Ma-ch  i,  1893.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  555 
Composition,  oj  the  Ash  of.  Cereal  Grains,  f Tiiorpe’s  “Dictionary  of  Applied  Chemistry.” ) 
Description. 
Number  of 
Analyses. 
£ 
Ip 
Potash. 
Soda. 
Lime. 
Magnesia. 
Peroxide  o 
Iron. 
Phosphoric 
Acid. 
'Sh  . 
Silica. 
Chlorine. 
Wheat  (winter)  
110 
1-96 
3D2 
2*1 
3-3 
12-1 
P3 
47-2 
•4 
2-0 
•3 
Spelt  with  chaff 
2 
4-29 
15-6 
DO 
2-6 
65 
1-6 
20-7 
2-9 
46' 7 
•6 
Do.  without  chaff’ .. . 
4 
1-68 
30T 
4-8 
4-3 
12-4 
lo 
45-2 
r — 
10 
— 
Rye  (winter)  
36 
2-09 
32  T 
1-5 
2-9 
11 '2 
1-2 
47-7 
1-3 
1-4 
*5 
Oats  (with  husk) 
57 
312 
17-9 
1-7 
3-6 
7-4 
1-2 
25-6 
1-8 
39'2 
•9 
Do.  (naked) 
4 
2-07 
28-0 
— 
7-5 
10-1 
1-5 
47-7 
— 
1-2 
•3 
Barley  (with  husk)... 
57 
2-61 
20-9 
2'4 
2-6 
8-8 
1-2 
35-1 
1-8 
25-9 
1-0 
Do.  (naked) 
3 
213 
28-5 
1-8 
31 
12-0 
1-9 
47-1 
2-9 
3 '6 

Maize 
15 
1-45 
29-8 
PI 
2-2 
15-5 
•8 
45-6 
•8 
2 1 
•9 
Rice  with  husk 
2 
8'21 
17  *5 
5*5 
4-0 
10-8 
1-8 
406 
•9 
18-3 
•9 
Do.  without  husk  ... 
5 
•39 
21-7 
57> 
3-2 
11-2 
1-2 
53-7 
•6 
2-7 
T 
Millet  ( P.  Mileaeeum ) with 
husk  ... 
3 
3-43 
11-4 
1-3 
■6 
9-6 
1-1 
2P9 
•2 
53- 
•5 
Do.  without  husk 
1 
1-46 
17-4 
5-3 
— 
170 
1-5 
49-2 
1-3 
8'3 
— 
Do.  ( P.  Italicum)  with- 
1-26 
out  husk 
1 
20-6 
3-3 
2-4 
14-1 
0-4 
39-6 
3-3 
11-6 
3-7 
Do.  ( S.  Saccharatum ) 
with  husk 
1 
272 
14-9 
8-4 
•7 
13-2 
0-4 
24-8 
•8 
368 
T 
Do.  ( S.  Saccharatum J 
without  husk 
1 
526 
21-4 
4-9 
2 6 
14-5 
1-8 
49-7 
2-5 
•2 
1-4 
Do.  (S.  Tartaricum ) with 
husk  ... 
1 
1*86 
. 
20-3 
3-3 
P3 
14-8 
T9 
50-9 
7'5 
In  the  preceding  table  of  the  average  com- 
position of  cereal  f grains,  the  last  column  may 
require  explanation.  Tt  expresses  what  is  called 
the  nutrient  ratio  of  the  cereal  grains,  or  the 
ratio  of  albumenoids  to  starch,  and  the  word 
starch  used  in  this  - sense  includes  the  carbo- 
hydrates and  the  starch-equivalent  of  the  fat.  One 
part  of  vegetable  oil  or  fat  is  regarded  as  equal 
to  2-5  parts  of  starch ; hence,  by  multiplying 
the  fat  or  oil  by  2 -5,  we  get  the  starch-equivalent 
of  the  oil.  Professor  A.  H.  Church,  in  his  work 
“The  Food  Grains  of  India,”  adopts  not  2 ‘5  but 
2-3  as  the  starch  equivalent  of  oil.  The  ratio 
in  a standard  diet  is  1 to  5 ; hence  cereals  which 
nearly  approach  this  ratio  of  albumenoids  to 
starch  are  capable  by  themselves  of  supporting 
the  human  frame  in  a state  of  health  for  a 
lengthened  period,  such,  e.g.,  as  Indian  wheat 
in  which  the  ratio  is  1 : 5-2,  while  rice  and  still 
more  so  Kurakkan  are  deficient  in  albumenoids, 
the  nutrient  ratio  in  each  case  being  respectively 
1 : 10  and  1 : 13,  so  that  both  of  these  foods 
require  to  be  supplemented  by  diet  in  which  the 
albumenoids  bear  a higher  ratio  to  the  starch 
than  1 to  5. 
Another  expression  that  is  met  with  in  the 
valuation  of  foods  is  “nutrient  value.”  This 
expresses  the  sum  of  the  albumenoids  and  the 
starch  in  100  parts  of  the  food.  Starch,  in  this 
sense  also,  includes  the  starch-equivalent  of  the 
oil  or  fat  as  well  as  the  carbohydrates.  From 
Professor  Church’s  work  on  the  “Food  Grains 
of  India,”  I quote  two  tables,  one  giving  the 
nutrient  ratio,  albumenoids  and  nutrient  values 
of  Indian  cereals  and  buckwheats,  the  other 
o-iving  the  same  for  the  pulses  or  leguminous 
seeds.  It  will  be  observed  that  while,  in  the 
cereals,  the  ratio  of  albumenoids  to  starch  is 
less  than  that  of  standard  diet,  in  two  of  the 
buckwheats,  and  in  most  of  the  leguminous 
seeds,  it  is.  greater,  so  that  cereals  and  pulse 
supplement  each  other. 
Nutrient  ratio,  Albumenoids  and  Nutrient  value 
in  Cereals  and.  Buckwheats.  (A.  H.  CHURCH.) 
C t D O • 
,S°e;-S 
' H o 
Z ¥ 
z SS^_gw 
<4  £ V 
P > 
ft 
K urakkan  or  Ragi 
1:  13 
5-9 
84 
(Eleusine  coracana) 
Koda  Millet 
1:  11-7 
7-0 
89 
(Paspalum  scrobiculatum) 
Rice 
1 : 10'8 
7-3 
86-5 
( Oryza  sativa)  . 
Sanwa  Millet  ... 
1:9'5 
8-4 
88- 
( Panicum  f rum entaceun  i ) 
Little  Millet  ... 
1 : 8'4 
9-1 
85' 
(Panicum  miliare) 
Maize 
1 : 8-3 
9-5 
88-5 
(Zea  mays) 
Great  Millet  ... 
1:8'2 
9-3 
86- 
(Sorghum  vulgare) 
Shama Millet  ... 
1 : 8- 
96 
85- 
(Panicum  colonum) 
Bulrush  Millet... 
1:7-6 
10-4 
89-5 
(Pennisetum  typhoid eum) 
Italian  Millet  ... 
1:7-4 
10-8 
91- 
(Setaria  italica) 
Broom  Corn 
1 : 6-4 
11-8 
87- 
(Sorghum  saccharatum) 
Bamboo  Rice  ... 
1:6-4 
11-8 
87- 
(Bambusa  arundinaceae) 
Barley 
1 : 6-3 
11 '5 
84-5 
(Stordeum  vulgare) 
Indian  Millet  ... 
1:6- 
12-6 
89- 
( Panicum  mil iaceum ) ) 
Wheat 
1:5-2 
13-5 
84-5 
(Triticnm  sativum) 
Common  Amaranth 
1 : 5-3 
13-7 
90- 
(Amaranthus'paniculatus) 
Buckwheat 
1 : 4-7 
15-2 
86* 
(Fagapyrum  esculentum) 
Quinon  Seed  ... 
1 : 3- 
19-2 
78- 
(Cheuopodium  quinon) 
