160 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



1-2 EDWARD VII., A. 1902 



long pieces. No. 2 is in short, broken up pieces winch come ashore in large quantities 

 in the autumn. We should like to know their relative value as regards plant food. 

 Most farmers in this section consider the short, brown material of little or no value, 

 and it is possible that it has lost some of its potash by being so long in the salt water. 

 If of equal value, weight for weight, it would be more economical to haul the short 

 6tuff. Further, the latter mixes better with stable manure than the fresh green Eel 

 grass. After cleaning out the cow stable we place a layer of the short grass in the 

 gutter as an absorbent and we have had good results by having as much as half the 

 bulk of manure of Eel grass. However, it is as a summer mulch for strawberries that 

 I have used the largest quantity of this short material, and find it for this purpose 

 much better than cut straw, which, as you know, gets wet and mildews and is apt to 

 induce decay in the berries. This short sea-weed never mildews and the berries resting 

 upon it remain sound.' 



Our analyses of these two samples are as follows : — ■ 



Water 



Ash or mineral matter 



Ash, insoluble in acid 



Phosphoric acid 



Potash 



Nitrogen, in organic matter 



It is evident from these data that, weight for weight, the fresh Eel gras3 contains 

 much the larger percentage of plant food. The short, brown material has lost half of 

 its phosphoric acid, about nine-tenths of its potash, and somewhat more than half its 

 nitrogen. As to the relative availability of these constituents in the two samples, it 

 is impossible to speak with certainty, but possibly the short, brown Eel grass may have 

 the advantage in this respect. 



There is no doubt that the application of Eel grass directly to the soil would be of 

 little value, owing to its strong resistance to decay, but first air-dried and used as an 

 absorbent material in the stable, or composted, we think its fertilizing constituents 

 could in a large measure be made available. 



FODDERS AND FEEDING STUFFS. 



BOOTS. 



In the report for 1900 we furnished information respecting the comparative feed- 

 ing value of certain roots, as ascertained by chemical analysis on the crop of that year. 

 To learn how far the character of the season or other possible factors might affect the 

 composition of these roots, as well as to obtain data that could be used in compounding 

 rations for steers under experiment during the coming winter, we have submitted to 

 analysis specimens from the crop of 1901 grown on the Central Experimental Farm. 



Time did not permit us to make complete analyses. We, therefore, determined 

 the percentage of dry matter and the percentage of sugar (in juice), these being the 

 two most important data from the feeding standpoint. The amount of true protein 

 in roots is very small, and fat exists practically in traces, so that in the results here 

 given we have all the necessary figures upon which to base a judgment as to the nutri- 

 tive value of the roots. 



