— 52 — 
Ash of Leaves 
from Beets Having 
10 per Cent. Sugar. 
Silica 1.100 
Sulphuric Acid 5.340 
Phosphoric Acid 7.940 
Chlorin 11.510 
PotassicOxid .32.880 
Sodic Oxid 11.510 
Calcic Oxid 12.470 
Magoesic Oxid 10.010 
Uodetermined 7.230 
Ash of Leaves 
from Beets Having 
15 per Cent. Sugar. 
1.110 
5.400 
8.000 
11.560 
33.330 
11.560 
12.500 
10.100 
6.400 
99.990 99.960 
The analyses, quoted from Champion and Pellet, evidently in- 
clude, under the term undetermined, the excess of oxygen corres- 
ponding to the chlorin present. The large quantity of silica in the 
beet ash suggests the fluxing of sand and fine particles of soil dur- 
ing the incineration of the sample. 
This source of silicic acid in the ash, has been frequently sug- 
gested m my own work, and I am fully convinced, that it is so good 
as impossible to prepare an ash from a sample containing sand and 
dust without fluxing some of it, and so bringing silicic acid into a 
soluble form. And I doubt the correctness of the practice of reck- 
oning even the soluble silicic acid in the ash analysis proper. 
Neither the analyses of the ashes from my own series, nor the 
two quoted, show a sufficiently decided variation in the composition 
of the ashes of beets, having different percentages of sugar, to admit 
of any conclusion in regard to any relation existing between the 
percentage of sugar and the composition of the ash. Further, a 
comparison of the percentages of sugar and ash present in mature 
beets, fails to show any relation between the percentage of sugar 
and the percentage of ash, as a few examples will serve to show: 
RELATION BETWEEN 
PERCENTAGES OF 1 
SUGAR AND 
ASH. 
Per Cent, of 
Per Cent, of 
Per Cent, of 
Ash in 
Ash in 
Sugar. 
Dry Matter. 
Fresh Beet. 
Beets harvested October 13 ... . 
12.15 
7.43 
1.27 
Beets harvested October 13 
14.70 
6.49 
1.17 
Beets harvested October 13 
10.13 
5.56 
1.14 
Beets harvested October 13 ... . 
12.49 
7.72 
1.25 
Beets harvested October 13 — 
12.84 
6.60 
1.25 
Beets harvested October 13 
13.61 
5.71 
1.11 
Beets harvested October 13 
11.84 
9.75 
1.39 
Beets harvested October 13 
15.20 
7.05 
1.27 
Beets harvested October 13 
12.15 
4.97 
1.09 
Beets harvested October 13 
13.65 
10.65 
1.45 
The only thing shown by these samples 
is that the 
ash of the 
sugar beet, as it grows with us, contains more alkalies than is shown 
by the two analyses of French beets, by about 7 per cent. The ash 
from our beets, without any relation to the sugar content, carries 
