On the Composition of Sorrjhum Saccharatum. 
.'581 
Comjiosition of Sorf/huni on the 26th of Septemher. 
The plants were cut .about 4 inches above the ground, Tiie 
analysis was made with the whole plant. 
a. (r'nicntl CompusUioii. 
In Natural Dried al. 
State. ■nv. 
Water 81-80 
Soluble organic matter 8'16 44'b'3 
Soluble mineral matter "74 4'07 
Tnsoluble organic mattci- 9*07 49"83 
IiisoUiblo mineral matter '23 1'27 
100-00 100-00 
b. Detailed Proximate Composition of Soi-<jhiuii Saccharatiim, Septemher 
2m, 1859. 
Jn Natural Dried at 
State. • 212". 
' Water 81-80 
»/Albmiicn -37 2-03 
(Otlier soluble protein comjiouiuls .. .. 1"16 6*36 
Sugar 5"85 32*15 
Wax and fattj' matter 2-55 14-01 
Mucilage, ]>ectin, and digestible fibre .. 2*59 14-26 
Soluble mineral matters '74 4*00 
tln.soluble protein comjTOunds '66 3-62 
Indigestible woody fibre (cellular) .. .. 4-05 22-25 
Insoluble mineral matters -23 1-26 
100-00 100-00 
'Containing nitrogen - 245 1 • 34 
•f Containing nitrogen '106 -58 
Total quantity of nitrogen '351 1'92 
The sorghum contained, it will be noticed, nearly 6 per cent, 
of sugar on the 26th of September. Cattle supplied with this 
grass at that time greedily ate it, and, to all appearance, did well 
upon it. 
The proportion of sugar in the whole plant is about the sauK; 
as that in carrots. 
On examining the stumps which were left in the ground, tliev 
were found much sweeter than the upper part of the stems. The 
difference in the taste was so marked, that I had made two direct 
sugar-determinations by the fennentation process. 
The first determination was made in the stems cut about 2 
inches from the ground. It gave 7-65 per cent, of sugar. 
The second was made in the upper part of the stems, cut about 
12^nches from the ground. It yielded PyQO per cent, of sugar, 
or not quite half the quantity which was found in the lower part. 
At the same time I determined the amount of crude fibre (the 
part insoluble in water) in both cases, and found in the lower 
