Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-11-30
AGRICULTl RAL.
Composition of wheat and Corn
tFrom the New York world.l

Composition of whcat and Corn.
tFrom the New York worldl
The result of two years experiments
and the analysis of some 1000 specimens
of wheat from various sections OF the
country are given in bulletin recently
issued. 1t appears that American wheats
rs compared with the foreign product are
deficient in albuminoi1s, which are counted
the most valuable portions of the grain.
Wheat grown in the Eastern section OF
our country is the poorest, being most
deficient in nlbuminoids, ash and size OF
the grain. From East to West appears
regular, graduation OF Improvement until
the Pacific const reached, where there is
decided falling oil in the composition,
but not in the size of the grain. The
best wheat is produced in that portion OF
the country between the Mississippi and
the mountains. The middle, west or cen
trail portion of our country is represented
by averages for Michigan, Kentucky and
Tennessee.
In word, it it'appears that the soils on
the Atlantic coast have been more or less
worn out, that the soils of the middle
West are losing fertility, while the soils
of the far West contain large enough
stores of plant food to make rich grain.
Experiments prove that soil Is the main
factor with wheat, though latitude and
cultivation make some difference in the
quality of the grain.
Corn is an entirely different grain from
wheat. 1t maintains about the same per-
centage of albuminoids under all circum-
stances, aud is not affected by its sur
roundings in this respect. There is ap.
parently the average amount of ash, oil
and albuminoids in corn whereverit grows,
with the exception Of the Pacific slope,
where, as with wheat there seems to be no
facility for obtaining or assimilating nj
trogen.
The conclusion arrived at by Prof.
Richardson is that corn can supply itself
with nitrogen under varied circumstances,
but that it is rarely able to assimilate
more than certain amount, nor will it
fall far below this amount. The bushels
of corn may vary and the size of the
grain, but the quantity Of albuminoid is
practically unchanged.
Under these circumstances, there can
be but slight variation in composition be-
tween different kinds OF corn. Red Dent
is slightly Inferior, but the remaining va
rieties are practically of the same COM
position. Sugar corn is, however, quite
distinct from the field or hard corn. Its
average composition compared with the
average composition of all the hard corns,
shows much higher percentage of oil
and somewhat higher as to fibre and albu'
minoids. The grain dries out more than
the field corn and weighs less.
There exists no marked difference be
tween the average American corn and
foreign corn, except in the matter of wa
ter, as in wheat. Our corn is much dry
er. The American corn is rather bettel
than the foreign article, if there be any
difference.
How Docs Corn smut Get Into the
| from the New England Farmcr.l
In the study of diseases affecting hui
man beings, n great many small animals
such MS rabbits and Guinea pigs, have
been sacrificed to science. To determine
whether valuable horse has the CLAN
ders or only some catarrhal difficulty re-
sembling it, low priced old animal il
sometimes inoculatcd with matter from
the suspected animal such treatment o
Innocent animals would be justtiable only
when much greater good would be gained
by the experiments. In the study of dis
eases of vegetation, there is little, if an.
cause for violating ones feelings of jus
tce or of humanity in the making of sim
liar investigations. 1t would seem to b,
n very simple matter to determine by ex
periments, exactly how corn smut is prop
pagated upon corn plants i'll our gardens
and fields, but so far as we are able t.
learn, no one yet does know exactly hoy
the smut is introduced into the growing
tissues of the stalks, leaves or ears.
W. J. Beal, professor of botany in tn
Michigan Agricultural College, has givel
a good deal Of thought to the subject o
corn smut, and has made some expert
ments and supervised those made b,
others. In letter just received, and il
which reference is made to the article ol
this subject published in the NcW Eng
land Farmer Prof. Beal says
81 intended to try the same things thi
year, but handed the same subject owe
to our new professor of horticulture
who carried them on, but with no appa
rent difference noticeable between tn
corn plants raised from kernels that wer
+ clean and those rolled in smut of tn
previous year. The smut does not seen
to enter corn in that way, but lodges an
grows on different parts OF the growln
plant"
This view is hardly sustained by ou
experiments of IL year ago, when we role
sweet corn in smut spores, and foun
scarcely single stalk free from smu'
though in that experiment the disease wa
confined almost wholly to the stalks an
leaves, the ears being generally souno
nor would they seem to agree with al
a other experiment made two years ago, /
: planting sweet corn taken from lot tht
i was excessively infested by smut, one lC
being planted without treatment, an
r proving almost worthless, while anothe
lot, the seed for which was thorough
s washed in bluestonc pickle, produced
c crop almost entirely free from smut
s both stalk and ear. If smut on wheat ca
be prevented by washing the seed,
would certainly seem that washing cor
seed should have tendency in that d
rection We heartily hope that our agr
cultural experiment stations and coileg'
will give this subject early attention
though farmers should not wait for then
@ but dn what they can to solve the que