222 Anmial Report of the Coiimltiiif) Chemist. 
This water, it will be seen, contained as mucli as 95 7 grains 
of solid matter in the imperial gallon, and a considerable propor- 
tion of this solid matter consisted of nitrates, common salt, and 
other saline constituents which are not usually found in large 
proportions in wholesome drinking waters. The water, more- 
over, was discoloured, and contained a good deal of soluble 
organic matter of animal origin. 
The water from Northamptonshire was equally unfit for 
drinking purposes, as will be seen by the following analytical 
results. 
An imperial gallon, on evaporation, left 121'5 grains of solid 
residue, containing : — 
Organic and volatile matters 
(loss on heating) .. .. 6'90 
Oxide of iron, &c 
Lime 26-48 
Magnesia 6'49 
Chlorine 17-33 
Sulphuric acid 24-51 
Nitric acid 25-32 
Carbonic acid and alkalies .. 13-67 
Soluble silica '80 
121-50 
Constituents Combined. 
Grains. 
Organic and volatile matters,] 
including 1-344 oxydisable[ 5-19 
organic matter ) 
Carbonate oi' lime 9-43 
Sulphate of lime 41-H7 
Nitrate of lime .. .. ..11-84 
Nitrate of magnesia .. .. 24-01 
Chloride of sodium 28-56 
Soluble silica -80 
121-50 
If it be borne in mind that good and wholesome drinking 
waters do not contain any considerable amount of organic 
impurities, and on evaporation seldom leave more than 25 to 35 
grains of solid matter, 1 need hardly remark that a water which 
contained as much as 25 grains of nitric acid in the gallon, as 
well as much soluble organic matter, and altogether left I2I5 
grains of solid matter on evaporation, must be regarded as 
decidedly unwholesome and unfit for domestic use. 
The following are the papers contributed by me to the pages 
of the February and August numbers of the ' Journal ' for 
1871 :— 
1. On Sugar-beets and Reet-root IHstiliation. 
2. On the best mode of preparing Straw-chalf for Feeding l^u•l)oaes. 
3. On Field Experiments on Itoot Crops. 
4. On the Composition and Nutritive Value of the prickly Comfrcy 
(Symjihytum aspcrnimum). 
5. Quarterly and Annual Keports. 
In conclusion, I may observe that I have examined a consider- 
able number of sugar-beets, and that whilst I have found in some 
crops as much as 12 per cent, of sugar, the sugar-beet crops on 
the whole are poorer in sugar this season than they were last 
year. 
