ANALYSIS AND COMPOSITION OF CORN. 51 



Table No. 7 shows that the ear and cob contain less 

 than one-sixth as much sugar as the whole plant, and 

 but little more than two-thirds as much as the leaves, 

 and little more than one-fourth as much as the stalk. 



While the ears are richer in proportion to their weight 

 in phosphoric acid, the most expensive mineral which 

 we require to restore to our long-cropped fields, es- 

 pecially where dairying has been pursued, still Table 

 No. 9 shows that the leaves altogether contain one- 

 fourth more than the ear, and that the ear contains but 

 32 per cent of that contained in the whole plant. 

 Tables 10 and 1 1 show that the ears contain but 6 per 

 cent of the sulphuric acid, and bujt 18 per cent of the 

 chlorine. And Table 12 is still more instructive; for it 

 shows that the leaves contain more than half as much 

 potash as the ears, that the stalk contains nearly as much 

 as the ear, and that the ear with the cob and stem con- 

 tain but 42 per cent of the potash contained in the 

 whole plant. Iron that which gives color not only to 

 the beautiful and luxurant vegetation, but paints the rose 

 upon the cheek of health, and gives vigor to the animal 

 system, and strength and clearness to the human brain, 

 is not found in the ears at all. 



Of silica we find that over ninety per cent is in the 

 leaves, while but three one-hundredths of one per cent 

 are in the ear. 



The lesson I wish to draw from this summary is two- 

 fold. First, it is shown that the ear contains, before 

 the stalk has lost by deterioration through exposure to 

 the weather, but a small part of the valuable constitu- 

 ents of the whole plant. 



The following table, carefully compiled from the fore- 

 going, gives the comparative value which the ear bears 

 to the balance of the plant. 



