GRASSES OF MAINE. 15 



turnips, and the feeding value of oats is nearly that of corn. 

 In practice, one bushel of corn is equal to two of oats for 

 fattening ; but oats are altogether the best for growing- 

 animals than corn. If the hygienic value of roots, especially 

 turnips and beets, could be estimated, it would show that 

 thej^ actually have a much higher feeding value. 



The nutritive value of the different grasses and the nutri- 

 tive equivalents, are subjects to which the best chemical 

 scientists have given a vast deal of thought, still the whole 

 subject is beset with doubt and uncertainty. 



Foul Seed. 



The quantity and purity of seed seriously effects the profit 

 or loss of farming, yet what is being done to remedy the evil 

 of impure seed? Nothing. This should be a work of the 

 farmer's college, or of an experimental station. Often old 

 and otherwise worthless seeds are mixed with new seed ; but 

 far worse are the weed seeds, because they live to perpetuate 

 their kind. 



Let me recite a few detections of weed seeds in grass seed. 

 Irya pint of clover seed were found 25,560 weed seeds ; in an- 

 other, 70,400; in ahalf bushel of herds-grass, were 1,000,000 

 seeds of weeds ; and in a bushel of red-top, a still large num- 

 ber. In the seed sufficient for an acre, 4,000,000 weed seeds 

 have been found. 



If our old grass fields were carefully examined, probably 

 one-third of the growing plants would be found to be perni- 

 cious weeds, innutritions and unpalatable, and which came in 

 grass seed. A careful counting in a great number of fields, 

 gave these results : In the first field of 30 plants, 26 were 

 weeds ; in field No. 2 of 38 plants, 30 were weeds ; in field 

 No. 3 there were 17 grasses and 23 weeds ; the aggregate of 

 the three fields being 29 grasses and 79 weeds. 



Pig-weed, burdock and purslane, will yield each 16,400 

 seeds, or enough to seed- three acres. Chess will yield 

 150,000 seeds to the pound. A single root of ox-eye daisy 



