THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



133 



THE NUTRITIVE PROPERTIES OF 

 DIFFERENT CROPS. 



Our estimate of the nutritive value of differ- 

 ent kinds of food is generally of a very vague 

 and indefinite character; the ordinary farmer 

 can estimate the effect of different supplies only 

 by long and close observation ; and indeed the 

 health and growth of his stock is liable to be 

 effected by so many causes, over and above the 

 food they eat, that the result of his observations, 

 even when closely made, may be far from satis- 

 factory. It would be a great thing then, if by 

 chemical analysis we could discover exactly the 

 properties of different kinds of food ; in producing 

 for market, no such investigation is required, the 

 best test of a saleable product being its market 

 price ; but the farmer wants to know whether 

 to cultivate an acre of land in potatoes, or car- 

 rots, or sugar beets, or whether old-fashioned 

 Indian corn is not more profitable than any of 

 them. He can calculate the expense of culti- 

 vation of each ; he can estimate the quantity of 

 product in each, and if he could ascertain the 

 comparative nutriment of each, he could at once 

 draw a thorough comparison between them. — 

 Vegetable substances, it has been long known, 

 consist, invariably, of certain constituents, as 

 gluten, albumen, gusn, starch, water, salts, &c. 

 in different proportions. Some of these princi- 

 ples are known to be more, and some less, use- 

 ful in supplying the animal economy: the glu- 

 ten, albumen, &c. it is said are converted by the 

 vital functions into flesh, whilst the gum, starch, 

 sugar, &c. are only useful in creating fat. It 

 would seem then, that we would have only to 

 ascertain the proportions of each constituent in 

 a given substance, which chemical analysis will 

 always do, to tell exactly for what purpose it is 

 adapted. Accordingly, scientific men, from time 

 to time, have endeavored to obtain this estimate 

 by analysis : but unfortunately not always with 

 the same results. Indeed, we presume, that the 

 constituents of a vegetable will vary, to a cer- 

 tain extent, with the climate and soil in which 

 it is raised, and we presume too, that these con- 

 stituents may, in a measure, be differently ap- 

 propriated by the digestive organs of different 

 animals. Moreover, so intricate and complex 

 is the chemical action of compound substances, 

 especially when subjected to vital action, that 

 nothing can be predicted without an exact know- 

 ledge of all the constituents present in any given 

 case. Although these circumstances, unfortu- 



nately, render the deductions from chemical ana- 

 lysis even more uncertain than those drawn 

 from common observation, yet the use of both 

 methods may lead to more certainty than could 

 be obtained from the sole application of either. 

 We give to our readers, therefore, the latest es- 

 timates of the celebrated French chemist, Bous- 

 singault, on some important points. He found 

 that the nutritive properties of 



100 bus. of beans was equal to 120 bus. of yellow peas. 



100 " " " " 191 " of wheat. 



100 " " " " 200 " of rye. 



100 " " " " 232 " of barley. 



100 " " " " 246 " of Indian corn. 



100 " l{ " " 1,096 " of potatoes. 



100 " " " " 1,361 " of carrots. 



100 " " « " 1,446 " of cabbage. 



100 " " " " 2,383 " of turnips. 



Dr. Dana, of Massachusetts, has also lately 

 made a comparative analysis of corn, ruta baga, 

 and potatoes, from which he has deduced the 

 following table : 



100 lbs. of Corn. Hula Baga. Polaloes. 



fresh dug. fresh dug. 

 Contain of flesh forming princi- 

 ples: gluten, albumen, &c. 1.26 1. 2.07 

 Fat forming principles : gum, 

 starch, sugar, woody fibre, 



oil, &c 88.43 13. 24.34 



Water, 9. 85. 72. 



Salts, 1.31 1. 1.39 



For the growth of animals and the formation 

 of flesh, it will be seen, that Dr. Dana places a 

 very low estimate upon Indian corn ; whilst he 

 esteems it very highly for the formation of fat. 

 Without drawing this distinction between fat 

 and flesh, Boussingault estimates its nutritive 

 properties infinitely above both potatoes and 

 turnips. 



SOOT AS A MANURE. 



Improvements in agriculture, scientific and 

 mechanical, are and will be the staunchest props 

 of the landed and farming interests; it is with 

 regret, therefore, that we ever observe a want of 

 candor among those who ought to act as bre- 

 thren. Much has been said lately of a new 

 and highly fertilizing manure- — one which will 

 enable land to sustain and bring to the highest 

 condition successive crops of the same plant. — 

 But why does any secret attach to discoveries 

 of such deep import ? Why are a few vague 

 hints dropped, which tend only to mystify, and 

 excite conjecture in the minds of thousands? — 

 Is individual profit to be the result? We are 

 told that the basis is carbon or some carbonized 

 substance ; but the same thing might be said of 

 starch, sugar, malt-dust, or any other vegetable 

 product. While we are thus left in the dark, 



