STRAW. 127 



STRAW. 



Xo effort was made to determine the food-value of the straw at the differ- 

 ent periods of cutting. The grain so far outranks the straw in money value 

 that the farmer is willing to sacrifice the straw, if thereby he may secure a 

 corresponding increase of value in his grain ; but the farmer is well aware of 

 the rapid deterioration of the straw by allowing it to stand till the grain is 

 dead-ripe, and if the dead-ripening is attended by no real increase of value 

 in the grain, but an actual loss in the amount of grain, and the straw deter- 

 iorates greatly in the meanwhile, he may conclude that it is best to cut his 

 grain as soon as ripe and thus save himself from needless loss. 



In the hope of doing something toward placing agriculture upon a scien- 

 tific basis, I offer this contribution to the chemistry of therij^ening of wheat. 



In making this investigation I have enjoyed the hearty and efficient coop- 

 eration of E. F. Kedzie, then my assistant in chemistry, and now Professor 

 of Chemistry in the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi, who 

 made all the analyses and otherwise assisted me in a most satisfactory manner. 



