Composition and Nutritive Value of Straw. 
matters in this sample is very small indeed. This I find always 
to be the case, not only with this, but with other kinds of over- 
ripe straw. 
Thirdly : That this specimen contained a good deal more indi- 
•jestible woody fibre than wheat-straw, to which it is altogether 
inferior in feeding (jualitics. Barley-straw is usually considered 
superior to wheat-straw as a feeding substance, but the preceding 
analyses show plainly that this opinion does not liold good in 
every instance. 
Fourthly : It is worthy of special notice that the part of barley- 
straw which is insoluble in water, or tlie crude fibre, on treatment 
with dilute caustic-potash solution and dilute sulphuric acid, is 
diminished in quantity to a much smaller extent than the wheat- 
straw which I submitted to the same process. Whereas these 
re-agents extracted in round numbers 20 per cent, of digestible 
fibre from wheat-straw, they furnished not more than 6 per cent, 
in the case of barley-straw. I do not tliink, however, that in the 
latter straw there is anything of a peculiarly hard nature Avhicli 
protects it from the action of these solvents ; but that the difference 
in this respect is due entirely to the over-ripe condition of the 
barley-straw and the better condition in which the wheat-straw 
was examined. Reverse the condition of the two kinds of straw, 
and it will be more than probable that opposite results will be 
obtained. 
Lastly : It may be remarked that the proportion of flesh-forming 
matters in the specimen analysed is considerable, and larger than 
in wheat-straw. 
Barley-straw yields, when burnt, on an average from 4 to 5 per 
cent, of mineral matters thus combined. 
Average Composition of the Ashes of Barley-straw reduced from 
Three Samples. 
Potash 18-40 
Soda -68 
Mas;ncsia 4"13 
Lime 8-08 
Phosphoric acid 3"2() 
Sulphuric acid 2"13 
Silica 54-56 
Peroxide of iron 1-81 
Chloride of sodium 6-95 
100-00 
In contrast with the preceding analysis of over-ripe barley- 
straw, I will now mention the results obtained on analysing a 
fairlv-ripe specimen grown on our farm last season. 
2 E 2 
