I 9 6 plant and organic chemistry 
of our country. The United States Agricultural Department 
furnishes several reports on this subject. 1 The analyses have 
been conducted to show the effect of environment on the grain. 
The albuminoids, fat, and ash composition of American 
grain are given and compared with foreign crops, and the 
average composition of flour from different sections of the 
country has been studied. 
The importance of chemical analyses in this connection 
is evident, for the relative chemical composition of a cereal 
decides its nutritive value, and this information is essential 
to the farmer in the selection of the kinds of grain for sowing. 
The percentage of chemical composition of grains varies in 
crops grown in different sections of the country, and furnishes 
a scientific basis for careful selection of climate and soil. 
Agricultural chemical analysis is usually conducted to show 
the aggregate percentages of groups of substances. All the 
nitrogenous compounds are determined together and classed 
as the albuminoids; starch, gum, sugar, and similar sub¬ 
stances, as carbohydrates. Oils, waxes, and allied com¬ 
pounds are classed as fats. Special compounds existing in 
minute quantities, but belonging to one of these classes, would 
fail to be detected in such a general plan of analysis; such 
compounds might have great economic interest. Careful 
and detailed plant analysis can be the only means to discover 
and isolate these principles. 
The sources of sugar supply to the world are from a few 
plants; the beet, maple, sugar-cane, and sorghum. In our 
country, during 1883-84, beet-sugar was all made at Alvarado, 2 
California. Sugar manufactured from the beet on the Pacific 
Coast is an assured success. The climate and soil of northern 
California, Oregon, and Washington Territory are especially 
suitable to this plant. A vast range of territory in our Northern 
States would be adapted for the cultivation of the sugar beet. 
The causes of past failures to establish a beet-sugar industry 
1 Buis. No. 1, No. 4 , No. 9, Chem. Div. Dept, of Agr., by Clifford Richard¬ 
son. 
2 “Our Sugar Supply,” by H. W. Wiley. From Bui. No. 2, Chem. Soc. 
of Washington, January, 1887. 
