110 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



thing, like an inquisitive Yankee, I wanted to see it, and com- 

 menced looking- for it ; and I will tell you precisely what I 

 discovered then. 



1 discovered that the grasses and grains generally commence 

 blossoming at the bottom of the head, but few blossoms appearing 

 at first, but as these fall ofF new ones appear a Ijttle above, and so 

 it goes on to the top. I discovered that as fast as the blossoms 

 dropped off the seed commenced forming. I discovered that it 

 required from three to five days feu* all the blossoms to appear and 

 disappear from a single head ; and furthermore, although I have 

 watched carefully and patiently, I never have discovered a single 

 head of grass or grain that blossomed a second time Do not 

 take my word for it, but examine and investigate for 'yourselves ; 

 and if you believe there is a second blossoming you will have the 

 patience to wait for it ; but believe me j^ou may wait as long as 

 Father Miller did for the " second advent," and you will end as he 

 did ; you will die without the sight. 



But I again call your attention to the question, is there any one 

 stage of grass that will answer all the purposes required, viz : 

 the production of milk, fat, bone and muscle? There certainly 

 must be, for those things are just what grass is made for. The 

 principal requirements for these ends are gum, extractive and 

 fatty matter, albumen, &c., starch and sugar ; and all these are 

 constituents of the good grasses. It is generally considered that 

 pasturage is best during the last half of June, or in the colder 

 parts of the State until some days into July. It will make more 

 milk, more fat, more growth on young stock, and more bone and 

 muscle for working oxen and horses, than at any other time. 

 And why? Because it contains more gum, starch and sugar at 

 that time than at any other season. Before that time it contains 

 more water — after that time it contains more wood. All the 

 grasses contain these as soon as they appear above ground, and if 

 left to themselves, as in our meadows, they continue growing with 

 their growth and strengthening with their strength until the blos- 

 soms appear ; but immediately after the blossoms appear the seed 

 commences forming and the nutritive constituents commence 

 changing to woody fibre ; and this changeis more rapid than many 

 suppose. Chemical analysis proves that at the commencement of 

 seed-forming there is more loss of nutritive matter in one day than 

 the gain of one week before. 



Again, if the grass in our pastures is most nutritious during the 



