i6 ' Colorado Experiment Station. 
Green thistle t. 30.10 1.59 20.62 12.92 34.77 
Hay. 22.98 1.36 12.37 18.98 44.31 
Hay. 20.19 1.79 11.88 18.11 48.03 
Green . 29.29 1.79 19.16 12.21 37.55 
Hay discolored . .... 15.54 1.59 9.42 23.58 49.87 
Hay, Fort Collins_ 5.29 13.77 2.24 10.89 29.66 38.15 
The last sample was gathered when the plants had thorns on, 
blit were still green and succulent. 
The ash constituents in this plant are high and indicate that 
it is a heavy feeder, especially on potash, as the analyses show. 
The composition of this ash seems to vary considerably. 
analyses of THE ASH OF THE RUSSIAN THISTLE- 
Minn.* 
Minn. 
Fort 
Sample 
Sample 
Minn. 
Akron, 
Collins, 
Plants 
Thornes 
Sample 
Colorado. 
Colorado. 
Small. 
Well Out. 
Ripe. 
Carbon . 
3.95 
none 
Sand . 
Silicic acid . 
11.25 
0.73 
0.90 1 
0.49 \ 
1.93 
2.43 
3.95 
Sulfuric acid . 
2.73 
2.64 
1.52 
1.62 
4.39 
Carbonic acid . 
21.56 
22.38 
19.28 
20.25 
17.34 
Phosphoric acid. . . . 
3.70 
3.19 
3.49 
4.00 
3.11 
Chlorin . 
4.29 
13.51 
• • • • 
. • • • 
1.56 
Potassic oxid. 
28.68 
44.10 
26.82 
31.21 
27.37 
Sodic oxid . 
0.85 
0.82 
9.16 
4.25 
12.46 
Calcic oxid . 
16.44 
9.42 
26.37 
24.55 
22.39 
Magnesic oxid . 
5.52 
5.17 . 
9.66 
7.66 
5.56 
Ferric oxid . 
0.89 
0.27 
0.86 
1.01 
0.85 
Alumnic oxid. 
0.52 
Trace 
• • • • 
• • • • 
• • « • 
Manganic oxid (br) 
0.07 
0.04 
« ♦ • • 
• • • • 
• • • • 
101.16 
102.93 
Oxygen equivalent 
to chlorin . 
0.98 
3.04 
t 
100.18 
99.89 
99.09 
96.63 
98.97 
We find the phosphoric, sulfuric and carbonic acids given in 
the Minnesota analyses as phosphates, etc. I take it that this is a 
misprint and that the corresponding acid is intended. 
These analyses do not agree at all. The chlorin, for instance, 
varies from 1.56 to 13 . 51 , and my own samples differ by more 
than nine per cent. The only thing clearly evident is that this plant 
is a heavy potash feeder. 
*Report Minnesota Experiment Station, 1894, p. 36. 
^Report Kansas State Board of Agriculture, 1902, p. 25, five samples. 
