The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-02-08

95 NNeSS S'B "" ASoS
tings each year for a period of many
years Tin one case it is said to have
lasted AGO years from one seeding), it
was thought well to compare the CON
position of hay from an old planting
with hay from a field recently planted.
Little difference was found in either
the richness or the digestibility or the
hay from old and young roots.
Alfalfa hay, put down in a close
NOW and kept for a number of years,
was found by an occasional analysis to
grow richer as it grew older.
Analyses of hay cut at different
stages of development showed that hay
cut when in full bloom was richer in
digestible protein than hay cut at any
other stage of development.
Tests as to solubility showed that a
larger portion of the nutrients were
soluble in clover or pea vine hays than
in hays from grasses, and hence the
clover hays deteriorate more from ex
posure to weather.
The Utah Station has been studying
alfalfa ever since its organization. The
object of bulletin 48 10 to acquaint the
farmers with the changes alfalfa under
goes during its growth, and to fRmil
iarize them with the composition of
vegetable substances, and to make
plain TO them the meanings of tbs
terms commonly used In the analy sis
of such substances.
Small plats Of alfalfa we're cut every
Monday morning, and the cuttings
were weighed ON balances sensitive to
i've grams, These cuttings were . r
fully separated into gtemA leaves and
flowers, and the weight OF each psrt
ascertained. At the same time samples
of the whole plant were placed IN
Mason fruit jars. These samples of She
whole plants, and Of leaves, stalks and
flowers were then taken TO the lab0rR
tory, and all the moisture they con
tanned wa driven Of by heating, aDG
they were again weighed TO determine
the weight of the sap lost.
After driving off the moisture, what
remained-leavea, stalks and flowers
was separately ground into q fne pow
der, and then submitted TO a thorough
chemical analysis.
Now, what is left after driving off all
moisture is called the dry matter OF
the feed. Hence the first step in analy.
sis is to determine the water and the
dry matter, as above. Then if we take
a sample Of the dry matter and weigh
it, and then burn it aud weigh the
ashes left, we determine the orgaDi5
matter and the mineral matter, wha5
burns being the organic matterand thu
ash being mineral matter, aud this is
the second step in analysis.
For his third step the chemist deter
mines the composition Of the organic
matter-that which disappeared when
burned. This escaped in the form Of
smoke and invisible gases. 1t was
mainly composed Of carbon, nitrogen,
hydrogen and oxygen. Carbon Is the
black charcoal OF daily observation
Fat, starch, sugar and fiber are chiehy
made up of carbon. The diamond,
most valuable OF all jewels, is chrystal.
lied CARBON. Hydrogen and oxygen
are two invisible gases, which, when
chemically united, form water. Nitro
gen is a gas which makes up nearly
four 6fsha Of the air we breathe, the
other one fifty being oxygen, which is
the life giving principle of the air to
animals The air also elso contains g
small portion Of carbon, In a gaseous
form, and growing plants get most OF
their supply Of carbon from tee air.
The quantities of nitrogen, starch, fats,
fiber Cor c~ellUloso) contained In the
plants being anely zed are determined
by methods which none but a chemisg
can understand,
But it is enough for the general
reader to know that the starch, sugar,
gum, FIBER, etc in plants are ali
grouped together and called carbohy-
drates, because chiefly composed OF
carbon and hydrogen. Their function
is to produce bodily heat and energy.
and to store up fat in the body. The
proteids, or nitrogenous bodies (some-
times called al6uminous), are chiefly
composed OF nitrogen, and their chief
function is to form muscle, nerve,
brain, tendon, tissue, etc. The fats,
though largely carbon, are usually
classed separate, because one pound of
the fat is equal In feed value to q