The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-06-19
A Short Lesson in Chemistry.


Vegetable and animal substances,
and manures and soils rs well, contain
.hree kinds of material Water, Or
.s7tic Matter, and Mineral Matter, or
-fM. If you keep wisp of hay or a
bone for a time in a hot oven, the
gutter will be driven out. If you put
-he dried material in the fire, the
arganjc substance will be burned
away, and escape as gas OF smoke,
while the mineral matter will be left
as ashes. The ash was all gathered
by the plant from the soil. Part OF
The organic matter was supplied by
che soil also, but the most of it came
from the air, to which it returns when
i is consumed. The Organic Matter
consists chiefly Of the four chemical
clements, Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen
and Nitrogen. We are familiar with
'arbon in charcoal and lamp-black,
which are nearly pure, and in dia-
a1ond which is quite pure carbon.
Carbon united to oxygen forms car
bonic acid. Hydrogen and oxygen,
which in their pure state are gases,
.Inite to form water. When we in
hale air in breathing, its oxygen is
absorbed into the blood through the
lungs. and unltes with carbon and
hydrogen of our bodies and our food,
and we exhale carbonic acid and
water. When wood burns in the
stove. or vegetables decay in the air,
-arbonic acid and water are likewise
produced. We need not trouble our
selves about carbon, oxygen and hy-
lrogen. in fertilizers, because they are
supplied to the plant in abundance by
she atmosphere and the soil, through
The leaves and through the roots.
But the
NITROGEN
j. an important ingredient OF fertil-
;zerS. 1t is, in its pure state, a gas,
md makes up about four-fiiths of the
air, the other fifth being oxygen.
Nitrogen combined with hydrogen
9orms .1n,mo,,ia. The odor OF "spirits
Of hartshorn. and of smelling salts, >
j due to the ammonia. Nitrogen,
combined with oxygen, is known as
-NItiic -1cid. In these and other COM
biuations it occurs in minute quaint
ties in the atmosphere, and in consid-
cradle quantities i'll soils and manures.
Plants are unable to make use Of the
pure nitrogen ofthe air, though they
absorb a very little combined nitro
gen, in the form of ammonia, nitric
acid, etc, from the atmosphere. by
1iaH the largest part of the nitrogen
Of plants is absorbed from the sol
through the roots. Nitrogen is avail
able to plants only in certain combi
nations: is slow to form these com
pounds, and easily leaves them. II
readily escapes from the manures and
soils into the air, and is leached away
bv water. 1t is one Of the most
commonly deficient, and hence the
most costly ingredients of the food
Of plants. Farmers are continually
paying from 20 to 40 cents per pound
for nitrogen in fertilizers, and theil
crops often fail for want of it.
.Nihutes are compounds OF nitric
lcid with other materials called bases
Thus nitric acid united with the base
soda, forms Nitrate Of Soda, which
Is one OF the most valuable of oul
fertilizers.
THE MINERAL NATTER OR ASH
consists of several ingredients, Of
which the names are Potash, Soda
Lime. Magnesia, Iron, Silica, Sui
phuric Acid, Pnosphoric Acid, and
Chlorine.
Potash The basis Of this is a very
soft, light, silver-colorcd metal, called
P0tdssi,hm. Potassium unites with
oxygen to form a compound which is
known in chemistry as potassiumoX
ide or oxide of potassium. 1t is also
called POTASH, or more familiarity
potash. When wood ashes are
feached the potash is dissolved out
and it is the active ingredient of the
I've.
Sofa, or sodium oxide, is com
pound of oxygen with the metal
Sodium. What is commonly called
soda, is cur6ondte Of soda, Il com
pound of soda with carbonic acid
Common salt contains sodium also
but here combined with clorine in
stead OF oxygen. Chlorine, by itself
is yellowish green gas. AS it unites
with sodium to make chloride Of so
Mun, or common salt, so, when
united with potassium, it forms chic
ride of potassium. Potassium chic
ride is the chief ingredient of muri-
ate of potash" one of the most i'm.