Proceedings Volume 10 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1851 Excerpt: ...and arrest the growth of the plant, and leave it in a state of equilibrium, but they cannot turn the wheels back, another influence must do this work, the chemical action of the oxygen. It can be readily foreseen that if we possess ourselves of the chemical and mechanical decompositions and transformation of the different families of plants, we can assist their production and preservation, and they will respond to our care, if applied in the beaten track that nature has marked out for us to follow. ANALYSIS OF THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. BY J. D. SALISBURY, M. D. Vegeto-chemical analyses are instituted for the purpose of ascertaining either quantitatively or qualitatively the proximate and ultimate organic and inorganic constituents of the whole plant, and its several parts. It is requisite in studying the physiology of plants, that equal attention be paid to these three kinds of analysis, for there is a great distinction between the chemistry of inorganic and organic bodies; that in the former case the determination of the proximate principles can be inferred from that of the ultimate constituents, while in the latter case no such rule holds good. Hence these methods of analysis must be conducted separately and distinctly., In the examination of any given plant special attention should be directed to the percentage of inorganic matter, organic matter and water in the different proximate organs, as the root, stem, leaves, &c, separately, and in the whole plant. This gives us not only the percentage of water, dry matter, and inorganic matter, in the whole plant, but also, the percentage of these in the several organs individually. To illustrate its practical bearing, suppose the plant in view is one commonly cultivated for food, for instance maize. We deter...