236 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



immediately beneath which lies the herbaceous tissue, contain 

 ing the coloring matter, an essential oil, and several other pecu 

 liar organic compounds ; then succeed the concentric zones of 

 vascular and cellular tissue. In the cellular tissue is deposited the 

 saccharine matter, the proportion seeming to be greatest in those 

 cells immediately in contact &quot;with the vascular tissue. The 

 germ (where the leaves enter the bulb) contains a large propor 

 tion of the saline matters, but no sugar. The cells contain 

 neither starch, nor crystalline salts, but only a liquid, consisting 

 chiefly of dissolved sugar. The fibrous vessels, on the other 

 hand, contain no sugar, at least those do not which are situated 

 in the heart, but they contain salts in a crystalline form. Some 

 25 or 30 distinct substances are found in this root. 



516. In Great Britain the root is held in high estimation as a 

 fallow-crop, and as food for fattening stock ; and the culture is 

 understood to be increasing. No statistics regarding it in the 

 United States appear to exist. We are inclined to believe that 

 this crop is annually becoming more common in the Atlantic 

 States. 



517. Ultimate analysis of the root, (A;) and leaves, (B;) of 

 the Mangold (Boussmyault.) 



A. B. 



I II. 



Carbon, - - 42.75 42.93 38.1 



Hydrogen, - 5.77 5.94 5.1 



Oxygen, 43.58 43.23 30.8 



Nitrogen, - - - 1.66 1.66 4.5 



Asb, 6.24 6.24 21.5 



The leaves appear to possess a far higher value, both as a feeding, and 

 as a manuring substance, than is usually assigned t them. The pro 

 portions of water were about the same in each ; and the analysis shows 

 that, in a chemical point of view, the leaves were three times ;is valua 

 ble as the same weight of roots would be. (Prof. Wilson.) 



518. Proximate average of several analyses of Mangold. 

 (Knapp.) 



