194 



Analyses of Ashes of Plants. 



tural purposes than potash, especially as the results we have ob- 

 tained * would induce a belief that a plant can obtain this alkali 

 from common salt (the commonest of all salts). If any plant be 

 found to content itself with this alkali^ such plant will undoubtedly 

 be more easy of artificial culture than others which require potash 

 and refuse to take soda instead of it : it is not said that this is the 

 case with the carrot, but attention is drawn to the uniformity of 

 the result in the case of the leaves. 



The mineral matter of a given weight of carrots will be seen by 

 the following table : — 



Table 19. — Mineral Matter in one ton of Carrot-roots (in pounds). 



No. of Specimen . 



112 



113 



114 



115 



116 



Mean 

 of 



Variety. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



the tive 

 Specimens. 



Per Centage of Ash 



0-77 



0-82 



0-92 



1-06 



0-95 





Silica .... 

 Phosphoric Acid . 

 Sulphuric Acid . 

 Lime .... 

 Magnesia ... 

 Peroxide of Iron . 

 Potash .... 

 Soda .... 

 Chloride of Sodium . 



0- 13 



1- 44 



1- 09 

 1*68 

 0*65 



0- 13 

 6-34 



2- 18 



1- 32 



0- 20 



1- 44 

 1-27 

 1-51 

 0-58 



0- 30 

 5-14 

 3-21 



1- 40 



0- 40 



1- 89 



1- 95 



2- 45 

 1-21 

 0-28 

 4-41 



3- 04 

 M4 



0- 27 



1- 92 

 1-27 

 1-44 

 0-82 



0- 28 

 9-96 



1- 94 

 1-62 



0- 21 



1- 97 



0- 98 



1- 79 

 0'74 



0- 12 

 7-09 

 3-20 



1- 62 



0- 24 



1- 73 

 1-31 



1- 77 

 0-80 



0- 22 

 6-59 



2- 71 



1- 42 



Total . 



14-96 



15*05 



16-37 



19-52 



17-72 



16-79 



Table 20. — Mineral Matter in one ton of Carrot-leaves (in pounds). 



No. of Specimen . 



112 



113 



114 



Mean 

 of 





Variety. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



White 

 Belgian. 



the three 

 Specimens. 





Per Centage of Ash 



5-32 



4-20 



2-85 







Silica .... 

 Phosphoric Acid . 

 Sulphuric Acid . 

 Lime .... 

 Magnesia 

 Peroxide of Iron . 

 Potash .... 



Chloride of Sodium . 

 Chloride of Potassium 



8-80 



3- 03 



7- 96 

 41-69 



2-98 



4- 84 



8- 67 

 11-28 

 10-45 



1-72 



1- 05 

 5-15 



27-77 



2- 71 

 0-81 

 7-09 

 9-62 



15-40 



2- 85 



0- 85 



3- 72 

 21-27 



2-05 



1- 42 



4- 17 



8- 12 



9- 61 



4- 46 



1- 64 



5- 61 

 30-24 



2- 58 

 2-36 



6- 64 

 9-67 



11-95 





Total . 





99-70 



70-62 



54-06 



75-15 





* We have not mentioned the data upon which this belief is grounded ; 

 indeed, in such questions it is better to defer a final decision until a greater 

 mass of evidence is collected. 



