Seed. Straw.
1 2·30
2 3·25 3·43
3 4·27 3·62
4 3·40 3·39
5 2·99 3·90
6 3·19 6·80
7 2·53 3·90
8 2·27 6·59
9 2·69 3·49
10 1·61 3·91
11 3·11 5·28
12 3·34 7·57
13 2·78 3·76
14 3·01 3·38

Although those differences are very large, especially in the straw, and must be attributed to the soil, it has hitherto been found impossible to ascertain the nature of the relation subsisting between it and the crops it yields; indeed, it must obviously be dependent on very complicated questions, which cannot at present be solved, for it may be observed that the increase in the grain does not occur simultaneously with that in the straw, and in several cases a large proportion of ash in the former is associated with an unusually small amount in the latter. A priori, it might be expected that those soils which are especially rich in the more important constituents of the ash should yield a produce containing more than the average quantity, but this is very far from being an invariable occurrence, and not unfrequently the very reverse is the case. In some instances the variations may be traced to the soil, as in the following analyses of the fruit of the horse-chesnut, grown on an ordinary forest soil, and on a rich soil, produced by the disintegration of porphyritic rock, in which the latter yields a much larger quantity of ash:—

Kernel of seed.Green husk.Brown husk.
Forest soil2·264·531·70
Porphyry soil3·367·292·20

In the majority of instances we fail to establish any connection between the nature of the soil and the plants it yields, chiefly because we are still very deficient in analyses of those grown on uncultivated soils; and on cultivated land it is impossible to draw conclusions, because the nature of the manure exerts an influence quite as great, if not greater, than that of the soil itself.

The relative proportion in which the different mineral matters enter into the composition of the ash varies within very wide limits, as will be apparent from the following table, containing a selection of the best analyses of our common cultivated and a few uncultivated plants.

Table of the Composition of the Ash of different Plants in 100 Parts.

Note.—Alumina and oxide of manganese occur so rarely, that separate columns have not been introduced for them, but their quantity is stated in notes at the end of the table.

Potash. Soda. Chloride of Potassium. Chloride of Sodium. Lime. Magnesia.
Wheat, grain 30·02 3·82 ... ... 1·15 13·39
straw 17·98 2·47 ... ... 7·42 1·94
chaff 9·14 1·79 ... ... 1·88 1·27
Barley, grain 21·14 ... 5·65 1·01 1·65 7·26
straw 11·22 ... ... 2·14 5·79 2·70
Oats, grain[B] 20·63 ... 1·03 ... 10·28 7·82
straw 19·46 1·93 2·71 4·27 7·01 3·79
chaff[C] 6·33 3·93 ... 0·24 1·95 0·38
Rye, grain 33·83 0·39 ... ... 2·61 12·81
straw 17·20 ... 0·30 0·60 9·10 2·40
Maize, grain 28·37 1·74 ... trace 0·57 13·60
stalks and leaves 35·26 ... ... 2·29 10·53 5·52
Rice, grain 20·21 2·49 ... ... 7·18 4·26
Buckwheat, straw 31·71 ... 7·42 4·55 15·71 1·66
Peas (gray), seed 41·70 ... 3·82 1·24 4·78 5·78
straw 21·30 4·22 ... ... 37·17 7·17
Beans (common field),
grain 51·72 0·54 ... ... 5·20 6·90
straw 32·85 2·77 ... 11·54 19·85 2·53
Tare, straw 32·82 ... 3·27 4·03 20·78 5·31
straw 31·72 ... 7·41 4·55 15·71 1·66
Flax, seed 34·17 1·69 ... 0·36 8·40 13·11
straw 21·53 3·68 ... 9·21 21·20 4·20
Rape, seed[D] 16·33 0·34 ... 0·96 8·30 8·80
straw[E] 16·63 10·57 ... 2·53 21·51 2·92
Spurry 26·12 1·14 ... 8·90 14·46 8·88
Chicory root 34·64 ... 8·92 2·98 ... ...
Red clover 25·60 ... 9·08 6·02 21·57 8·47
Cow grass, Trifolium medium 22·78 ... 12·39 1·86 24·42 8·86
Yellow clover 27·48 ... 11·72 8·16 17·26 8·39
Alsike clover 29·72 ... 6·29 1·05 26·83 4·01
Lucerne 27·56 ... 11·64 1·91 20·60 5·22
Anthoxanthum odoratum 32·03 ... 7·03 4·90 9·21 2·53
Alopecurus pratensis 37·03 ... 9·50 ... 3·90 1·28
Avena pubescens 31·21 ... 4·05 5·66 4·72 3·17
Bromus erectus 20·33 ... 10·63 1·38 10·38 4·99
Bromus mollis 30·09 0·33 ... 3·11 6·64 2·60
Cynosurus cristatus 24·99 ... 11·60 ... 10·16 2·43
Dactylis glomerata 29·52 ... 17·86 3·09 5·82 2·22
Festuca duriuscula 31·84 ... 8·17 0·62 10·31 2·83
Holcus lanatus 34·83 ... 3·91 6·66 8·31 3·41
Lolium perenne 24·67 ... 13·80 7·25 9·64 2·85
Annual ryegrass 28·99 0·87 ... 5·11 6·82 2·59
Poa annua 41·86 ... 0·47 3·35 11·69 2·44
Poa pratensis 31·17 ... 11·25 1·31 5·63 2·71
Poa trivialis 29·40 ... 6·90 ... 8·80 3·22
Phleum pratense 31·09 ... 0·70 3·24 14·94 5·30
Plantago lanceolata 33·26 ... 4·53 8·80 19·01 3·51
Poterium Sanguisorba 30·26 ... 3·27 1·35 24·82 4·21
Achillea Millefolia 30·37 ... 20·49 3·63 13·40 3·01
Potato, tuber 43·18 0·09 ... 7·92 1·80 3·17
stem 39·53 3·95 ... 20·43 14·85 4·10
leaves 17·27 ... 4·95 11·37 27·69 7·78
Jerusalem Artichoke 55·89 ... 4·88 ... 3·34 1·30
stem 38·40 0·69 ... 4·68 20·31 1·91
leaves 6·81 3·72 ... 1·82 40·15 1·95
Turnip, seed 21·91 1·23 ... ... 17·40 8·74
bulb 23·70 14·75 ... 7·05 11·82 3·28
leaves 11·56 12·43 ... 12·41 28·49 2·62
Mangold Wurzel, root 21·68 3·13 ... 49·51 1·90 1·79
leaves 8·34 12·21 ... 37·66 8·72 9·84
Carrot, root 42·73 12·11 ... ... 5·64 2·29
leaves 17·10 4·85 ... 3·62 24·05 0·89
Kohl-rabi, bulb 36·27 2·84 ... 11·90 10·20 2·36
leaves 9·31 ... 5·99 6·66 30·31 3·62
Cow cabbage, head 40·86 2·43 ... ... 15·01 2·39
stalk 40·93 4·05 ... 2·08 10·61 3·85
Poppy seed 9·10 ... 7·15 1·94 35·36 9·49
leaves 36·37 ... 2·50 2·51 30·24 6·47
Mustard seed (white) 25·78 0·33 ... ... 19·10 5·90
Radish root 21·16 ... 1·29 7·07 8·78 3·53
Tobacco leaves 36·37 ... 2·50 2·51 30·24 6·47
Fucus nodosus[F] 20·03 4·58 ... 24·33 9·60 6·65
Fucus vesiculosus[G] 20·75 6·09 ... 24·81 8·92 5·83
Laminaria digitata[H] 12·16 ... 2·30 19·34 4·62 10·94
Oxide of Iron. Phosphoric Acid. Sulphuric Acid. Carbonic Acid. Silica.
Wheat, grain 0·91 46·79 ... ... 3·89
straw 0·45 2·75 3·09 ... 63·89
chaff 0·37 4·31 ... ... 81·22
Barley, grain 2·13 28·53 1·91 ... 30·68
straw 1·36 7·20 1·09 ... 68·50
Oats, grain 3·85 50·44 ... ... 4·40
straw 1·49 5·07 3·35 1·36 49·56
chaff 1·58 1·04 9·61 ... 72·85
Rye, grain 1·04 39·92 0·17 ... 9·22
straw 1·40 3·80 0·80 ... 64·50
Maize, grain 0·47 53·69 ... ... 1·55
stalks and leaves 2·28 8·09 5·16 2·87 27·98
Rice, grain 2·12 62·23 ... ... 1·37
Buckwheat, straw ... 10·34 4·67 20·37 3·57
Peas (gray), seed 0·18 36·50 4·47 0·82 0·68
straw 1·07 4·65 8·68 12·48 3·23
Beans (common field),
grain ... 28·72 3·05 3·42 0·42
straw 0·61 0·49 1·40 25·32 2·61
Tare, straw 0·65 10·59 2·52 18·73 1·28
straw ... 10·34 4·67 20·37 3·57
Flax, seed 0·50 38·54 1·56 0·22 1·45
straw 5·58 7·53 3·39 15·75 7·92
Rape, seed 1·79 31·90 5·38 5·44 19·98
straw 1·30 4·68 3·90 23·04 11·80
Spurry ... 10·20 1·79 27·38 1·14
Chicory root ... ... ... ... ...
Red clover 1·26 4·09 2·96 18·05 1·95
Cow grass, Trifolium medium 1·09 4·94 2·66 20·16 1·12
Yellow clover 1·40 ... 4·82 4·31 1·76
Alsike clover 0·71 5·64 3·25 20·74 1·73
Lucerne 2·23 6·47 4·80 15·94 2·63
Anthoxanthum odoratum 1·18 10·09 3·39 1·26 28·35
Alopecurus pratensis 0·47 6·25 2·16 0·65 38·75
Avena pubescens 0·72 10·82 3·37 ... 36·28
Bromus erectus 0·26 7·53 5·46 0·55 38·48
Bromus mollis 0·28 9·62 4·91 9·07 33·34
Cynosurus cristatus 0·18 7·24 3·20 ... 40·11
Dactylis glomerata 0·59 8·60 3·52 2·09 26·65
Festuca duriuscula 0·78 12·07 3·45 1·38 28·53
Holcus lanatus 0·31 8·02 4·41 1·82 28·31
Lolium perenne 0·21 8·73 5·20 0·49 27·13
Annual ryegrass0·2810·073·45...41·79
Poa annua 1·57 9·11 10·18 3·29 16·03
Poa pratensis 0·28 10·02 4·26 0·40 32·93
Poa trivialis 0·29 9·13 4·47 0·29 37·50
Phleum pratense 0·27 11·29 4·86 4·02 31·09
Plantago lanceolata 0·90 7·08 6·11 14·40 2·37
Poterium Sanguisorba 0·86 7·81 4·84 21·72 0·83
Achillea Millefolia 0·21 7·13 2·44 9·36 9·92
Potato, tuber 0·44 8·61 15·24 18·29 1·94
stem 1·34 6·68 6·56 ... 2·56
leaves 4·50 13·60 6·37 ... 6·47
Jerusalem Artichoke 0·45 16·99 3·77 11·80 1·52
stem 0·88 2·97 3·23 25·40 1·51
leaves 1·14 6·61 2·21 24·31 17·25
Turnip, seed 1·95 40·17 7·10 0·82 0·67
bulb 0·47 9·31 16·13 10·74 2·69
leaves 3·02 4·85 10·36 6·18 8·04
Mangold Wurzel, root 0·52 1·65 3·14 15·23 1·40
leaves 1·46 5·89 6·54 6·92 2·35
Carrot, root 0·51 12·31 4·26 18·00 1·11
leaves 3·43 6·21 5·08 23·15 11·61
Kohl-rabi, bulb 0·38 13·45 11·43 10·24 0·83
leaves 5·50 9·43 10·63 8·97 9·57
Cow cabbage, head 0·77 12·53 7·27 16·68 1·66
stalk 0·41 19·57 11·11 6·33 1·04
Poppy seed 0·41 31·38 1·92 ... 3·24
leaves 2·14 3·28 5·09 ... 11·40
Mustard seed (white) 0·39 44·97 2·19 ... 1·31
Radish root 1·19 41·09 7·71 ... 8·17
Tobacco leaves 2·18 3·24 5·09 ... 11·40
Fucus nodosus 0·26 1·71 21·97 6·39 0·38
Fucus vesiculosus 0·35 2·14 28·01 2·20 0·67
Laminaria digitata 0·45 1·75 7·26 15·23 1·20