422 
Kepobt of the Assistant Chemist of the 
" We have been using eomfrey five years, and we think more of its 
value this year than any previous year. We are now cutting the fifth 
crop grown this season. My foreman says that it will average ten tons 
to the acre for each crop, making fifty tons to the acre for the season. 
Of course to get such an enormous yield it must be thoroughly cultivated 
between each cutting and top-dressed. We use for dressing nothing 
but stable manure, put on immediately after cutting, before cultivating. 
We have no forage plant that compares with it in producing quantity 
and quality of milk." 
The sample sent for analysis was just beginning to blossom. The 
eomfrey is under trial at the Station the present season and analyses 
for both, together with one made three years ago, are given. 
No. 1. Sample from Dr. Foster. 
No. 2. Sample from Station crop. 
No. 3. From report of 1884. 
No. l. 
No. 2. 
No. 8. 
Fresh Substance. 
Water 
Ash 
Albuminoids 
Crude fiber 
Nitrogen-free extract 
Fat (ether extract) 
Dry Substance. 
Ash 
Albuminoids 
Crude fiber 
Nitrogen-free extract 
Fat (ether extract) 
88.24 
1.64 
1.88 
2.66 
5.27 
.31 
13.93 
16.00 
22.66 
44.76 
2.65 
78.70 
86.14 
3.16 
2.56 
3.69 
3.25 
3.19 
2.00 1 
10.42 
5.68 
.84 
.37 
14.83 
17.31 
14.98 
48.91 
3.97 
18.45 
23.44 
14.43 
41.02 
2.66 
An inspection of the above table shows a large percentage of water 
for the fresh substance, while the water-free substance is much richer 
in albuminoids than the average feeding stuff. The per cent of ash 
is very large, which is generally characteristic of rapid- growing 
succulent plants. 
Sugars astd Starch. 
A determination of the sugars and starch was made in the sample 
received from Dr. Foster, with results as follows for the dry substance : 
Per cent. 
Invert sugar 6 . 22 
Sucrose 0.80 
Starch * 8.14 
The plant contains a large per cent of invert sugar, but rather a 
small quantity of starch. The plant has very much the gelatinous 
