654 
Analyses of Ashes of Plants. 
Taking the mean of all these, we shall obtain the following 
numbers : — 
For the straw . . . 1060-7 
„ chaflf . . . 188-7 
For the straw and chaff . 1249-4 
Mean length of the straw, 40 ' 2 inches. 
It would thus appear, from a careful examination of 38 speci- 
mens collected promiscuously, that the straw and chaff together 
never exceed 1500, the grain being taken as 1000 — or, in other 
words, that the former are, at the highest computation, one and a 
half times the weight of the latter, and in these particular cases the 
length of the straw is very considerable, and certainly beyond the 
average of this, if not of most other seasons. As, however, in by 
far the greater number of cases the proportion of straw, including 
the chaff, falls very far short of this, we have every reason to be- 
lieve that the mean which we have obtained rightly represents the 
relation of straw and chaff to grain this year. The number 1250 
of course gives one-fourth part more in weight, or about 17 cwt. of 
straw and 3 cwt. of chaff to 30 bushels of wheat at 61 lbs. We 
may perhaps be excused for dwelling upon a subject which cannot 
but be of interest to every one engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
Upon it depend most important calculations with regard to the 
quantity of fodder and litter at the farmer's disposal for any one 
year. It is only by considering the difference on the large scale 
that it assumes all the importance which it deserves. 
On a farm of 400 acres of ordinary fertilitj^, and cultivated on 
the four-course system, we might fairly consider that the average 
produce would amount to 28 bushels an acre of Gl lbs. to the 
bushel. On the calculation of the proportion of straw and chaff 
already deduced from our experiments, their united weight from 
the 100 acres (the grain being in weight 75|- tons) would amount 
to rather more than 95J tons, including 14f tons of chaff. Were, 
however, the weiglit of straAv and chaff to be, as is supposed, at any 
time equal to twice that of the grain, instead of 95^, the quantity 
would be 152 tons. Surely this must make a most material dif- 
ference in farm arrangements. 
At the same time we must in fairness remark, that all observers 
agree in ascribing to the character of the season the most marked 
influence on the quantity of straw in relation to grain. Bous- 
singault* mentions crops grown at Bechelbron in two consecutive 
years, which differed most extraordinarily in this respect. 
In the first year (1840-41) the season was very wet; the second 
* Rural Economy, 1 vol. 
