700 
WHEAT. 
chaff, when dried, loses from 11 to 14 per cent. of | which are therefore removed by it from a farm of 
water ; in one case (spec. 21) it amounted to 16 per | 400 acres. 
cent., the crop having been injured by floods. The 
‘* We now come to consider the mineral matter 
mean. proportion of water in the chaff of wheat | in the different parts of wheat, and first as to its 
taken on 40 specimens is 12°21 per cent. 
It would | quantity. 
The following tables give the amount of 
thus appear that nearly one-eighth part of the whole | variation in the ash of all the specimens before de- 
wheat crop consists of water—about 20 tons of | scribed :— 
SANDY (SILICIOUS) SOILS. 4 CALCAREOUS SOILs. 
i | i fn | | | | 
3 CLAY SoILs. 
oe . Name of Specimen. 
S Ash of | Ash of | Ash of 
7, Grain. Straw. Chaff. 
1 | Hopeton, 1:76 3°85 9°18 
2 | Hopeton, ae BY es 
3 | April wheat, 504 a 
4 | Spring wheat, 1:74 4-60 | 11°56 
5 | Bristol red, Sas al £3, 
6 | Clover’s red, . ue ay ae 
7 | Red-chaff Dantzic, ne Hes a 
8 | Piper’s thickset, see Be $06 
9 | White-chaff wheat we Be 35 
10 | Hopeton, bc “160 Bee 
11 | Spalding, 508 50 on 
13 | Creeping, sco 50 Aa 
14 | Talavera, 308 nae S00 
15 | White wheat, bob ENS 03 
16 | ‘Talavera, ae a 300 
17 | Creeping wheat, . ane on 260 
18 | Creeping wheat, 508 a 530 
19 | Creeping, 4 1:50 4:08 | 11:97 
20.\\) Lalayera, 1:60 5:98 15:24 
21 | Hammond’s, 1:94 4:65 13-71 
22 | Red Britannia, 1°82 5°16 14:48 
23 | Red wheat, 1°75 5°65 13:02 
24 | White wheat, 1:59 4:00 13°46 
25 | Creeping wheat, . 1:70 3°73 | 13:40 
26 5 é ac ue 500 
27 ; ‘ Ba 
28 : “ Mats o43 
29 | Red-straw wheat, 1:70 500 
30 | Hopeton, : 1°56 NO 
31 : : Be ute an 
32 | Piper's thickset, . 1:73 |} 11:00 | 15-41 
33 : c oe wee 260 
38 | Hopetow oe 666 S00 
39 | Hopeton, . 1°63 4:27 | 14-29 
40 | Hopeton, bh 333 He 
41 | Hopeton, . 1°69 5:15 | 12°24 
42 | Hopeton, : as vee oa 
43 | Red-straw white, ae 
44 | Red-straw white, 
45 : “ de S0t ibe 
ie Red-straw white, 1:60 4°20 9°45 
48 ° d oye oe i 
49 | Red-straw white, 1-71 5:07 11:27 
Ash of Ash of Ash of Ash of Ash of Ash of 
Grain. Straw. Chaff. Grain. Straw. Chaff. 
va | saz | 981 
1:79 3°73 6:94. 
154 | 3-92 | 11-98 
1°55 3°20 761 
1:36 4°87 12:97 
1:48 5:00 8°52 
1°54 4:76 10:27 
1°51 3°77 11°34 
1:81 3°57 7°30 
1°55 4°33 16°46 
¥ 1-59 4:00 14°38 
1:68 3°36 13-00 
1:69 5:08 16°47 
F 1:72 5°50 15:06 
Ba 1:90 6:83 14°34 
rer | 49 | 19% 
171 | 407 | 11-77 
1:76 | 416 | 10-36 Nes op iF 
1:72 4:24 10°08 ies ‘ 
1:73 4°68 13°78 ae sie aes 
es ees Sue 1%1 2°74 7:04. 
1:90 | 7:36 | 15:88 
It will be convenient to consider in the first place 
the quantity of ash in the straw and chaff, in order 
that the mineral matter of the grain, both as regards 
its quantity and quality, may come under our notice 
at one time. The quantity of ash of wheat straw 
is usually comprised within the limits of 3°5 and 5 
per cent. of its weight. There are, as will be seen 
by the table, deviations from this proportion—one 
specimen (No. 45) giving only 2°74 per cent., whilst 
in Piper’s thickset (spec. 32) the per centage is as 
high as 11. There is no very evident connection 
between the quantity of ash and the soil upon which 
the specimen has grown; but if we may judge from 
the mean of the instances in the tables, it would ap- 
pear that straw from. clays contains the most ash— 
that from calcareous soils containing less, but more 
than the produce of sandy (silicious) soils. The 
variety of wheat would seem to control the propor- 
tion of ash of the straw; and the relative strength 
of different specimens is certainly to some extent 
dependent upon its amount. Thus in Piper’s thick- 
set (spec. 32), which possesses a straw of unusual 
strength, the proportion of ash is very great, more 
than doubling the usual average. This peculiarity 
is not observable in another specimen of straw of 
the same wheat (spec. No.8); but the singular low- 
ness of ash in this instance is due in some way to 
the soil. The mean of 40 specimens of straw given 
in the table will be found to be 4:50, or about 100 
Ibs. of ash for every ton of straw. The greatest 
quantity of ash removed from an acre by the straw 
of any crop which we have examined is 243 lbs. 
(spec. 47); in this case the per centage of ash is 
very high. The amount of mineral matter removed 
from the soil by the straw will of course be depen- 
dent on the quantity of straw itself, and therefore 
on the season. The proportion of ash in the chaff 
varies between the limits of 7 and 16 per cent.; 
more frequently, however, being found between 12 
and 15 per cent.; as in the case of the straw, the 
silicious soils give chaff containing the least ash, and 
clays the most, the calcareous soils being interme- 
