BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 127 
It should be stated that the determination of albuminoids (7c. of 
nitrogen) in this particular plant, as given above, is not quite correct ; 
since the plants contained a rather large amount of nitrate of potash, 
the presence of which, as is well known, tends to vitiate the estimation 
of nitrogen by the soda-lime process, which was used in this instance. 
The purslane contained so much nitre that the dried powder of it burned 
like touch-paper, on being ignited for the estimation of the ash. So, 
too, on percolating a quantity of the dried plant with water, and testing 
the acidulated filtrate by boiling with metallic cadmium and adding 
iodo-zine starch solution, a strong reaction for nitric acid was immedi- 
ately obtained. 
PiG-WEED or Lamps’s-QuarTerRs (Chenopodium album). A sam- 
ple collected upon the Plain-field of the Bussey Institution, Aug. 1, 
1876. The plants, which were of medium size, were in blossom when 
gathered. 
Pig-weed. Green. Air Dried. Dried at 110° C. 
Peete. > - + 80.80% 9.81%, 
Ash (free from C &CO,). . . 38.02 14.21 15.76% 
Chee . ss le CDF 18.59 20.61 
Carbohydrates (including fat) . 9.69 45.44 50.38 
Cellulose (free fromash) . . . 2.55 11.95 13.25 
100.00 100.00 100.00 
Dry organic matter. . . . . 16.18 75.98 84.24 
Fat (etherextract). . ... . 0.76 3.55 3.94 
Nitrogen . .... . . 0.63—0.63 2.97—2.98 3.30 
a PS 9” 17.95 19.90 
Luyken, as cited in Wolff’s tables, found in the plant dried at 100° 
13.19% of crude ash and 10.36% of ash free from C and CO,, and the 
latter contained 50% of potash, 8% of phosphoric acid, 28}% of lime, 
7% of magnesia, &c. 
The young plant is still sometimes boiled and eaten as greens, and 
appears to have been frequently used in this way formerly. The 
analysis shows that it is rich in foddering materials. , 
Perhaps the best way of conveying an idea of the probable fodder 
value of the foregoing plants will be to contrast their composition with 
that of various well-known vegetables, as may readily be done by 
means of the following table, the first part of which, relating to turnip 
tops, &¢., has been copied from the tables of Wolff, and of Dietrich and 
