54 BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
ash of the buckwheat gave him nearly 30% of carbonate of potash, 
while the ashes of most other plants yield only some 18 or 20¢%. 
FoppER VALUE OF BUCKWHEAT STRAW. 
While the specimens of straw above described were in hand, it 
seemed desirable to determine by analysis what proportion of sub- 
stances useful for feeding animals were contained in the samples; or, 
rather, to contrast the proximate composition of the buckwheat straw 
with that of other straws, and with the various refuse matters that are 
used as litter. So far as I am aware, no such analysis has ever been 
made, except a single nitrogen determination, by Boussingault and 
Payen,* who found in a straw that contained 11.6% of water, 0.48% 
of nitrogen, or 0.54% of nitrogen in dried straw. That is to say, 
3% of albuminoids in the air-dried straw, and 3.38% in the anhy- 
drous straw. 
From the analysis of my own samples, it appeared that there was 
contained in — 
Mean of the 
No. I. zc, two analyses. 
Water... Sp aes ed A Pe 10.39 10.37 
Ash free from C & Co, Af. iii ie 5.16 5.05 
Albuminoids . . ~ 4.38 3.33 3.85 
Carbohydrates, retains fat. . 33.50 36.19 34.85 
Cellulose, freefromash . . . 46.83 44.93 45.88 
100.00 100.00 100.00 
Dry organic matter. . . . . 84.71 84.45 84.58 
Fat (ether iguanas or ete he besa 1.70 1.56 
Nitrogen .. ee * «© 0.698—0.706 0.582—0.532 0.617 
Riera Peis ee eit ais) see. 2 OO 5.86 + 6.21 
These figures are very like those which have been obtained by the 
analysis of the straw of barley and of the other ordinary grains, as 
will be seen on comparing them with the table on page 353 of the 
first volume of this Bulletin; or, better, from the table given below, 
from which all variations due to the presence of moisture have been 
excluded, by taking for the comparison the average composition of 
straws that have been dried at 110°. 
* “ Annales de Chimie et de Physique,” 1841, 3. 100. 
t In another trial, 5.95 %. 
