Analyses of Ashes of Plants, 



193 



These analyses are, in many respects, very closely alike ; the 

 chief difference to be observed occurs in Specimen No. 114, 

 which appears to contain more of the sulphate, phosphate, and 

 carbonate of lime, but less potash and soda. Throug-hout the 

 specimens there is an indication of the equivalency or substitution 

 of soda for potash. 



The ash of carrot-root very nearly resembles that of turnips ; 

 but in place of much of the sulphates which occur in the latter, 

 carrot-root ash affords, upon analysis, a more considerable quantity 

 of carbonates. It will perhaps be better, however, to defer any 

 additional remarks on this subject till the analyses of each of 

 these roots can be placed side by side, which shall shortly be 

 done. 



The table which follows exhibits the composition of the ash of 

 carrot leaves : — 



Table 18. — Composition in 100 parts of the Ash of Carrot-leaves. 



No. of Specimen . 



112 



CO 



Mean 

 of 



the three 

 Specimens. 



Variety. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



Per Centage of Asli . 



5 -32 



4-20 



2-85 





Silica .... 



Pliosphoric Acid . 



Sulphuric Acid . 



Carbonic Acid 



Lime .... 



Magnesia 



Peroxide of Iron . 



Soda 



Chloride of Sodium . 

 Chloride of Potassium 



Total . . . 



7-39 

 2-55 



6- 68 

 16-29 

 34-98 



2-50 

 4-06 



7- 28 

 9'46 



8- 77 

 .. 



1-83 

 1-12 

 5-47 

 22-25 

 29-50 

 3-03 

 0-90 

 7-53 

 10-69 

 17-14 



4- 48 



1- 34 



5- 86 



14- 92 

 33-44 



3- -23 



2- 26 



6- 55 

 12-76 



15- 11 



4-56 



1- 67 

 6 ••20 



17-82 

 32-64 



2- 92 

 2-40 

 7-12 



10-97 

 13-67 



99-96 



99-96 99-95 



99-97 



The ash of the leaf does not greatly vary in composition in 

 these instances. It contains but little phosphoric acid, but then 

 its per centage is high ; as in the turnip and the mangold so in 

 the carrot, chloride of sodium is a much more considerable ingre- 

 dient in the leaf-ash than in that of the root. 



The ash of carrot-leaf is peculiar in one respect ; of the 

 alkalies potash and soda, the latter greatly predominates. The 

 same thing occurs in one specimen of beet-leaf (Table 1*2, Speci- 

 men No. 106), and in one specimen of turnip-top (Table 5, 

 Specimen No. 82), but in no other cases that we have yet met 

 with. This is in reality an important as well as a singular cir- 

 cumstance. The alkali soda is much more available for agricul- 



TOL. III. O 



