No. 151.] 431 



According to the analysis recently made in England by Professor 



Playfair, some specimens of corn of American growth, yielded, in 

 one hundred parts by weight, the following proportions: 



Proteine, ■ - 7 



Fatty matter, - 5 



Starch,-- 76 



Water, 12 



100 



By this analysis it would seem that maize contains less proteine or 

 nutritive matter, than Avheat, oats, or barley, but more than either 

 rice or potatoes. In fact it contains about three and a half times the 

 quantity of nutritive matter found in potatoes, and a much larger 

 proportion of starch, and less water. It also contains more fatty 

 matter than any of these products, which is a very important consi- 

 deration where the mere fattening of animals is taken into account. 

 Hence, as an article of food, either for man or animals, it is superior 

 to potatoes and rice, but inferior to wheat, oats, or barley. It is re- 

 lished by all animals that are not exclusively carniverous, and cer- 

 tainly is highly nutritious. 



According to the researches of Dr. Charles T. Jackson, of Boston, 

 who stands preeminent as a chemist, Indian corn in general, is com- 

 posed of variable proportions of starch, dextrine, gum or mucilage, 

 sugar, gluten, oil, the phosphates of lime and magnesia, with a lit- 

 tle phosphoric acid, silica, potash, and oxide of iron. Some varie- 

 ties, however, are nearly or quite destitute of gluten, oil, or the salts 

 of iron. 



Among the curious results of Dr. Jackson's experiments, he proved 

 that the relative proportions of phosphates in grain, depend on the 

 assimilating power of each species or variety; for an ear of corn 

 having been selected wbich had on it two different kinds, namely, 

 the Tuscarora and the sweet corn, more than double the amount 

 of phosphates were obtained from the latter than from the former, 

 notwithstanding the kernels came from the same ear, grew side by 

 side from the same sap, and were derived from the same soil. Hence 

 it may be inferred that a crop of sweet corn will sooner exhaust a 

 soil of its phosphates than any other variety, and if a soil be defi- 

 cient in these materials, more must be added to produce it in perfec- 

 tion. Some interesting facts were also noticed by him iii the varia- 



