442 



Carbon 50.80 



Hydrogen 6.48 



Nitrogen .43 



Oxygen 34.52 



Ashes 1.77 



100.00 

 The ashes contained but a trace of alkali, and it is seen 

 that the nitrogen has almost disappeared. 



From these researches it is plain that, by the quantity of 

 nitrogen, of phosphoric acid, of potash, of magnesia, and of 

 lime, which the hemp takes from the soil, it must be, as ex- 

 perience proves it, a highly exhausting crop ; but as the ma- 

 terials so abstracted are not found in the valuable fibre, but 

 in the residual stem, the chaff, and the steeping liquor, all 

 these are available for the purpose of restoring to the soil 

 what had been taken up, and in fact, if it were possible to 

 carry on the processes of the preparation of the fibre without 

 loss, the same nitrogen and inorganic constituents might, as 

 it would appear from these chemical inquiries and from phy- 

 siological researches, serve for any number of successive 

 ci-ops of hemp; the fibre alone, generated at the expense of 

 the atmosphere, being sent out and sold, and thus the crop 

 be absolutely deprived of all exhausting quality to the soil. 



Dr. Kane's inquiries regarding the flax plant were of a 

 precisely similar character to those described already in the 

 case of hemp, and have led him to similar conclusions affect- 

 ing the practical culture of this important plant. The gene- 

 ral results of his analyses are as follows : 



Stem of flax dried at 212°; the plant had its usual 

 amount of leaves, but the seed vessels had not ripened. 



Carbon 38.72 



Hydrogen 7.33 



Nitrogen .56 



Oxygen 48.39 



Ashes 5.00 



100.00 



