The State guard. [volume] (Wetumpka, Ala.) 1847-18??, 1847-05-11
AGRICUL URAl..
Agricultural Chemistry.

BdfQ, l1dL 1nCliliolk nuS QOIC
nothing yet for agriculture
Those who make such assertions
only show their extreme ignor-
ance, coupled with rank preju-
dice. Look at the great mum.
Der of accurate analyses of soils,
manures, grain, vegetables and
animal matter, which have been
going on for years; and the late
brilliant discoveries of the detec-
ton of ammonia in various sub
stances where it was not before
known to exist; and the forma-
lion ofthe superphosphate Of lime
by the application of sulphuric
acid to bones, thus making them
easily soluble, and rendering
one bushel as valuable for the
growing crop as are four or even
five bushels applied in the ordin-
airy way. indeed, in some re-
cent experiments in England on
a crop of rutabaga, made with
great care, one bushel of bones
has been found equal to thir-
ty bushels, as usually applied
though nothing like this could
probably be realized in major
ity of instances.
From a late report of the Ag-
ricultural Chemistry Association
Of Scotland, we learn that the
number of ANALYSES made in
the laboratory during the last
six months has amountedto 2l0.
Among these are three different
oil cakes. 1t is a remarkable
fact, considering the great extent
to which this article is used, and
the length of time it has been
employed, that its accurate che
mical composition should have
been SO long unknown. Some
of the practical benefits 10 the
former arising from this annaly-
sis are indicated by the following
propositions =
l. That tile percentage of The
protein compounds, in the anal
ysis called glutton and aIbumen,
is nearly equal to what is con-
tanned in peas and beans, and
that, therefore, for the production
of milk for the cheese-dairy, and
also for lying on muscle, oil-cales
are as uatuabie as beans, peas, or
clovers. This is a result some
what unexpected, inasmuch as
the value of oil-cakes in the feed
ing of stock has hitherto been
Supposed to depend very much
upon their power of laying on
fat; in other words, upon the per-
ccntage Of oil they contain.
2. The proportion of oil in
these cakes is greater than is
naturally present in any species
ofgrain or pulse usually cultiva-
ted. Oats contain as a maxi.
mum about 7, and Indian corn
about 9 per cent. of oil, but these
cakes contain IL per cent, and
therefore, in their ability to sup
ply fat to an animal, superior to
any of our cultivated grains.
3. These oil-cakes leave six
per cent. of ash, of which one
third consists of phosphorick
acid lO0lbs. of oil-cake, there
fore, contain 2 lbs. of phospho-
ric acid. On the other hand,
our common kinds of grain
wheat for example-leaye only
two per cent. of ash, of which
one-half consists of phosphoric
acid, or l00lbs. ofwheat contain
| ID. ofphosphoric acid. There
fore, for laying on bone, or for
supplying the materials of bone
to growing stock, oil-cake IS t,oice
as ualuable as ,oheat, weight for
weight and more than taoice as
caI,table as oats or barley, which
are covered with husk.
4. Again, the same leasoning
shows that, as grains ofall kinds
draw their phosphoric acid from
the soil, these oily seeds will ex-
haust the soil of its phospbates
to a much greater degree than
our corn-crops 100 lbs. of lin
seed will carry off twice as much
of them from the soil as 1OOlbs.
ofwheat.
5 But the same circumstances
supply an additional reason why
4 4. -