G76 



ONE-SIDEDNESS OF OUR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. 



Our agricultural production is out of balance. Our national dietary 

 is in the same condition. Our animal and vegetable food product** 

 taken together lack protein and have an excess of fats, starch, and 

 sugar. The reasons for this are simple enough when we understand 

 them. 



In the first place our vegetable products are deficient in protein. 

 Corn, our great staple, is poor in protein at best. From careless cul- 

 ture and insufficient manuring our grasses, grains, and other crops con- 

 tain much lower ]>roportions ot nitrogen than tln'v ought to and much 

 less than the same crops do in Europe, where farming is more thoroughly 

 done. 



It would be an interesting and valuable study to compare the (juan- 

 ti ties of nitrogen in plants grown in diflcrent i)la(es under ditlcrent 

 conditions of manuring and culture. Unquestl<»nably one result would 

 be to show that the ]>ercentage of pr»>tein in many if not all tuir more 

 important grasses, forage jilants. grains, and jH-rhaps other crops 

 increases with good culture antl abundant manuring. The illustrations 

 of this general fact are manifold, though much inquiry will be needed 

 before we shall know Just how to forninlate it. 



In the better cultivated jtarts of Europe much larger crops are gen- 

 erally grown than is usual with us. The statistics at hand imply that 

 the grasses and forage crops at least are much richer in nitrogen. In 

 the following table are given the average ])ercentages of protein in 

 three common species of grasses and in icd clover. 



Taiu.k II. — Comparison of proportions of proltin in Anuriran and European grasses and 



clover. 



Species. 



Timolliv (Phlnim prateiitf) 



Ori'liiinl y:r;«.sM ( l>arti/lU ijlnuicrata) . 



IJIuf ^riiss (I'liti iiratrinris) 



lied rlovpr (Tri/olium prattnuc) : 



Past lire 



In 1.11.1 



Early in lili)nsi>in 



Kiill l>Iosst(ni 



Nearly ripe 



American. 



Spori- 



nicnH 



an.-ilvzcd. 



in wal«T- 

 freesuli- 

 stjincv. 



Per cent. 



8.0 

 9.0 

 11.8 



15.7 

 14.2 



Speri 



mens 



analyzed. 



Enropean. 



Protein 



ill waltT- 



fro* 8ub- 



sUincf. 



Per eeiit. 

 11. « 

 14. 'J 

 11.6 



25.5 

 ai. 5 

 17.9 

 16.1 

 16.7 



The American figures are from the compilation of American analy- 

 ses by Messrs. Jenkins and Winton, above mentioned. The luiropean 

 are from Dietrich and Kiinig's Znaammenseizung und Verdattlichkeit <hr 

 Futicrmittvl (second edition, ISOl). In averages of analyses collated 

 from such widely diverse sources it would be wrong to exjx'ct regular- 

 ity, but taken together they show a most noteworthy advantiige of the 



