A MOUNTAIN OF POTASH. 61 



remove the potash from all the cobs grown in the United 

 States, it would indeed constitute a mountain of the valuable 

 alkali. 



The corn-crop of the United States for 1870 was 1,094,- 

 000,000 bushels, of which amount 



Illinois yielded .... 



Indiana yielded 



Missouri yielded 



Iowa yielded . . . . 



A total, in four States alone, of 



201,378,000 bushels. 



113,150,000 " 

 94,990,000 " 

 93,415,000 " 



502,933,000 



The corn-crop of the whole country for 1871 was 1,100,- 

 000,000 bushels ; which, at 14 pounds cobs to the bushel, will 

 yield 15,400,000,000 pounds, or 7,700,000 tons of cobs, con- 

 taining an average of three-fourths per cent pure carbonate 

 of potassa. We have the enormous quantity of 115,500,000 

 pounds of that valviable alkali lost to commerce annually, 

 which, if thrown into trade, would add very largely to the 

 general resources of the country. 



Before passing from the subject of corn, I venture to call 

 your attention to a few points connected with the variety 

 known as sweet corn. An examination of this variety was 

 made in my laboratory several years ago with the following 

 results. The specimen was procured from Faneuil-hall 

 Market, and was fresh, and of the eight-rowed kind. The 

 analysis gave, in a hundred parts of 



Water 72.92 



Fat 1.60 



Sugar and gum 7.51 



Starch 13.54 



Nitrogeiiized substances 2.73 



As the object was to ascertain the nutritive value of the 

 corn, we present only those substances. It will be seen that 

 the corn contained of fat, sugar, gum, starch, and nitrogen- 

 ized bodies, more than twenty-five per cent. These principles 

 give to green corn a high value ; and whether it is fed to 

 animals, or placed upon our dinner-tables, it has good claims 

 to be regarded as among the important food substances. 

 That we may understand what important changes are 

 wrought in the grain by the process of ripening, we present 



