318 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. ' 



RAMIE IN CALIFORNIA. 



California, which is apt to take the lead in matters of in- 

 dustrial and agricultural import, is now interested in extend- 

 ing the cultivation of the ramie, all the roots of the plant 

 that could be procured having been bought up by a company, 

 and planted, to the number of a quarter of a million, on a 

 farm in Alameda County. The principal desideratum is a 

 machine for properly dressing the fibre ; and it will be re- 

 membered that the India government offered a large prize 

 for the best arrangement for this purpose. ~No award has, 

 however, yet been made, the period of competition having 

 been extended an additional year. It is said that the ma- 

 chine of Le Franc is used in Louisiana with entire success, 

 500 pounds per day being prepared from the green stalk at 

 a very small expense. Cal. Sci. Press, March 25. 



ANALYSIS OF THE ASH OF THE POTATO. 



A careful analysis has been made by Dr. Schoras of the 

 ash resulting from the burning of potatoes, this amounting 

 to from three to four per cent, of the dried potato. Accord- 

 ing to this chemist, the proportion of potash amounts to over 

 fifty per cent., forty-five per cent, being the smallest quantity 

 observed. Of soda there is generally from two to three per 

 cent., in most cases only one per cent, being appreciable. 

 Next to the potash, magnesia enters as the principal constit- 

 uent among the bases, nevertheless amounting to only the 

 tenth part of the proportion of potash. Lime is a subordinate 

 element, in most cases scarcely equaling half the amount of 

 magnesia. The percentage of potash was found to increase 

 or diminish as the yield of the crop was greater or less, but 

 of the other bases little difference was found in this respect. 

 It was also observed that the percentage of phosphoric acid 

 increased as that of potash diminished, so that in the abun- 

 dant harvests it is proportionally less than in the scanty ones, 

 varying from ten to nearly eighteen per cent. The propor- 

 tion of sulphuric acid is tolerably constant, varying from five 

 to six per cent. The percentage of chlorine varied very 

 much, namely, from two to nearly eight per cent. The quan- 

 titative difference in the percentage of chlorine in the ashes 

 was found throughout to have a direct relationship to the 



