184 



Analyses of Ashes of Plants. 



tity of the bulb. This would appear fair and equal enough, but 

 it would not be so. Any application of the crop that is grounded 

 upon the constancy of its mineral composition must be made upon 

 the entire plant. 



In the same way the manure of a ton of any specimen of 

 turnip-bulbs may be of considerably more value than that of a 

 similar weight of another ; but for all practical purposes, a given 

 weight of the root and top, in their proper proportions, will 

 always produce an equally effective manure, as far as its mineral 

 constituents are concerned. 



It will be seen that the leaves of turnips contain much more 

 common salt (chloride of sodium) than the bulbs. The quantity 

 is considerable in some cases. In Specimen 85 it amounts to 11^ 

 lbs. on a ton, or about 9 ounces on every cwt. of the green tops. 

 May not this circumstance in part explain the action of turnip - 

 tops in causing purging in sheep when they are first turned upon 

 this food from the pastures ? The other alkaline salts (such as 

 the phosphates of soda and potash, and organic salts of these bases, 

 oxalate, tartrate. Sic, and which are known as purgatives) exist 

 largely in turnip-tops. We shall shortly, in speaking of mangold- 

 wurzel, draw attention again to the influence of salt in turnips and 

 mangold upon the feeding of sheep and cattle with these roots. 



Mangold Wurzel or Beet. 



The information we have obtained concerning this root extends 

 to a far smaller number of specimens than in the case of turnips. 

 Still it will no doubt be sufficient to give a tolerably correct notion 

 of the mineral characters of the plant. The following table ex- 

 hibits the relation between those specimens which we have 

 examined : — 



Table 10. — Water, Ash, &c., in Beet-root. 



No. 



of 

 Spec. 



Variety. 



Relation 

 ' of Bulb 

 to Top. 



Water and Ash 



in Bulb. 



Water and Ash in Top. 



Bulb. Top. 



Water. 



Ash. 



Ash on dry 

 substance. 



Water. 



Ash. 



Ash on dry 

 substance. 



106 



Yellow Globe 



85 15 



91-0 



1-02 



11-32 



90 



1-40 



14-00 



107 



Long Red 



88 12 



91-0 



0-64 



7-10 



90 



1-79 



17-90 



108 



Long Red , 



80 20 



90-0 



1-00 



10-00 



90 



1-91 



19-10 



109 



Globe . . 





86-0 



0-92 



6-60 









110 





*' 1 





1-54 



9-60 



! 









Of the relation of bulb to top we have nothing to say; for the 

 number of cases is inadequate to throw any light upon it. No 

 doubt, however, it is correct as far as the individual instances are 



