1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
89 
others do not, and for which farmers might employ 
them in preference to others. 
Hithertoo the analyses have been too few and too 
imperfect to determine the special advantages I have 
referred to. Professor Playfair’s analysis has been 
often quoted for the purpose of showing its nutritive 
powers, and I may be permitted to refer to it here, 
along with M. Payen’s and Dana’s, the two first of 
which may be regarded as erroneous, or as only distant 
approximations to the truth. Thus they state respect¬ 
ively its composition, as follows:— 
Protein,.. 
Playfair. 
Payen. 
4.80 
Dana . 
12. 
Fatly matter or oil, ..., 
Starch,.. 
.. 5. 
35.60 
28.40 
{ 77.09 
Water,.. 
.... 
1 9. 
Coloring matter,. 
Dextrine, .... 
Cellular tissue,.... 
Various salts,. 
.20 
2 00 
20.00 
7.20 
1 31 
160. 
98.20 
99.40 
Some of the discrepencies in the foregoing analyses 
are undoubtedly due to errors in the work. For in¬ 
stance, the 35.60 oil in M. Payen’s, and the large 
amount of cellular tissue. So the protein compounds 
in both Payen’s and Playfair’s are stated too low. The 
starch is also too high in Playfair’s analysis. It is 
evident he includes in it the fibre or cellular tissue, and 
was probably induced to do so from its close similarity 
in composition to starch, and its uses in the animal 
economy. Some allowance in these analyses should be 
made for difference in varieties which they respectively 
Used; as it would be quite singular if the same kind 
was employed in each case. That varieties are differ¬ 
ent in composition, to a certain extent, appears from 
several analyses which I have carefully made, and 
which I will now state, selecting those which exhibit 
certain extremes in their constitution: 
No. 1. No. 2. No 3. No. 4. 
Starch,. 49.22 41.85 11.60 53.40 
Gluten,.. 5.40 4.62 4.62 3.22 
Albumen,. 3.32 2.64 6.62 '8.96 
Casein,. 0.75 1.32 5.84 1.00 
Oil,... 3.71 3.88 3.60 2 80 
Fibre. 11.96 21.36 11.24 3.20 
Dextrine,. 1.89 5 40 24.82 2.41 
Sugar and extract,.- . 9.55 10 00 8.00 9-60 
Water,... 14.00 10 00 10.32 12.55 
99 80 101 07 100.96 99.88 
The first, is the large, eight-rowed yellow; the 
second, the large Ohio Dent; the third, sweet; and 
fourth, the calico corn.* 
If we compare the foregoing analyses with each 
other, it will not escape our notice, that the calico corn 
contains the most starch and the least fibre; and that 
the sweet corn contains the least starch and the most 
dextrine and nitrogenous matters. The Ohio corn 
ranks the lowest in the nutritive or nitrogenous matters. 
The fibre, it is possible, may not have been perfectly 
separated; still, judging from its coarseness, I believe, 
in this respect, it is not far from the truth. -Its dex¬ 
trine is greater than the other, excepting sweet corn, 
and it will probably be found that all the indented kinds 
contain more of this element than those which are full 
and plump, as the dextrine is a substance which shrinks 
in drying, like gum arabic. The above specimens of 
corn were the growth of the past season, and as they 
were not all equally dry, a slight difference appears in 
the amount of water which they respectively contain. 
The fattening property of Indian corn has been attribu¬ 
ted to the oil of the grain, and its amount has been 
usually spoken of as indicative of its power in this re¬ 
spect. Those, however, who have been in the habit of 
feeding this grain, will hardly accept of this element as 
* The calico corn is a variety similar to the Tuscarora, except 
that the former is variegated in color, and the latter is white.— 
Eds. 
being at all indicative of its value for this purpose. We 
certainly cannot account for its effects in fattening ani¬ 
mals, if its oil alone was to be taken into the account. 
We have, on the contrary, sufficient grounds for be¬ 
lieving that its starch plays a very important part in 
this process.—(To be continued.) 
Improvement by Draining. 
Eds. CultivA-Tor —Since Mr. Howard was here, 
in June, 1847, I have dug over 1200 rods of drains, 
and the greater part is laid with tiles. I should have 
had 800 rods more done, if I could have got tiles 
enough in the fall. But I have now made arrange¬ 
ments by which I expect not to be disappointed in the 
future. 
There is certainly, no way that a farmer can expend 
money that will yield sd much interest as in draining 
wet, moist, or even damp land—especially if he intends 
to grow winter wheat. If the land is what is called 
wet, and of easy drainage, (I mean such as has a po¬ 
rous subsoil to the depth of twx> to two and a-half ft.,) 
the additional crop of wheat or Indian corn, the first 
season, will do more than pay the outlay in draining, 
and on moist or damp soils, where more wheat will 
grow than on wet soils, it may take the additional crop 
of two seasons to pay the cost of the drainage; but on 
hard-pan land, (that is, where the hard-pan comes 
within eight or ten inches of the surface,) I think the 
time has not yet arrived that we can drain such land 
profitably, in this country; but on all lands that can be 
worked with a spade two and a-half feet deep, it yvill 
pay well to drain, if the soil is injured by surface wa¬ 
ter. 
My drains have cost me about forty cents per rod, 
all finished; but I have now made a contract for tiles at 
a cheaper rate. I am also, going to lay pipes two in¬ 
ches in diameter and fourteen inches long, which will 
answer all purposes, except where there is considerable 
run of water. The cost of the pipes will be less than 
that of the tiles, and by filling the drains with the 
plow, (I have always filled with the shovel till last 
fall,) I think I shall be able to finish my drains for 30 
cents a rod. 
Last fall, I exchanged ten acres of land with a neigh¬ 
bor. I got ten acres of wet land for ten acres partial¬ 
ly drained. I made the exchange in order to get an 
outlet for my drains, through the ten acres I obtained, 
part of which was so wet, that when I made the ex¬ 
change, cattle and horses were liable to mire on it; and 
it produced only course wild grass like the w T et prai¬ 
ries of the West. The day I made the exchange, I set 
six men to ditching the new piece, and now a pair of 
horses will draw a wagon loaded with two tons, over 
any part of it that is drained, and by far the worst of 
it is done. The eyes of my neighbors are on that piece 
of land, and it would grieve me were I not to succeed 
with it; but I have no doubt I shall make it as good 
land for grass or summer crops as there is in the state 
of New York. 
I am sanguine that the crop of wheat could in many 
instances, be doubled or more than doubled by thorough 
draining. I am aware that damp or moist land is by 
some held to be best for oats. I do not admit the cor¬ 
rectness of the idea. In the first place, such land is 
frequently situated in hollows, where it has the benefit 
of the wash of uplands, and of course has become rich 
at their expense, and another thing, the dry land, in 
this part of the country, is almost always hard run with 
wheat, and generally brings a fair crop, which damp 
or moist land seldom or never does. For these reasons 
it has every possible chance to bring a bulky crop of 
oats, when the season suits. But let the dry land have 
the snme rest with the damp land, and in nine cases 
