hy minerals which remain, as ash, when the plant is
burnt, is large. This excess of water continues for many weeks. Thus,
on the 5th July, thirty-three days from planting, the relations stood
thus:--

Water 90.518
Dry matter 9.482
Ash 1.333
Ash calculated dry 14.101
(Ash very saline.)

Before green succulent food of this character is fit to give to cows,
oxen, mules, or horses, it should be partly dried. Plants that contain
from 70 to 75 per cent. of water need no curing before eaten. The
young stalk cut July 12, gave over 94 per cent. of water. Such food
used for soiling without drying would be likely to scour an animal,
and give it the cholic.

The root at this time (July 12) gave of--

Water 81.026
Dry matter 18.974
Ash 2.222
Ash calculated dry 11.711
(Ash tastes of caustic potash.)

Ash of the whole plant above ground, 6.77 grains. Amount of ash in all
below ground, 3.93 grains.

So late as July 26, the proportion of water in the stalk was 94 per
cent.; and the ash calculated dry 17.66 per cent. The plant gained
21.36.98 grains in weight in a week preceding the 6th September. This
was equal to a gain of 12.72 grains per hour.

The rapid growth of corn plants, when the heat, light, and moisture,
as well as the soil are favorable, is truly wonderful. A deep, rich,
mellow soil, in which the roots can freely extend to a great distance
in depth and laterally, is what the corn-grower should provide for his
crop. The perviousness of river bottoms contributes largely to their
productiveness of this cereal. A compact clay, which excludes alike
air, water, and roots, forbidding all chemical changes, is not the
soil for Indian corn.

When farmers sell corn soon after it is ripe, there is considerable
gain in not keeping it long to dry and shrink in weight. Corn grown by
Mr. Salisbury, which was ripe by the 18th October, then contained 37
per cent. of water, which is 25 per cent. more than old corn from the
crib will yield. The mean of man experiments tried by the writer has
been a loss of 20 per cent. in moisture between new and old corn. The
butts of cornstalks contain the most water, and husks or shucks the
least, when fully matured and not dried. The latter have about 30 per
cent, of dry matter when chemically desiccated.

COMPOSITION OF THE ASH OF THE LEAVES