522 
Fourth  Report  on  the  Analysis 
other  specimens  of  coarse  fibre  ; No.  10  being  the  produce  of 
Mr.  Warnes’  luxuriant  flax  (No.  2),  and  specimen  No.  11  being 
the  growth  of  H.R.H.  Prince  Albert. 
Per  centage  of  Water,  Ash,  and  Sulphur,  in  two  specimens  of  Coarse 
Flax  Fibre : — 
No.  10. 
No.  11. 
Mr.  Warnes. 
H.R.H.  Prince  Albert. 
Water  
8-76 
• 13-00 
Ash 
•69 
• -52 
Ash  calculated  on  drv  substance  . 
•76 
•60 
Sulphur  on  1000  grains  of  ^ 
t i 
2-13 
• -62 
undried  specimen 
Composition  in  100  parts  of  the  Ash  of  Coarse  Flax  Fibre  : — 
No.  10. 
Mr.  Warnes. 
No.  1 1. 
H.  11.  H. 
Prince  Albert. 
Silica 
6-18 
3-92 
Phosphoric  Acid  . . 
4-94 
11-86 
Sulphuric  Acid  . . 
3-81 
trace. 
Carbonic  Acid  . 
22-05 
14-45 
Lime  ..... 
51-58 
51-56 
Magnesia  .... 
•27 
8-47 
Peroxide  of  Iron  . . 
3 08 
5-29 
Pdtash 
4-47 
1-71 
Soda 
•62 
2-21 
Chloride  of  Potassium  . 
• . 
• • 
Chloride  of  Sodium 
• • 
•43 
Total  .... 
100-00 
100-00 
In  the  analyses  here  given  of  the  different  parts  of  flax,  one 
observation  occurs  to  us  as  applying  to  all — namely,  the  large 
proportion  of  peroxide  of  iron.  Oxide  of  iron  is  always  present 
in  small  quantity  in  the  ashes  of  plants,  although  for  the  most 
part  it  is  limited  to  1 or  1^  per  cent.  In  the  preceding  analyses 
the  proportion  is  found  in  several  cases  to  reach  5 per  cent. ; that 
it  is  not  derived  from  the  steep  water  is  plain,  because  the  un- 
steeped flax  contains  it ; that  the  soil  has  not  given  rise  to  the 
peculiarity  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  specimen 
grown  by  H.R.H.  Prince  Albert  contains  as  much  iron  as  those 
grown  in  Norfolk  by  Mr.  Warnes.  Is  the  oxide  of  iron  in  any 
way  of  more  importance  to  the  flax  plant  than  to  other  vegetables? 
This  question  we  are  unable  to  answer  satisfactorily ; but  in  the 
meanwhile  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  have  called  attention  to  the  fact 
of  its  pervading  the  entire  plant  Avith  the  exception  of  the  seed. 
Without  dwelling  on  the  analyses  of  individual  parts  of  the 
flax  plant  we  shall  proceed  at  once  to  employ  them  in  calculating 
the  effect  of  flax  culture  upon  the  mineral  supplies  of  the  soil. 
The  produce  of  flax  is  very  variable,  being  greatly  affected  by  the 
kind  of  soil  and  the  quantity  of  seed  which  is  sown.  It  would 
