— 63 — 
than in either of the other two thirds, but the dry matter from the 
third, or bottom, third is richer in ash than either of the other two 
thirds. 
I have failed to find any relation between the percentage of 
sugar and the percentage of ash, and also between the percentage of 
sugar and the composition of the ash. 
The composition of the ash of the beets seems not to have been 
affected by the different character of the soils experimented with, 
either because there was so great an abundance of available, and to 
the plant, acceptable mineral matter present that it was not affected 
by the presence of a large quantity of other salts, or the composi- 
tion of the ash of the sugar beet is very constant. I think that the 
latter is the case; the composition of the ash being represented by 
the following approximate percentages: Sulphuric acid, 3.5 ; phos- 
phoric acid, 7-9 ; alkalies, 48-52 ; lime, 2-3 ; magnesia, 6 ; chlorin, 
11.50-14.50; carbon dioxid, about 15. 
The ash of the beet leaf has a general composition which, like 
that of the beet, is the same throughout the season, except that 
there is an increase in the chlorin as the plant approaches ma- 
turity. 
The ash of the leaves differs from the ash of the roots in the 
following points : The ash of the leaves contains from one third 
to one fourth as much phosphoric acid, from two to three times as 
much chlorin, a little more lime, about one half more magnesia, 
and about one thirteenth less alkalies. The most important differ- 
ence is the ratio of the soda to the potash, which is one, or more 
than one, to one. 
