AMERICAN WHEAT AND CORN. 97 



iii size, and contain a greater proportion of bran to flour than winter 

 wheats. 



Another peculiarity, dependent in a like manner on climate qr season, 

 appeared last year in Colorado, where storms at the time when the grain 

 is usually collecting its nitrogen interfered with the storage of that ele- 

 ment, while a revival of vitality later permitted the usual amount of 

 starch to be elaborated, thus decreasing the relative proportion of albu- 

 minoids. As a whole, however, the poverty of American wheat in 

 nitrogen, decreasing toward the less exhausted lands of the West, seem 

 to be due more to influences of soil than of climate, while locally the 

 conclusions in paragraph six of the first series of experiments, that the 

 influence of season is greater than that of manure, are confirmed by the 

 crops of 1883 in Ohio and Colorado. 



As far as our experiments have gone in the direction of milling 

 the conclusions of paragraph nine are confirmed in every respect, 

 especially as to the greatest concentration of nitrogen being immedi- 

 ately below the pericarp (epicarp of our description). From the analy- 

 ses of the ash of different parts of the grain they learn, as can be seen 

 in our analyses of roller-milling products, that a large percentage of 

 ash constituents, other things being equal, is indicative of large propor- 

 tion of bran. 



Comparing the crops on an unmanured plot for sixteen years their 

 results seem to show that while the proportion of grain to straw gained 

 during the second half of the period and the weight per bushel 

 changed but little, the relative percentages of nitrogen in the dry 

 matter of the grain and straw decreased noticeably, and this was the 

 case, too, upon the plot manured with ammonium salts alone, show- 

 ing an intimate connection between the mineral constituents of the 

 grain and the nitrogen. If we may be allowed to consider the grain 

 which has been analyzed from the Western States as corresponding to 

 the first period of eight years of Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert's experiments, 

 and that from the Eastern States as corresponding to the second, then 

 there is a thorough agreement between the two series, the Eastern re- 

 presenting the more worn out and the Western the less exhausted soil, 

 and the conclusions for the English experiments hold good for our 

 wheats. That is to say, the soils of the Eastern States, upon which 

 wheat (or other crops) have been grown for many years without suffi- 

 cient manure, do not produce for that reason a grain as rich in ash and 

 nitrogen as the fresher soils of the West. When it is possible to carry 

 out extensive experiments in this country under as complete control as 

 those at Bothamsted it will be possible to show this fact in a more par- 

 ticular way. 



The second series of experiments brings out the efitect of season more 

 strongly than the first but with the same result as has been already dis- 

 cussed. It shows, too, a fact that we have no data for, namely, that 

 4443 BUL 4 CH 7 



