CHEMISTRY OF CROP. 195 



by the floVers being green, and by the edges of the seed 

 or grain being rough; it is also more branching in its 

 growth. It is certainly more productive, but the grain is 

 of inferior quality, and better suited for cattle-food than 

 for use as a bread-corn. 



The "Notch-seeded Buckwheat" is rarely cultivated; 

 it is an inferior species, with larger leaves, and wide thin 

 edges to its seeds. 



Our information respecting the diseases incidental to 

 the crop, or the injuries it sustains from the attacks of 

 insects, is very deficient; and its chemistry has received 

 less attention than has been bestowed on most of our other 

 "Farm Crops/' 



The proportion of grain to straw is nearly equal, or 

 about 45- of the former to 55' of the latter in the 100 parts. 



The grain contains about 12 to 15 per cent, of water. 

 Horsford found 1419 per cent of water, and 7'94 of nitro- 

 gen compounds. Its average composition is thus given : 



Nitrogen compounds, 8'58 



Compounds destitute of nitrogen, as starch, 51'91 



fibre, &c., 23-12 



Ash (mineral matter), 2'20 



Water, 14*19 



100-00 



The ash in the grain is from 2 to 2-5 per cent.; and, accord- 

 ing to Bichon 1 is composed as follows: 



Potash, 8-74 



Soda, 20-10 



T k Q .GG 



L/ime, o Do 



Magnesia, 10'38 



Oxide of Iron, I'Oo 



Phosphoric acid, 50*07 



Sulphuric acid, 2*16 



Silica, -69 



99-85 



The straw contains from 3 to 4 per cent, of inorganic 

 matter, and about the same proportion of water as the grain. 

 Burger gives its nitrogen compounds at from 2 to 2 '5 per 



1 Revue Scient. et Ind., torn. xxiv. p. 71. 



