S72 SIR J. B. LAWES AND DR, J. H. GILBERT ON THE COMPOSITION 
ammonium carbonate and very gently heated 1'52 ; the average amount in the eight 
entire animal ashes was—determined in the not re-ignited ash 2 - 20, in the re-ignited 
ash 0'87, and in the ash treated with ammonium carbonate I‘48. After much com¬ 
parative study of the results, the determinations after treatment with ammonium 
carbonate have been adopted throughout the series of animal ash analyses. Judging, 
however, from the recorded amounts of carbonates in numerous analyses of bones, and 
also from the analytical results themselves, as will be seen further on, it seems very 
probable that even the amounts so determined are too low. On the other hand, it 
is obvious that they are higher than in the ash in the re-ignited condition as weighed 
out for the determination of other constituents, and the generally high totals which 
the actual analyses show, are largely due to this cause. In fact, if the determina¬ 
tions of carbonic acid in the re-ignited ash had been entered in the Tables, not only 
would the totals have ranged considerably lower, but those for the carcass and entire 
animal ashes would range lower than those for the offal ashes, which is as it should be 
considering that fluorine was not determined in the ashes. 
Thirty-seven of the forty animal ash analyses recorded in this paper were made, chiefly 
in the Rothamsted Laboratory, by Mr. Richter, now of Charlottenburg, Berlin ; the 
remaining three were made by Mr. R. Warington. Partly in the Rothamsted Labo¬ 
ratory and partly at Charlottenburg, Mr. Richter has conducted nearly the whole of 
the several hundred ash analyses above referred to, as well as numerous investigations 
of method, with a view to testing the limits of accuracy of previous work, and to attain 
greater accuracy in future. Besides the points already alluded to, he has analysed 
mixtures of precipitates obtained in precisely the same way in series of analyses, 
to determine their degree of purity, and so on. It is not intended to go into these 
matters of detail of method on this occasion. Satisfactory evidence will, however, be 
afforded in the course of the discussion of the results as to the degree of accuracy and 
trustworthiness of the analyses ; and a comparison of the duplicates given in the 
Appendix-Tables I., II., and III. will afford further evidence on the point.'" 
Before considering the composition of the ashes it will be well to show at one view 
the amount, and to some extent the distribution, of the total ash in the different 
animals. The following Table (IV.) shows the amount of total ash in 100 fasted live- 
weight of each of the animals, and the proportion of the whole yielded by the carcass 
parts and the offal parts respectively. The first three columns show the amounts of 
crude ash, and the second three the amounts of pure ash. As already stated, the 
contents of stomachs and intestines are not included in the parts analysed. 
* It need only further be remarked in reference to the analyses as such, that the subsequent investi¬ 
gations of method referred to above, lead to the conclusion that the phosphoric acid determinations made 
by the magnesium process (nearly the whole) may perhaps be too high, to an extent not exceeding 
0 35 per cent. The actual results obtained are, however, recorded in the Tables; nor would any of the 
conclusions drawn be affected were the supposed correction adopted. 
