126 



injurious effect upon the animals fed with them, was the presence 

 of tin scraps in small particles. This amounted to not more than 

 one part in one thousand, but in the case of a waste bran which 

 was analyzed it reached five parts per thousand. He also notices the 

 fact that spent bran obtained in England often contains oxalic acid, sul- 

 l)huric acid, and blue vitriol: that barley-meal is adulterated with 

 wheat-flour, and that both are often adulterated with sulphate of baryta, 

 and more frequently with ground gypsum. In fact, he cites one "mix- 

 ing stuff" which contained 72 per cent, of gypsum and nearly 8 percent, 

 of fiber. These facts, while they are of very great value to English ag- 

 riculturists, are not devoid of interest to American producers and con- 

 sumers, especially in the easterly portions of our country, where adul- 

 teration is being practiced to considerable extent. 



Among other analyses lie gives the following, showing the composi- 

 tion of Gallega officinalis, a leguminous x^lant which has been proposed 

 as a substitute on clover-sick lands, and which is somewhat similar to 

 lucerne : 



Analysis of Gallvga officinalis. 



Moisture 



Oil, &c 



Flesh-formers 



Sugar, stare*, mucilage, and digestible cellulose 



Indigestible fiber 



Ash 



Total 



In 100 parts of the — 



Fresh 

 jjlant. 



81.9 

 1.3 

 4. 1 

 6.9 

 4.5 

 1.3 



100.0 



Dry 

 plant. 



Co 

 22.9 

 38.8 

 24.8 



7.0 



Seed. 



14.9 

 7.0 

 33.2 

 31.6 

 10.4 

 2.9 



100.0 1 100.8 



BOTANICAL NOTES. 



By Dr. Geo. Vasky, Chemist. 



In the Garden (London) for February 13, mention is made of an 

 American plant, Xeroiihyllum aspliodeloides^ which has found its way into 

 cultivation in England, although very little known here in its own 

 country. The writer says: 



I saw this rare and beautiful hardy plant, which grows in grass-like tufts, flowering 

 freely in the York nurseries last summer. Its leaves are from 4 to !20 inches in length, 

 and not more than the eighth of an inch in width. Their upper surface is flat, the under 

 sides convex and furrowed, and the edges are furnished with minute teeth resembling 

 those of a miniature saw. The longer leaves are gracefully recurved, while the shorter 

 ones, which are in the center, are more or less erect, forming altogether a graceful cir- 

 cular plume. The flowers, Avhich are white, are pi'oduced in an erect spike from 12 to 

 18 inches high ; .ind although the individual flowers are not large, yet, owing to the 

 abundant way in which they are produced, the general eflect is most beautiful, the erect 

 stem conti-asting, in a striking manner, with the tufts of graceful recurving leaves at 

 its base. Wlien this plant comes to be better known, it will doubtless be extensively 

 used for table and other decorative purposes, for which it is admirably adapted, as the 

 leaves are of such a texture as to withstand the eft'ects of dry air and gas. This I have 

 proved, having had a plant of it in a room during the past three weeks. The pot in 

 which it grows is placed on the stand of a moderator lamp, the base of which is sur- 

 rounded with ivy-leaves interspersed with a few flowers, wliile the longer leaves of the 

 Xerophylhtm gracefully recurve, and fall over and conceal the upper portion of the 

 stand, thus forming a very pleasing and ornamental object, and one which has been 

 greatly admired. Although this plant will grow and thrive tolerably well in ordinary 

 garden soil, yet it succeeds best when planted iu a compost consisting ol equal parts 



