64 Chemical Work on Canadian Wheat. 



Wheats (B) and (D) would be termed piebald or soft, and are 

 very similar in appearance. Wheat (E) shows no starchy grains, 

 the kernels being hard and translucent, typical of the highest 

 grades. The difference in protein content between (B) and (D) 

 is insignificant, but between these wheats and (E) it is very 

 great — 3*5 per cent. 



The moisture content of the soils of the two areas was found 

 to be as follows :— 





May 5. 



May 15. 



=May 29. June 22. 



' 1 = 



July 13- 



Aug. 2. 



Aug. 24. 



Per cent. 



Newly cleared land ... 32 '96 

 Cultivated land ... ... j 22*45 



Per cent. 

 36-49 



23*39 



Per cent. 



33*45 

 23*39 



Per cent. 



30^9 

 21 70 



Per cent. 



35*23 



21 "24 



Per cent. 

 30*37 

 I3-24 



Per cent. 

 32-84 

 18-28 



These data are highly significant. The newly cleared soil 

 which produced the softer wheat was throughout the growing 

 season more moist; its percentages of water ranged from 9 to 14 

 higher than those of the soil giving the harder grain. And it is 

 to be noted that there was no drying out in the newly cleared 

 soil as the season advanced. 



The soils on analysis were found to have the following com- 

 positions : — 





Newly cleared 



Soil 10 years under 





Soil. 



Cultivation. 





Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Moisture 



2-98 



2 06 



Organic and volatile matter 



2O-9O 



12*84 



Insoluble residue (sand, clay, &c.) 



51*74 



65-07 



Oxide of iron and alumina 



5 50 



IO"52 



Lime 



IO-25 



3*47 



Magnesia ... 



2 '44 



1*63 



Potash 



0-14 



0*19 



Phosphoric acid ... 



015 



0-13 



Soluble silica 



0'02 



0*02 



Carbonic acid, &c. (undetermined) 



5-88 



4-07 





ioo-oo 



IOO'OO 



Nitrogen in organic matter 



0-642 



0-371 



Available constituents : — 



Phosphoric acid 



0-0067 



0-0067 



Potash 



0*0166 



0-0069 



Lime ... 



1-306 



0-93 



The characteristic feature of these soils is their richness in 

 vegetable matter and nitrogen; it will be noticed that the per- 

 centages of these constituents are very considerably higher in 

 the newly cleared soil. This larger proportion of humus is prob- 

 ably the true explanation of the higher moisture content of the 



