THE GROWTH OF BARLEY AND ROOT CROPS. 59 



had to perform. Thus we had the Flesh-forming matter — the 

 Fat and Heat-producing matter — the Mineral matter required 

 for the formation of bone — the water and the cellular matter 

 which had formed the wrappers for these useful ingredients — all 

 of these were shown in glass vessels, in the varying proportions 

 in which they existed in diif erent kinds of Food. This system 

 has been rendered more perfect in its details by subsequent 

 operators. 



Rather more than twelve months since I suggested to the Coun- 

 cil of Education that whilst this system gave valuable informa- 

 tion upon the general character of good specimens of each kind 

 of Food, it still left a deficiency which the student of agricul- 

 tural science greatly felt, viz., the variations in the character of 

 dijfferent kinds of food, and the circumstances which caused those 

 variations. Acting under the direction of the Council of Educa- 

 tion I am carrying out an enquiry having for its object to deter- 

 mine the extent of these variations, and the circumstances and 

 conditions whereby food may be produced of the highest quality 

 for its several uses. 



In 1877 our enquiry was limited to the three principal corn 

 crops — Wheat, Barley, and Oats. The season of 1877 was 

 unusually cold and wet, and probably gave us some of the 

 lowest conditions observable; but it also gave marked oppor- 

 tunities for seeing how far the skill of the farmer enabled him 

 to grapple with difficulties of soil and climate. Thus we found 

 an acre of Wheat in one case producing eight times as much Fat 

 and Heat-producing matter, and nine times as much Flesh- 

 forming matter, as the same area of land produced under other 

 circumstances. In the case of Barley we found one acre of land 

 producing about three times as much of these products as the 

 same area elsewhere. We found Oats yielding fifteen times as 

 much Fat and Heat-producing matter, and seventy times as 

 much Flesh-forming matter, from equal areas of laud under 

 different circumstances. These are variations of tremendous 

 importance, and reveal to us a far greater variation in the 

 produce of the land than was commonly supposed to exist. 



