130 



OUR FARM CROPS. 



The composition of the ash of the grain and of the 

 straw is as follows : 



Grain. 1 



Straw.2 



Potash 15-61 9-2 



Soda, 5'03 '3 



Lime,... 3'06 8'5 



Magnesia, 8'04 5'0 



Oxide of Iron, 1'24 I'O 



Phosphoric acid, 35'68 3'1 



Sulphuric acid, T22 TO 



Chloride of Sodium, -45 '6 



Silica, 28-97 67'6 



The organic composition of barley has been examined 

 by several chemists. Horsford found it to consist of the 

 following substances, in the proportions given : 



Water, 14' 



Nitrogen compounds, as gluten, &c., 14' 



Starch, 68' 



Fatty matters, 2' 



Ash, 2- 



100- 



Even the awns of the barley have been submitted to 

 analysis, and were found to contain 1 5 per cent, of water 

 and 12-10 per cent, of inorganic matter (ash), of which the 

 composition is as follows: 



Potash, 7-70 



Soda, -36 



Lime, 10'36 



Magnesia, 1'26 



Oxide of Iron, 1'46 



Phosphoric acid, 1'99 



Sulphuric acid, 2'99 



Carbonic acid, 1'98 



Chloride of Sodium, I'lO 



Silica, 70*77 



99-97 (Way.) 



The principal and most important consumption of 

 barley is for malting purposes ; and as the ultimate object 

 the conversion of its starchy constituents into spirit 

 is purely a chemical process, the various changes it under- 



1 The mean of several analyses. 2 Boussingault, Economic Rurale. 



