1 86 Ajialyses of Ashes of Plants. 



Table 12.— Composition of the Ash of Beet-leaf (in 100 parts). 



No. of Specimen. 



iUO 



107 



108 



Mean 

 of 



the three 

 Specimens. 



Variety. 



Yellow 

 , Globe. 



Long 

 Red. 



Long 

 Eed. 



Per Centage of Ash 



1-40 



1*79 



1-91 





Silica .... 



2-35 



2- 



26 



1 



35 



1 



99 



Phosphoric Acid . 



5-89 



5 



19 



4 



39 



5- 



15 



Sulphuric Acid 





4 



60 



6 



26 



5- 



80 



Carbonic Acid 



6-92 



6 



45 



6 



11 



6 



49 



Lime .... 



8 '72 



8 



17 



9 



06 



8 



65 



Magnesia 



9*84 



7 



03 



9 



10 



8 



66 



Peroxide of Iron . 



1-46 



0 



96 



0 



48 



0 



96 



Potash .... 



8-^4 



27 



90 



27 



53 



21- 



26 



Soda 



12-21 



3 



01 



5 



83 



7 



01 



Chloride of Sodium . 



37-66 



34 



39 



29 



•85 



33- 



96 



Chloride of Potassium^' 

















Total , , . 



99-95 



99 



•96 



99 



96 



99 



93 



It will be seen by the first of these tables that different speci- 

 mens of beet bulb give an ash very much alike. Nos. 106 and 

 108 most nearly resemble each other, although of different variety, 

 which would lead us to believe that variety does not here, more 

 than in the case of turnips, exert on the composition of the ash an 

 influence sufficiently great to be observed over the other circum- 

 stances of the plant. 



The chief features in the composition of the* ash are, the large 

 proportion of alkalies present in it as carbonates, but existing in 

 the vegetable itself no doubt in great part in the form of nitrates, 

 which are well known to be constituents of beet. The phos- 

 phoric acid, the sulphuric acid, and the lime are found in the 

 mangold bulb ash in smaller quantity than in that of the turnip. 

 The high per centage of common salt in beet is remarkable : in 

 one case it constitutes one-half, in another one-fourth, of the 

 entire mineral matter. 



The ash of the three specimens of beet-leaf analyzed is very 

 similar in composition : indeed there is here much more resem- 

 blance than in the turnip-leaves. The ash of beet-leaves con- 

 tained more phosphoric and sulphuric acid, more lime and mag- 

 nesia, but less alkali, and a smaller amount of alkaline carbonates 

 than that of the bulb. It contains, however, like the bulb, a 

 very considerable quantity of common salt. The ash of both 

 bulb and leaf evidences a partial substitution of soda for potash. 

 A table of the mineral constituents in a given weight of beet will 

 afford us further subject of thought : — ■ 



