148 
ANALYSIS OF CLOVER AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 
portion in a flask, connected through the medium 
of a chloride of calcium tube, with a Liebig’s pot¬ 
ash apparatus ; having previously thoroughly 
mixed with the clover a small quantity of fresh, 
care fully-washed beer yeast, and covered the 
whole with water. Fermentation went briskly for¬ 
ward for several days. 
On the 1st of July, when the heads were fully 
developed, I cut another portion, and having finely 
chopped, weighed and mixed with it yeast and 
water, connected all with another potash appara¬ 
tus, as in the other case. 
Without or beyond both the potash tubes, were 
tubes of hydrate of lime, to prevent the absorption 
of carbonic acid from the air. 
On the 30th of July, the fermentation being 
quite done, the potash apparatus of the last men¬ 
tioned [quantity of clover] had increased in weight 
oy 1.15 per cent, of the whole weight of clover 
subjected to fermentation. The first mentioned had 
increased only by 0.80 per cent. Thus the amount 
of carbonic acid, evolved from the mass last cut, 
was almost half as much again as that from the 
quantity first cut. 
It may be well, since I have introduced so many 
expressions betraying the laboratory, that I en- 
feavor to explain the mode by which I hoped to 
iscertain the amounts of sugar in the two kinds 
of hay. 
Most persons are familiar with the fact that dis- 
:illers ferment large quantities of grain to obtain 
ilcohol. The process to which the grain is sub¬ 
jected, effects a decomposition of the sugar of the 
grain, into carbonic acid and alcohol. 
The sugar susceptible of this decomposition is 
grape-sugar—that to which the sweetness of apples 
is due, and which is manufactured in enormous 
quantities on the continent of Europe from the 
starch of potatoes. Its composition, when dried at 
212 P from analysis, is Carbon, 12 atoms; Hydrogen, 
12 atoms ; Oxygen, 12 atoms; or, in the language of 
i -hemistry, Cl2 Hi2 Ol2. If we take from this 
1 atoms of carbon, and 8 atoms of oxygen, there 
will remain C8 Hi2 04 thus : 
Cl2 H.12 012 
C4 08 
-*— ) Equal to 2 atoms 
C8 Hi2 04 j of alcohol, 
the composition of alcohol being C4H602. 
The alcohol becomes the high wines ; the carbonic 
acid floats over the fermenting-tubsand escapes. 
Thenard has shown, by distilling and collecting 
the alcohol, and weighing the carbonic acid arising 
from the decomposition of a given weight of sugar, 
that the weight of the sugar and the sum of the 
weights of the alcohol and carbonic acid equal 
each other. 
The alcohol may be permitted to go directly into 
acetic acid, as takes place with fruit, when ex¬ 
posed to air, or continued as alcohol by excluding 
the air. 
Vinegar has the following composition: C4 
H303. In order to its formation from alcohol, 
three atoms of hydrogen must be taken away, and 
one atom of oxygen added. This takes place 
quietly and slowly in cider and beer casks, as well 
as vinegar barrels, with which all are familiar. 
The housewife, to keep the vinegar on the increase. 
adds wine, or whiskey, or cider, or maple sap, or 
molasses. All these contain sugar or alcohol. The 
sugar is resolved into alcohol and carbonic acid. 
The alcohol, however, does not continue as such, 
if the liquid be exposed to the action of the air, 
but goes into vinegar or acetic acid. 
Decompositions have been so much and closely 
studied, that the results are perfectly understood. 
The catises of the decomposition are still matters of 
discussion. 
The carbonic acid, to whose addition the increase 
in weight of the potash apparatus is to be attri 
buted, indicates a certain amount of sugar from 
which it was derived. The larger per cent, of car¬ 
bonic acid in one case corresponds to a larger per 
cent, of sugar in the clover. 
I add the analysis of the ashes of the clover. 
From it may he seen one of the parts sulphate of 
lime (plaster of Paris) plays in the developement of 
clover. 
Franklin, anxious to convince our countrymen 
of the efficiency of plaster (sulphate of lime) ma¬ 
nure, strewed a few handfuls of it in the form of 
large letters upon a clover field. In a few weeks 
the plants that had received it had so far out-grown, 
and had taken on a color so much deeper and richeF 
than the others around, that the wonder of passers- 
by was naturally excited. 
Of the whole plant, in its green state, the earthy 
ingredients or inorganic constituents 
Equal - 1.83 per cent 
Of the leaves, - - 1.75 “ “ 
Of the stems, - - 1.40 “ “ 
The water in the green clover, determined by two 
experiments, was 83.55, and 83.58 per cent. 
Of the dry plant altogether, the ashes 
W ere 
11.18 
per cent. 
Of the leaves. 
10.69 
Of the stems. 
8.52 
(C C( 
Ingredients of the jdshes. 
KO 
(potash) 
12.164 
16.101 
Na 
(sodium) 
1.414 
1.874 
NaO 
(soda) 
30.757 
40.712 
CaO 
(lime) 
16.556 
21.914 
MgO 
(magnesia) 
6.262 
8.289 
POS, 2Fe203, \ 
(phosphate of iron) J 
0.506 
0.670 
Cl 
(chlorine) 
2.159 
2.856 
POS 
(phosphoric acid) 
2.957 
3.915 
S03 
(sulphuric acid) 
0.801 
1.063 
Si 
(silica) 
1.968 
2.605 
C02 
(carbonic acid) 
22J930 
Sand and coal. 
1.244 
100.000 
99.718 
Loss or waste. 
0.282 
100.000 
The sand was probably spattered upon the stalks 
by rain, and some coal remained after the most 
careful and long-continued burning. 
The first column of figures contains the direct 
results of the analysis in per cent. The second 
column the results deducting the carbonic acid, and 
coal, and sand. 
By the analysis we see how large a part is made 
up of potash, soda, and lime. Sulphuric acid is 
there; without; its presence in the soil it could 
never have been among the tissues of the clover 
