139 



becomes too prominent, the stalk grows hard, arid, indigestible, and the 

 albuminoids decrease, while the dry seeds are readily detached from 

 their glumes and lost with their store of nitrogen. 



For different species, however, different times are undoubtedly suit- 

 able, and experience must be added to our chemical knowledge to 

 enable a rational decision to be arrived at. 



THE COMPOSITION OF THE ASH. 



The ash of many foreign varieties of grasses have been analyzed and 

 the results collected and published by Wolff. Of American growth the 

 nsh of only a number of the wild grasses collected in 1878 have been 

 examined. The results- are here given : 



Ash analyses Grasses. 



CONCLUSION. 



The work which has been collected in the previous pages extended 

 over several years, from 1878 to 1883. It was inaugurated by Dr. Peter 

 Collier, as chemist to this Department, and the laboratory work for the 

 first year was in the hands of Mr. Henry B. Parsons, Mr. Charles Wel- 

 lington, and myself. The remainder of the work has been under my 

 own supervision, and has been almost entirely carried out by Mr. Miles 

 Fuller and mysejf. It is hoped that the collection and re-arrnngement 

 of the results will cive them an increased value. 



