CHEMISTRY OF THE CROP. 



201 



Professor Johnston's analyses, 1 which give us the following 

 as the average composition of young gorse : 



Water, 77'40 



Organic matter, 21*21 



Ash, 1-37 



100-00 



The ash or inorganic matter was composed of the fol- 

 lowing substances : 



These analyses, though not so perfect as we could wish, 

 show that gorse contains a much larger proportion (fully 

 double) of solid substances, than either turnips, mangold, 

 or carrots, the ordinary crops we rely upon for succulent 

 food during the winter months ; while, from its belonging 

 to the order Leguminosse, we may fairly infer (in the 

 absence of a proper analysis), that its nitrogen or flesh- 

 forming constituents exist in equally increased propor- 

 tions. The inorganic constituents the proportion of salts 

 of potash and of phosphoric acid which its peculiar 

 powers enable it to abstract from soils of the poorest de- 

 scription, add to its importance as an article of cattle-food, 

 by the valuable fertilising materials they leave in the 



manure. 



YOL. IT. 



1 High. Soc. Transactions, 1847, p. 586. 



46 



