6 COMPOSITION OP RICE-MEAL, OR RICE-DUST. 



ash was left behind, amounting to 13.49 per cent of the whole 

 weight of the meal in its natural state. The greater portion of 

 the ash, namely 9.83 per cent, consisted of insoluble matters, 

 chiefly carbonate of lime and silicic acid, with some phosphates ; 

 the smaller portion, namely 3.66 per cent, was soluble in water, 

 and consisted of soluble salts, chiefly alkaline chlorides. 



c. Percentage of protein compounds. The proportion of flesh- 

 forming substances in rice-dust was calculated from the percentage 

 of nitrogen, obtained by burning the substance with soda-lime, 

 according to Will and Varrentrapp's methods. In two combus- 

 tions, precisely the same quantity (6.687 per cent) of protein com- 

 pounds was found. 



d. The oil in rice-dust was determined by digesting the sub- 

 stance repeatedly with ether, in which the oil is readily soluble. 

 On evaporation of the several ethereal extracts, a yellow sweet 

 oil remained behind, which amounted to 5.610 in the natural sub- 

 stance. 



e. Woody fibre, starch^ and sugar were determined in the usual 

 manner. 



The following numbers represent the composition of this sample 

 of rice-meal or rice-dust : * 



Water, 12.019 



Woody fibre, containing insoluble inorganic ) . tnn 



matters, 9.83, \ 



Starch, guin, and sugar, .... 25.524 



Protein compounds, or flesh-forming constituents, . 6.687 



Fatty matters, . . . . . 5.610 



Soluble saline substances, .... 3.660 



100.000 



These analytical results suggest to us the following observa- 

 tions : 



1. That this refuse is very rich in oily or fatty matters. It con- 

 tains, indeed, as much fatty substance as the best oats, but is 

 inferior in this respect to Indian corn, which contains rather more 

 oil. Rice-dust, for this reason, is well adapted for the laying on of 

 fat upon animals. 



2. In rice itself, according to Payen, only 0.8 per cent of fatty 

 matters occur ; and we find thus, that, as in most other kinds of 

 grain, the fat is chiefly deposited in the exterior part of the seed. 



3. Harsford found in the grain of rice 6.27 per cent of protein 

 compounds in its ordinary, or 7.4 per cent in its dry state. In 

 rice-dust I have found nearly the same quantity, namely, 6.687 

 per cent, in its natural state, or 7.600 per cent in its dry state. 

 As far as the power of producing muscle is concerned, rice meal 

 or dust appears to be fully as valuable as the grain of rice itself. 



4. Rice-dust contains nearly half its weight of woody fibre, 

 which possesses little or no value as a feeding substance. The 



