NATURAL HISTORY. 75 



reference to a subsequent page, containing analyses by Prof. 

 Way, that this grass is very far inferior to many of the grasses 

 examined by him. The panicles of this grass if allowed to 

 stand after the time of flowering, become filled with ergot, or 

 long, black spurs, issuing from between the glumes, and occu- 



None of the above ashes effervesced with acid, indicating the absence of 

 carbonates. They gave but the faintest reaction for lime. Indeed micro- 

 scopic, as well as chemical examination, showed the Ash to be composed 

 almost entirely of Silica. 



Nitrogen Determination. 



I. Of the Leaves, 1.4370 grammes, air-dried, gave .2600 grammes of Platino-Chloride of Ammo- 

 nium — equal to 1.13 per cent, of Nitrogen, and 7.21 per cent, of Nitrogenous ingredients. 

 II. Of the Stalks, air-dried, 1.6009 grammes gave .0205 grammes Platino-Chloride of Ammo- 



■ nium — equal to .08 per cent, of Nitrogen, and .51 per cent, of Nitrogenous ingredients. 

 III. Of the Joints, air-dried, 2.4529 grammes gave .1789 grammes Platino-Chloride of Ammo- 

 nium — equal to .45 per cent, of Nitrogen, and 2.87 per cent, of Nitrogenous ingredients. 



The preceding resultS)»in tabular form, appear as follows : — 



Relative Weight of different portions. 



Average of one percentage. 



Leaves of four Stalks, .... 2.8989 grammes. .7247 grammes. 41.29 



Four Stalks, 3.6592 .9148 52.12 



Joints of four Stalks, 4624 .1156 6.59 



100.00 

 Average weight of one plant without the roots, .... 1.7551 grammes. 



Percentages. 



Nitrogenous Woody Fibre, Starch, 

 Water. Ash. Nitrogen. Ingredients.* Sugar, &c. 



Leaves, . . 10.98 8.85 1.13 7.21 72.96 



stalks, . . 9.58 3.58 .08 .51 86.33 



Joints, . . 10.72 3.50 .45 2.87 82.91 



For comparison as to the relative nutritive values, there follow some deter- 

 minations made of hay from several localities by Henneberg and Thos. Way. 



Hay analyzed gave Nitrogen. Nitrogenous Ingredients. 



For Leaves, . . . 1.13 



For stalks, . . .08 [• 5.71 per cent.f 3.53 per cent. 



For Joints, ... .45 



It will be seen that some of the samples contain nearly three times as much 

 of Nitrogenous Ingredients as the sample submitted for examination, and it 

 will be inferred from this consideration that, other things being equal, the hay 

 at the head of the list is decidedly inferior in nutritive value. 



* Three parts of Nitrogen correspond with 19.16 parts of Nitrogenous Ingredients, as veget.able 

 albumen, fibrin and casein. 



t Estimated according to percentages of different parts. 



