546 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



35,000,000 pounds of nutritive matter now thrown away, which at 2 cents a 

 pound is $7,000,000. 



Neither having at hand or being aware of any other analysis of the cob, as to 

 its ashes or nutritive matter, we now submit for future convenient reference as 

 well as present use, protracted as this dissertation has become, the following : 



Analysis of the Grain of Indian Corn. — The only authentic American 

 analysis that we aware of is the following by Dr. Dana, published some years 

 since in the New-England Farmer. 



100 Ws. of Corn. 



Contain of flesh forming principles— gluten, albumen, &c. 1-26 



Fat forming principles— gum, starch, sugar, woody fibre, oil, &c., 88-43 



Water ^' 



Salts 131 



"We give also the following from the American Agriculturist. 



There are also two Tables in Thomson's Chemistry of Organic Bodies, published in Lon- 

 don iu 1838. That of Bizio was made as early as 1823— Professor Gorham's, we beUeve, 

 Bomewhat earlier. 



Analysis of 100 parts of Maize, by Gorkam. 

 Fresh. Dried. 



Water 9 



Starch 77 



Zein (gluten) 3 



Albumen 2-5 



Gam 1-7.5 



Sugar 1-45 



94-70 



Analysis of 100 parts of Maize, by Bizio. 



Starch 80920 



Zein (gluten) 5-758 



Extractive 1-092 



Zimome 0-945 



Gum 2 283 



Sugar 0-895 



Fat oil 0-323 



Hordein, (nearly like starch) 7-710 



Salts, acetic acid and loss 0074 



100,000 



Lastly we give, from Johnston's Agricultural Chemistry, Tables, one of which 

 embraces the "straw" or blade of this plant, grown on different soils. 



Composition of the ash of the grain and 

 straw of Indian corn (Zea Mats.) 

 The grain of maize leaves about 1^ per 

 cent, of ash— the straw from 2^ to 6^ per 



cent. 



The Grain. — Few analyses have hitherto 

 been made of the ash of the several parts of 

 this plant. The only two analyses we yet 

 possess of the grain are the followmg : 



Fromberg. I.etellier. 

 U. S. Bechelbronn. 



Potash 26-63 i 



Soda 7.54! 



Lime 159 



Magnesia 15-44 



Oxide of iron OGO 



Phosphoric acid ...39-65 



Sulphuric acid 5-54 



Chlorine 0-36 



Silica 2-09 



99-44 



1-3 

 17-0 



50-1 



0-8 

 100 



Hruschauer. — No. 1. 



Potash 14-46 



Soda 39-92 



Lime 4-93 



Magnesia 1-84 



Oxide of iron 0-90 



Phosphoric acid 11 76 



Sulphate of lime ... 101 

 Chloride of sodium . 6-29 

 Silica 18-89 



100 



Strav). — Of the straw or stem of the maize, 

 we have two analyses from plants grov-n on 

 different soils. Tlie ash of the several parts 

 of this plant, however, and at different ages, 

 must differ BO much in composition that little 

 can be inferred from llio following differ- 

 ences as to the effect of diversity of soil. 



Composition of the ash of maize straw, 

 grown on two different soils in the neidibor- 

 hood of Griitz. No. 1 on a soil formed from 

 the debris of primary rocks, No. 2 on a moun- 

 tain hmesloue soil. 

 (1116) 



Per centage of ash 2-30 6-50 4-40 



Between these results we observe great 

 differences both in the total per centage of 

 a.sh left, and in the proportions of every one 

 of the constituents which the a.sh contains. 

 This is by no means unexpected, but it illus- 

 trates a fact to which I shall presently draw 

 your attention more particularly, that our 

 knowledge of the inorganic constituents of 

 plants — of the functions perfcirnied by tliem 

 in the several pai-ts of plants — imd of the pro- 

 portions required most perfectly to perform 

 these sevenU functions — is yet iu its infancy. 

 The crop of Indian corn varies, I believe, 

 more than that of any other grain. Crops of 

 nearly 200 bushels, an acre are recorded in 

 some of the journals of the United States, but 

 GO bushels, each GO lbs. is consiilered a good 

 average return even in favorable districts. 

 \V(> have no accurate returns of the propo.-tion 

 which the weight of the straw and leaves 

 bears to' tliat of the corn of the same })laut. 

 Sixty bushels of com at 1 i per cent, of ash 



