AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY AND GEOLOGY. 191 



tific men, but by men of close observation and deep reflection, which qualities are generally 

 the parents of sound judgment. It has been accomplished by practical farmers in every 

 sense of the word, who by observation of a few of the laws of organic life, as manifested in 

 animals living under different conditions as to food and climate, and availing themselves of 

 those laws, have gradually brought about this vast improvement in our breeds of stock. — 

 London Farmers' Magazine. 



Hay Making. 



The following article from the Irish Economist, with extracts from Morton's Cyclopedia of 

 Agriculture, (English, ) although referring in part to methods and grasses foreign to this coun- 

 try, still contains truths worthy of consideration by every farmer : — 



Chemistry informs us that of the various ingredients which compose grass, those portions 

 which are immediately soluble in water are the most fitted for purposes of nutrition; and, 

 therefore, it should be cut at that period when the largest amount of gluten, sugar, and other 

 matter soluble in water is contained in it. And that period is not, generally speaking, when 

 the plants have shot into seed ; for the principal substance is then woody fibre, which is totally 

 insoluble in water, and therefore unfitted for being assimilated in the stomach. It has been 

 shown that " when the grass first springs above the surface of the earth, the chief constituent 

 of its early blades is water, the amount of solid matter comparatively trifling ; as its growth 

 advances, the deposition of a more indurated form of carbon gradually becomes more consi- 

 derable, the sugar and soluble matter at first increasing, then gradually diminishing, to give 

 way to the deposition of woody substance," the saccharine juices being in the greatest abun- 

 dance when the grass is in full flower, but before the seed is formed. During all the latter part 

 of the process of fructification, the formation of the seed, &c, the sugar rapidly decreases in 

 quantity, and when the seeds have arrived at maturity, the stem and leaves begin to decay ; 

 so that, if the grass is not cut when in flower, a great amount of nutriment will be wasted. 

 Many of the natural pasture grasses, however, are exceptions to this rule, some possessing a 

 greater nutritive value when the seed is ripe, than at the time of flowering. In the cock's- 

 foot grass, (Dactylis glomerata,) for instance, the proportional value at the time the seed is ripe 

 to that at the time of flowering, is as seven to five ; the value of the grass of the sweet-scented 

 soft grass, (Holcus odoratus) when seeding, exceeds that at the time of flowering in the porpor- 

 tion of twenty-one to seventeen ; and with the meadow cat's-tail, or timothy grass, {Phleum 

 pratense) the culms are found to contain more nutritive matter when the seed is ripe, than those 

 of any other species of grass that have been submitted to experiment — the value of the culms 

 simply exceeds that of the grass when in flower in the proportion of fourteen to nine. But 

 though there is more nutriment contained in the seed crop of these grasses than in the flower- 

 ing crop, nevertheless the loss of lattermath, (later mowing,) which would have been produced 

 in the time the seed was ripening, would more than outweigh the superior quantity of nutritive 

 matter contained in the seed crop ; and by aiming at the greater amount of nutriment con- 

 tained in these grasses at seeding, a loss is sustained not only in the lattermath, but in the 

 bulk of the hay itself; for although the crested dog's-tail grass (Cynosurus cristatus) yields 

 just twice as much grass when the seed is ripe as at the time of flowering, the majority of the 

 grasses possess a much greater quantity of produce when flowering than at any other time. 

 The grass of the Welsh fescue is of equal value in nutriment at each stage of its growth ; and 

 the nerved meadow grass [Poa nervata) is equal, both in nutriment, quality, and quantity of 

 produce, at flowering and seeding ; but nearly all the other varieties combine the properties 

 we have been describing — namely, of producing the greatest weight of grass, and also the 

 largest amount of nutritive matter, when in flower. The meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) is 

 of more value when flowering than when the seed is ripe, proportionally as three to one ; the 

 crested dog's-tail, although yielding much less grass at that time, contains nearly twice the 

 quantity of nutritive matter when flowering as when the seed is ripe ; and the tall, oat-like 

 soft grass, (IIolcus avenaceus,) at the time of flowering, exceeds its value when the seed is ripe, 

 in the proportion of five to two. But without multiplying examples, it is obvious, from the 

 foregoing remarks, that nearly every species of grass — no matter whether it contains most 

 nutriment when flowering or when seeding — yields the most profit in hay and lattermath if it 



