664 Analyses of Ashes of Plants. 
There are several peculiarities about the crops of wheat which 
followed these poor crops of turnips. We give a table of them to 
assist our explanation. 
Table VIII. — Specimens of Wheat on No. 5 and 6 fields, College 
Farm. 
Specific 
Gravity. 
Ash of 
Grain. 
Ash of 
Straw, 
Ash of 
Chaft'. 
Specimen No. 5. — Pristol red 
„ No. 7. — Red-chafl' Dantzic . 
„ No. 8. — Piper's thickset 
„ No. 9.— Wliite chair . 
J, No. 10. — Hopeton 
1-370 
1-387 
1-350 
1-313 
1-354 
1-54 
1-36 
1-48 
1-54 
1-51 
3- 92 
4- 87 
500 
4-74 
3-77 
11- 98 
12- 97 
8-52 
11-61 
11-34 
We have already stated that the lowest per centage of ash 
whicli we have met with in the grain of wheat, is that of specimen 
No. 7 above. 
The mean of the ash in wheat is, it will be remembered, 1-67 
per cent. ; so that the whole of these specimens fall short of the 
average quantity. Piper's thickset, grown by Mr. Bowly, gives 
1'73 per cent, of ash; and red Britannia (Spec. 22), which is of 
the same character, r82 per cent., whilst here the per centage is 
only 1-48. 
It will be observed that the specific gravity of all these speci- 
mens is also low ; No. 9 being peculiar as possessing the vei-y 
lowest specific gravity of any sample of wheat which we have ex- 
amined. But at the same time that we consider some connection 
to exist between the sterile condition ol' tiie soil and the quantity 
of mineral matter in the crop, we cannot but acknowledge our in- 
ability to give a satisfactory account of the matter; for the quan- 
tity of crop — the fact of bones and guano having been applied, 
and other circumstances, would seem to require some other expla- 
nation of the observed peculiarities. An analysis of the soil might 
possibly throw light upon the subject; but unfortunately the time 
at which our conclusions are obtained, does not admit of this 
being eflected for the present Report. The inquiry will however 
be resumed in the next paper. 
A knowledge of the circumstances which influence the quan- 
tity of mineral matter in samples of wheat is really of very great 
impoi tance, whether their quality is influenced thereby or not ; for 
not only, as will shortly bo seen, does the grain rob the soil of a 
large portion of its most valuable higredients, but a knowledge of 
this connection might direct us to the principle upon which the 
different inorganic substances in plants arc regulated. 
It is curious that the larger the crop in any instance, the 
smaller in general is the per centage of ash in the grain. 
