January 7 , 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
9 
table substance hid been accurately analysed ; and although in the 
thirty years following much was learned about the different elements 
contained in plants, it was not until after the investigations of Liebig 
that our knowlelge of the chemistry of plants progressed with any 
satisfactory degree of rapidity. 
Chemical Elements. 
4, All matter is composed of about seventy different chemical 
elements. A chemical element is any substance which cannot, by any 
known means, be separated into two or three different kinds of matter. 
For example, gold is an element, because in whatever manner it may be 
treated we cannot get anything out of it but gold ; pure gold contains 
nothing but gold. So, nitrogen is an element, because, as far as we 
are able to find out, it contains {only one thing, that is, nitrogen. 
Similarly, cirbon, sulphur, potassium, oxygen, and iron are elements. 
Juit as the twenty-six letters of our alphabet are combined in various 
ways to form the words of a whole language, so these seventy elements or 
simple substances, constituting Nature’s alphabet of matter, are capable 
of being united to produce all the different chemical compounds that go 
to make up the countless forms of matter. The number of different 
comb'nitions possible between’these seventy elements is practically 
infinite. 
Elementary Composition op Plants. 
5, When we state what elements any substance contains, we give 
its elementary composition. For example, sugar contains the elements 
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; this is a statement of the elementary 
comp isition of sugar. So when we state what elements a plant contains 
we give its elementary composition or analysis. The term ultimate 
comp isitmn means the same as elementary composition. We will now 
consider the elementary composition of plants. 
6, Tae exact number of different kinds of plants growing on the 
earth has never been definitely ascertained, but the number probably 
exceeds 200,000. Of this large number only a few have been subjected 
to car-fful chemical analysis, and yet so uniform in all its great variety 
are N iture’s methods of working and building that we can quite safely 
say that, so far as the elementary composition of plants is concerned, 
little remains to be learned. Chemical analysis shows that of the 
seventy elements known to exist, only fourteen are essential to produce 
all the different forms of vegetable life. 
Wnile all plants contain certain chemical compounds, such as cellu¬ 
lose, albuminoides, &c., it may be that each plant contains, in some one 
or all of its parts, one or more chem’cal compounds peculiar to itself, 
so that there may be as many distinct chemical compounds in the 
vegetib’e kingdom as there are different species of plants. This, of 
course, cannot be known absolutely until aU plants in existence have 
been carefully analysed ; but whether the number of different chemical 
compounds in the vegetable kingdom be a few thousand or a few 
hundred thousand, we know that they are almost entirely made up of 
fourteen elements, and these, therefore, form the chemical alphabet of 
the vegetable kingdom, all the different vegetaole compounds, like 
words from letters, being formed by the union of two or more of these 
elements. 
The fourteen elements which are regarded as being necessary to the 
perfect growth and development of every plant are the following :— 
C irbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine, 
silicon, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and sodium. 
The element fluorine is of frequent occurrence in very small quantities, 
and the following elements are of rare or doubtful occurrence :—Alumi¬ 
nium, barium, bromine, cobalt, copper, iodine, lead, lithium, nickel, 
rubidium, tin, titanium, and zinc, but their occurrence is a matter of 
curiosity rather than of practical importance, for, nn ike the fourteen 
named above, they seem in no way to be necessary to plant life. 
Air-derived and Soil-derived Elements. 
7. The elements that are necessary to the growth of plants may be 
divided into two quite distinct classes, which have important and 
marked differences. These two classes are :—1, Air-derived or organic 
elements. 2, Soil-derived or inorganic elements. 
Air-derived Elements. 
Carbon. 
Hydrogen. 
Oxygen. 
Nitrogen. 
Soil-derived Elements. 
Phosphorus. 
Sulphur. 
Chlorine. 
Silicon. 
Calcium. 
Iron. 
Potassium. 
Sodium. 
Magnesium. 
Manganese. 
8, It is usual among writers on agricultural chemistry to call these 
classes organic and inorganic elements, but this use of these words is 
extreme y inaccurate, for any element maybe either organic or inorganic, 
according as it is or is not a part or product of an organised body. 
Oxygen, as it exists in the air, is inorganic matter ; but when through 
vital orocisses it becomes part of an .animal or plant, it is organic. 
9, These two classes of elements differ in three important particulars, 
as folio ws: — 
Firs*--.—The elements of the first class are derived exclusively from the j 
air, either directly or indirectly; while those of the second class come 
exclusively from the soil. 
Second.—Air-derived elements disappear, for the most part, in the 
form of gases, when a plant is burned ; while the soil-derived elements, 
usually the smaller part, are left in the form of residue or ash, which 
further heating will not have any effect upon. Some carbon and 
oxygen and nitrogen are .always found in the ash, while slight quantities 
of chlorine, sulphur and phosphorus are apt to be driven off by heating. 
The two classes of elements are, therefore, not so sharply defined in this 
regard as they are in respect to the sources fiom which they come. 
Third.—These two classes differ very noticeably in regard to the 
quantities in which they are pr. sent in plants. Thus, the air-derived 
elements constitute at least 9.") per cent, of the whole vegetable 
kingdom, while the soil-derived elements occur in small quantities, 
varying from a fraction of 1 per cent, up to 10 per cent., or even more 
in some cases. Because the soil-derived elements occur in so much 
smaller quantity, it does not follow that their presence is of less 
importance ; in their absence, vegetation would disappear. 
We will now consider each of these elements in order, and mention 
briefly some of the more important characteristics of each ; but, before 
doing this, it is desired to explain the meaning of two or three chemical 
terms which we shall have occasion to use .—'^Bulletin of the New Yorh 
Agricultural Exj)erimental Station.') 
(To be continued.) 
BASING PARK GARDENS. 
Basing Park, the seat of W. Nicholson, Esq., late M.P. for Peters- 
field, is situated almost in the centre of a triangle, the point of each 
angle being Petersfield, Ropley, and Alton. For visitors Petersfield or 
Ropleyis most convenient ; preference should be given, however, to the 
former, as the road and scenery by that route are very good and pictur¬ 
esque ; dells and banks in repeated succession are passed, and at 
various points along the Petersfield hills splendid views of forty or fifty 
miles of country are obtained. The lodge is reached after four miles 
drive, and looking towards the mansion the serpentine drive stretches 
for three miles. The first mile is on the incline with the church at the 
top ; rhe drive is belted on both sides with Spruce and Larch, 
leaving a margin of 10 or 15 yards of grass, which is kept mown, upon 
which there is a fine Arauc,iria imbricata at every 10 yards. The 
church is an ornament to the landscape for miles around, and was 
built by Mr. Nicho'son at the cost of some £20,00.0. Continuing our 
journey along the drive, which now slopes the other way, and is straight 
for a mile, the whole length is taken in at a glance. There is plenty 
to interest one, every Araucaria being a study in itself. The female 
trees are crammed with cones, and some measure 40 feet with a C foot 
trunk, the males 45 feet high, and trunk 9 feet. 
The gardener’s house is a villa standing in its own pleasure grounds, 
and its occupier is one of the best gardeners of the day, not as an 
exhibitor, for he receives a set off to this, but as a praetical gardener in 
every branch. Having known Mr. Smythe the greater part of the nineteen 
years he served the Earl of Sondes, Elmham Hall—which place he made 
noted by his fine specimen Heaths, Orchids, and fine-foliage plants and 
fruit culture in its best form—lean speak from experience of his ability. 
He has now been at Basing nearly sixteen years, and his success has 
been as great, or even greater, than in the former place. 
The arboretum or American garden is some 7 acres in extent. It 
is a perfect maze, and only the initiated can find their way about it. 
A margin each side of the walks is grassed, with dotted shrubs ; all the 
rest is planted with specimen trees, of which . some of the best are 
Taxodium distichum, 55 feet high, trunk 13 feet in girth ; Picea Nord- 
manniana, 50 feet high, the trunk 8 feet in girth; Cedar Diodora, 55 feet 
high; Abies Menziesi, 65 feet high, trunk 9 feet 6 inches in girth ; 
Abies Douglasi, 70 feet high, the trunk 11 feet ,6 inches in girth. 
Crossing the drive over a rustic bridge we pass on to the glass houses, 
two ranges of six houses running parallel to the bothips. They are 
filled with Pines, Orchids, and foliage plants, some of the Cypripediums 
being excellent specimens. A north greenhouse is filled with Justicias 
and cool Orchids. Passing through a range of back offices (130 yards 
long, including the best potting shed I have ever seen) into the vineries, 
six in number, with an early Peach house; this range is nearly 100 yards 
long. Nos. land 2 were divested of their crops; No. 3 had some fine 
bunches of Muscat of Alexandria ; No. 4 was full of young Vines, 
heavily cropped with well hammered berries and a beautiful colour; 
No. 5 contains Alicante and Gros Colman, each Vine bearing as many 
as fifteen to twenty-five bunches, every one fit for the exhibition table 
at the best shows. 
On the outside of the west wall of the kitchen garden 
there are four more ranges of houses, comprising flowering houses, 
Orchids, and fine foliage-plants and Pine stqves. The Pines show 
good cultivation. Orchids grow like weeds, amongst which are 
several seedlings. The interesting decorative stove plants, would 
supply the material for a long article., In the-kitchen garden, the centre 
walk, the whole length is covered with Pear trees grown on an aicbed 
trellis ; the other centre cross walk, the borders of vvhich arc filled with 
choice herbaceous plants. Nothing but interesting plants are grown in 
this garden,-the extensive vegetable garden being across the parki The 
orchard house, which is over 100 yards long and 14 feet .wide, tlje front 
trellis rises from the base of the. front,,wall and bends .over (Within. 2 
feet of the ground. Pyramidal ’ Pear trees some 6 bi; 7 feet high 
are planted on the front-side of the .syalk about 8 feet apart ; the 
back wall is covered with Figs, Peaches, and Cherries, as is the front 
