STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 24^ 



We consider Prof. Way, with whom w^e had the pleasure of 

 forming an acquaintance in 1851, to be one of the most careful 

 and reliable chemists of the day. In all his investigations, his 

 object is to arrive at trutk^ not to sustain or support any particular 

 theory. It is this that gives confidence to tlie farmer, and will 

 induce him to examine with care every investigation which is 

 made under such auspices, to aid him in his work. 



Prof. Way, says : " It is very generally known to those who 

 have interested themselve in the history and progress of agricul- 

 ture in Great Britain, that at an early period of the present 

 century the Duke of Bedford, impressed with the importance of 

 ascertaining, so far as possible, the relative productiveness of dif- 

 ferent kinds of grasses, and also their relative nutritive value for 

 the feeding of animals, set on foot a series of experiments at 

 Woburn, to determine these points. To Mr. George Sinclair the 

 conduct of this investigation was deputed; and to this day Mr. 

 Sinclair's excellent work, embodying the results that were obtained 

 remains the text book on the grasses. 



" Mr. Sinclair's method was simple enough. He had two ques- 

 tions to determine; the ^r^^ of these being the relative produc- 

 tiveness of different grasses, or in other words, what quantity of 

 each might be grown on a given area of soil, of different quali- 

 ties and capabilities. To determine this point Mr. S. had recourse 

 to the obvious method of growing the different grasses in plots of 

 a definite size, and carefully weighing the produce of each. 



"The second question — that of the nutritive quality of the grasses 

 so grown — required for its solution an expenditure of greater 

 skill; and Sir Humprey Davy was asked to suggest the proper 

 method. 



" The i)lan suggested and adopted, was also very simple. A 

 given weight of the grass, either in its natural state or after being 

 dried, was su])initted to the action of hot water, till all the solu- 

 ble parts were taken up. The lifjuid was then se{>arated from 

 the undissolved W(X)(iy matter by filtration, and carefully evapo- 

 rated to dryness. The dry pfxluct thus obtained was taken as 

 tlie measure of the nutritive matter of the specimen examined. 

 In this wa}' the greater number of the true grasses and other 

 plants found in ur suitable to pastures was carefully examined, 

 and the results were given in Mr. Sinclair's work. There can be 



