps upon the organic matter mechan- 

 ically suspended in the solution. From lack of material it was not 

 possible to determine the amount of phosphorus in the plant, but the 

 qualitative observations cited would indicate that it was present in 

 considerable amount. It should be observed that it was a constituent 

 of the readily water-soluble portion of the soil from which the plant 

 was taken in very small amounts, if, indeed, it were present at all. 

 Attempts to detect it by the phosphomolybdate method failed to show 

 a trace. The remarkable ability of this plant to take from the soil 

 solutions the mineral constituents it needed, in the presence of the 

 enormous excess of other readily soluble substances, is brought out 

 very strikingly in this connection. 



For the reasons here presented it would seem that this plant is 

 worthj^ of the serious consideration of the botanist and physiologist, 

 and is undoubtedly of very great economic importance. 



ASH ANALYSES. 



Ash analyses of all the plants considered in this paper were made, 

 in the hope that some conclusions might be drawn as to the inorganic 

 materials in the plants themselves, and as to how much, relativelj^, 

 was capable of being removed by leaching. These analyses will not, 

 however, be-presented, for it is obvious that they have no value what- 

 ever for the purposes here indicated. The mixture of salts on the 

 I)lants was so large in amount, and fused at so low a temperature, that 

 it quickly coated the organic matter, so that it was necessary to heat 

 to a very high temjjerature and thoroughl}^ stir the mixture to obta-in 

 anything like a thorough combustion of the organic material. This 

 resulted in a very great loss of the salts by volatilization, sodium 

 chloride and i)otassium chloride being especially important in this 

 connection. Further, the burning of either sulphates or chlorides of 

 the alkalies with organic materials necessarily means the more or less 

 comxjlete volatilization of the sulphur and chlorine, respectivel}^, and 

 the formation of the corresponding alkali carbonates, a point often 

 overlooked in the consideration of ash aucilyses. As a consequence 

 of these factors, the results obtained would certainly be misleading. 

 It would appear, from the analyses of the ashes of the plants we are 

 considering, that much more of these soluble mineral constituents 

 can be leached from the plants than the plants ever contained, 

 which is an obvious absurdity. For this reason it does not seem worth 

 while to give these ash analyses any further consideration. 



