Water 72·00
Nitrogenous, or flesh-forming principles 3·21
Oil 1·18
Other fat-forming principles (starch, gum, &c.) 8·20
Woody fibre 13·33
Mineral matter 2·08
———
100·00

The specimen was allowed to lie for a few days in a dry room, so that it lost a little water whilst in my possession, before it was subjected to analysis.

The sample cut in August contained a larger amount of nutriment than the specimen analysed in the spring; but its constituents appeared to be much less soluble in water, and therefore, less digestible.

Professor Blyth, of the Queen's College, Cork, has more recently made a very elaborate analysis of furze, grown in the county of Cork, which gave results still more favorable to the plant than those arrived at by me—probably because the specimens furnished to him were drier than mine.

ANALYSIS OF FRESH FURZE, BY DR. BLYTH.
100 parts contain:—
Matters readily soluble in water and easily digested.
* Albuminous, or flesh-forming compounds 1·68
Fat and heat-producing, or respiratory elements, viz., sugar, gum, &c. &c. 7·83
Ash 0·83
———
Total matters soluble in water 10·34
* Containing nitrogen 0·265
Matters insoluble in water.
Oil 2·14
† Albuminous, or flesh-producing compounds 2·83
Fat and heat-producing, or respiratory elements 1·00
Woody fibre 28·80
Ash 3·23
———
Total matters insoluble in water 38·00
Water, expelled at 212 51·50
———
99·48
Total nitrogen in plant 0·71
Total albuminous, or flesh-producing compounds 4·51
Total respiratory, or heat and fat-producing compounds 8·83
Total ash 4·06
The ash contains in 100 parts:—
Potash 20·00
Phosphoric acid 8·72
† Containing nitrogen 0·445

If the large per-centage of water be deducted, the dry, nutritive matters can then be more readily compared with the amount of the same substances in other feeding articles:—

Composition of 100 parts of furze dried at 212°. Matters soluble in water in the dry furze.
* Albuminous compounds 3·47
Respiratory elements 16·15
Ash 1·71
———
Total matters soluble in water 21·33
* Containing nitrogen 0·546
Matters insoluble in water in the dry furze.
Oil 4·41
† Albuminous compounds 5·84
Respiratory elements 2·06
Woody fibre 59·38
Ash 6·66
———
Total matters insoluble in water 78·35
———
99·68
Total nitrogen in dry furze 1·46
Total albuminous compounds 9·13
Total respiratory elements 18·20
Total ash 8·36
† Containing nitrogen 0·917
Composition of ash per cent.
Potash 20·00
Phosphoric Acid. 8·72

The results of these analyses show that dry furze contains an amount of nutriment equal to that found in dry grass. The nature of its composition resembles, as might be expected, that of its allied plants, vetches, &c., and therefore it exceeds the grasses in its amount of ready formed fatty matter.

SECTION IV.