— 9 — 
close as we would expect two different samples taken from 
different parts of the same field to be, there is an advantage 
in favor of this variety because of habit, growing erect with 
leafy and numerous stems. As to earliness of maturity 
there was but slight difference. I made no endeavor to 
study the relative draft made upon the soil by these varie¬ 
ties; in other words, the ashes were not analyzed, and only 
one series of samples was taken and each sample analyzed 
m duplicate, l his is clearly too limited an investigation on 
which to base other than tentative conclusions, since the 
composition is so near to the average for alfalfa hay made 
trom plants in the same degree of maturity. It is very 
probably true, that, so far as these varieties are concerned, 
the only advantage of any one of them over the others is an 
advantage due to earliness of maturity, productiveness, or 
the ratio of stems to leaves, and not in its chemical compo¬ 
sition. 1 here are, doubtlessly, other qualities entering in¬ 
to the alfalfa plant affecting its desirability for hay making, 
but which he beyond our power to recognize, just as there 
is a very readily recognized difference between the differ¬ 
ent cuttings of alfalfa or between old and new hay. 
The samples used in the following analyses were taken 
at different stages of growth for the first and second cut¬ 
tings and partly so for the third cutting. We cannot give 
the treatment of every sample in detail without repeating 
to a wearisome extent. The general method was to select 
and cut by hand the samples to be prepared. A quantity 
was weighed off, cut up without loss, placed in a sack, and 
exposed to the wind and sun until it came to a constant 
weight. This process was very tedious for samples weigh¬ 
ing from five to ten pounds. The samples were then ground, 
bottled, and sealed. Duplicates were made of some sam¬ 
ples, one being dried as above, the other in the hot air bath 
at a temperature not exceeding ioo degrees. The analyses 
showed no difference due to the manner of preparation. A 
higher temperature, however, is not safe ; this was especially 
true with the roots, which showed by both their color and 
odor that at no degrees decomposition of some of their 
constituents had set in. A temperature ranging below 70 
degrees was found to answer well. 
The samples were taken to represent the plant without 
any bloom, beginning bloom, half bloom, full bloom, with 
seed foi med and with mature seed, d he plant has been 
furthei separated into roots, the outside or bark and in¬ 
terior portion, stems, leaves, flowers, and seed. Two sam¬ 
ples were taken early in May before any blossom buds ap¬ 
peared, for the determination of crude fiber, to ascertain 
