SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIX. No. 480 



stalks, the maximum height being reached about Aug. 1 ; but, 

 as will be seen further on, the plants had acquired at that 

 time less than one-half of their total dry matter. 



A condensed summary of some of the observations made 

 is given in the following table: — 



During the week ending Aug. 14 the record shows that for 

 this season an unusually large quantity of rain had fallen, 

 and the plants which were analyzed that week showed a 

 smaller quantity of dry matter than those of the week be- 

 fore. 



The figures giving the grams of dry matter per plant and the 

 composition of the dry matter represent an average per plant 

 of the nine analyzed each week, or three hills of corn, each 

 containing three plants. No attempt was made to separate 

 the different parts for analysis, such as the ear, stalk, and 

 leaves, but that part above ground was taken as one plant. 



The rainfall during the season was considerably below the 

 average, and is here given in inches: — 



Average. June. July. 



Eorten jears. 5.04 2.75 



For 1891. 2.08 1.41 



"The record shows that the average maximum height per 

 ■plant was attained during the week ending July 31; but it 

 contained at that time only 46 per cent of the maximum 

 quantity of dry matter. 



Tlie growth in dry matter continued till Sept. 4, and the 

 decrease after that date probably was due to breaking off and 

 blowing away of dry or dead portions of the leaves. 



Assuming the total height per plant to be 100 inches and 

 that it was 19 inches high June 12, or 19 per cent of its total 

 height, also that the maximum growth in weight was 350 

 grams of dry matter, the percentage of the total height and 

 weight attained each week is as follows: — 



The analyses of the dry matter show that 100 pounds of 

 the corn plant has quite a different composition at the vari- 

 ous stages of its growth. The percents of ash, or mineral 

 matter, and also of protein are highest when the plant is 

 young, and these decrease with age; while the nitrogen-free 

 extract, or carbo hydrates, increases in percentage as the 

 plant matures. 



Assuming that there are 10,000 corn plants per acre, which 

 number it has been found is a fair estimate of the thickness 

 of planting in Illinois, these analyses show that an acre of 

 corn grown to maturity contains 7,716 pounds of dry matter, 

 and this dry matter is composed of 394 pounds of ash, or 

 mineral matter, 656 pounds of protein, and 6,666 pounds of 

 carbo-hydrates. E. H. Faerington. 



Chemist, Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Champalgu, 111. 



THE TOMB OF KING AMENHOTEP. 



The tomb of King Amenhotep IV. has at last been brought 

 to light in the nekropolis of Tel-el-Amarna in middle Egypt. 



Since the close of the year 1890 the direction of explora- 

 tions in Egypt has been occupied in clearing the two most 



The omission of two weeks in the record where no increase 

 in dry matter was found is caused by the fact that we cannot 

 lave the plant and analyze it too. 



important groups of graves in the neighborhood of this site, 

 which belonged to the eighteenth dynasty, and many tombs 

 have already emerged from the heaps of debris under which 



