ELEMENTS AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY, IN A COURSE OF LECTURES DELIVERED BEFORE THE BOARD 0F AGRICULTURE. BY SIR HUMPHRY DAVY, PRESIDENT OP THE ROYAL SOCIETY. A NEW EDITION WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF SOILS, AND COPIOUS NOTES, RECENT DISCOVERERS AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. Bought in 1916 for the Stau Library GLASGOW PUBLISHED BY RICHARD GRIFFIN AND COMPANY AM THOMAS TEGG, LOOTON, PRINTED BY ROBERT MALCOLM, Nelson Street, GLASGOW. By THE EDITOR, from the year 1802 to 1812, and published by Mm in 1813, is here presented to the Pule, bought down to the knowledge of the present day by the addition of copious Notes, embracing the important new in formation that has resulted from tie numerous researches, CONTENTS. Advertisement, . . . . . iii. LECTURE I. INTRODUCTION, ..... 1 Objects and arrangement of the Course, . . ib. Phenomena of Vegetation, .... 3 Composition and Food of Plants, . . . .4 Economy of Vegetation, .... 6 Operation of Alkaline Substances, . . . .8 Fallowing, Burning, Irrigation, c., ... 9 Importance of just Chemical Principles, . , .10 LECTURE II. General Powers of Matter which Influence Vegetation, . 13 Influence of Gravitation, . . . . ib. Causes of the Directions of Plants, . . . 14 Chemical Attraction, . . . . .16 Effects of Heat on Vegetation, . . . 17 Radiation of Heat Dew, , . . .18 Influence of Electricity on Plants, . . . 19 Elements of Vegetable Bodies, . . . .20 Elementary Bodies, . . . ib. Non-metallic Bodies, . . . . .21 Metallic Bodies, ..... 23 Chemical Combination, . . . . .25 Chemical Symbols, ..... 26 Compound Bodies, . . . . .27 Distinctions between Organic and Inorganic Bodies, . 28 LECTURE III. Organisation of Plants, . . . . .30 Vascular and Cellular Plants, .... 31 Exogenous and Endogenous Plants, , . . ib. Bark. - Wood, ..... 32 Vascular Tissue, . . . . . Structure of Wood, 34 Theory of the Circulation of the Sap, . , .35 Structure of Leaves, . . . . 37 Fall of the LeaJU, - .38 Parts of the Flower .... 39 Functions of Stamen and Pistils, . . . .40 Structure of Seeds, . . .41 Vegetable Proximate Principles. Gum. - Mucilage, . , 43 Staxch, . .44 CONTENTS. Sugar, . . . .45 Manna, ...... 47 Albumen, . . .48 Gluten. Caoutchouc, . . . 49 Extractive Matter, . . . .50 Tannin, ...., 51 Indigo, . . .53 Vegetable Alkalies, . . m , .54 Wax, . . . . . .55 Resin. Camphor, . . . 56 Fixed Oils, . . . . . .57 Essential Oils, .... 58 Woody Tissue, . . . . .59 Vegetable Acids, . , . . , 60 Inorganic Constituents of Plants, . . . ,63 Saussures Table of the Inorganic Constituents of Plants, . 65 Proximate Analysis, - . . . .67 Ultimate Analysis, . . . ,69 Laws Deduced from Ultimate Analysis of Plants, 71 Transformation of Starch into Sugar, ... 72 Fermentation, . . . .73 Alcohol, ...... 74 Christisons Table of Alcohol in Wines, . . .75 Brandes Table of the same, , . 76 Ether, . . . . . .77 Starch in Plants, ... - . 78 Proximate Analysis of Grain, , . . .79 Proximate Analysis of Beans, . . 80 Colouring Matter, . . . . ,81 Table of Nutritive Matter in Grain, c., . . 82 Barbary and Sicilian Wheat, . . . .83 APPENDIX TO LECTURE III. Boussingaults Tables of the Comparative Nutritive Power of Aliments, 85 Antoines Table of Comparative Value of Fodders, . .86 Remarks on Tables of Equivalents, 87 Boussingaults Tables of Ultimate Analyses of Field-crops, . 88 LECTURE IV. Constituents of Soils, . . . . 89 Composition of Rocks and Minerals from which Soils are Derived, 90 Saline Constituents of Soils, . . . .93 Apparatus for the Analysis of Soils, ... 94 Reagents, . . . . . ,96 Method of Determining the Density of Soils, . . 97 Analysis of Soils, . . . . .98 Estimation of Water, ib. Separation of Impalpable Matter from Coarser Parts, . . 99 Analysis of Impalpable Matter, . . . 100 Analysis of Saline Matter, , . . ...