THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



32 



by the former chemist of 19.44 per cent., and by 

 the latter of 19.31 per cent., being five per 

 cent, greater than the results of Dr. Anderson's 

 analyses. There must, therefore, have been certain 

 causes which influenced the manner in which the 

 nutritive substance of the different clovers were 

 accumulated in the plants— causes which were, 

 perhaps, chiefly derivable from the peculiarities 

 of the soil in which the different clovers were 

 grown. 



Taking Dr. Voelcker's analysis as our guide, we 

 find that in the natural state red clover contains 

 80.640 per cent, of water, 3'606 per cent, of flesh- 

 forming substances, 13.784 per cent, of heat and 

 fat-producing substances, and 1.970 per cent, of 

 inorganic matters or ash. Alsike clover contained 

 in the natural state 76'670 per cent, of water, 

 4.825 per cent, of flesh-forming matters, 16.445 

 heat and fat-producing substances, and 2.060 per 

 cent, of ash. Lucerne contained 73.41 per cent, 

 of water, 4.40 per cent, of flesh-forming matters, 

 19.11 per cent, of heat and fat-producing sub- 

 stances, and 3.08 per cent, of ash. Dr. Anderson 

 states the composition of clover-hay to be as 

 follows :— Moisture, 16.84 per cent.; flesh-forming 

 substances, 13.52 per cent.; non-nitrogenised mat- 

 ters — the elements of respiration and fat — 64.43 

 per cent.; mineral matters or ash, 5.51 per cent. 

 Dr. Voelcker gives the mean of 25 analyses of 

 common meadow hay, which shows that, on an 

 average, this description of food contains 14.61 per 

 cent, of water, 8.44 per cent, of flesh-forming 

 constituents, 43.63 per cent, of the elements of 

 respiration and fat, 27.16 per cent, of woody fibre, 

 and 6.16 per cent, of ash. Meadow hay of supe- 

 rior quahty, analyzed by Dr. Wolff, contained 

 10.69 per cent, of flesh-forming matters; whilst 

 inferior meadow-hay analyzed by Dr. Anderson, 

 contained, when fresh, 6.16 per cent., and after 

 being kept for a year, only four per cent, of the 

 same substances. 



If we take some of the ordinary grasses when 

 made into hay, and assuming, which is the fact, 

 that hay on an average contains 14.3 per cent. 

 of water, we find that the composition of Italian 

 rye-grass consists of 8.66 per cent.- of flesh-form- 

 ing substances, 52.36 of the elements of respiration 

 and fat, 16.94 per cent, of woody fibre, and 7.66 

 per cent, of inorganic matter or ash. Perennial 

 rye-grass contains 10.16 per cent, of flesh-forming 

 matters, 38.93 per cent, of heat and fat-producing 

 substances, 30.17 per cent, of woody fibre, and 

 6.46 per cent, of ash. Italian rye-grass is, there- 

 fore, more valuable than perennial rye-grass. 

 Timothy, or meadow cat's-tail grass, contains 9.74 

 per cent, of flesh-forming matters, 48.77 per cent, 

 of heat and fat-producing substances, 22.68 per 



cent, of woody fibre, and 4.53 per cent, of ash. 

 The composition of timothy also shows it to 

 be a valuable grass. Holcus lanatus, soft meadow 

 grass, contains 9.87 per cent, of flesh-forming 

 substances, 36.69 per cent, of heat and fat- 

 producing matters, 33.69 per cent, of woody fibre, 

 and 5.46 per cent, of ash. This grass is of inferior 

 value. The hay of grass grown on watered mea- 

 dows is very nutritious, more so than that produced 

 on land which has not been irrigated. It contains 

 22.21 per cent, of flesh-forming matters, 5.60 per 

 cent, of ready-formed fat (whereas the highest 

 proportion in the grasses we have already named is 

 3.04 per cent.), 27.47 per cent, of respiratory 

 principles, 21.55 per cent, of woody fibre, and 

 9.03 per cent, of ash. Dr. Voelcker accounts 

 for this superiority of these grasses by supposing 

 that it is partly due to the disappearance of inferior 

 grasses from irrigated meadows, and "perhaps 

 also to the circumstance that the grass on such 

 meadows is always cut earlier than on ordinary 

 meadows." 



Whatever defects exists in our knowledge of the 

 composition of the various grasses, there is one 

 well-ascertained fact, namely, that if we wish to 

 possess the largest possible amount of nutritious 

 matters in our hay, whether clover or meadow 

 hay, we must cut the grasses early — that is, not 

 later than when beginning to flower ; because that 

 with every day which passes after the grasses have 

 reached that particular stage, there is a loss in the 

 amount of their nutritive principles, until at last we 

 find, on their becoming fully ripe, they are only 

 one-half the value they were when beginning 

 to flower. In order to see that this fact is either 

 unknown to, or unheeded by farmers in general, we 

 have only to look at any of our hay fields in 

 the month of July, when it will be seen that 

 the largest proportion of the grasses are allowed to 

 remain uncut until their nutritive qualities have 

 become wasted, or converted into indigestible 

 matter. It is in such points as this that we learn 

 to appreciate the value of scientific research when 

 brought to bear upon the practice of agriculture ; 

 when the mere practical man, hesitating between 

 two opinions, and uncertain which course he ought 

 to adopt, finds a sudden and a bright light thrown 

 upon his course by the minute investigations of the 

 scientific explorer. If we argue upon or support 

 our arguments by mere generalities, we shall in- 

 variably find ourselves disappointed in our expecta- 

 tions of impressing our views, however correct 

 they may be, on the minds of those whom we are 

 desirous of influencing; but once show them proof 

 of the correctness of the views expressed, and 

 conviction is at once driven home with irresistible 

 force. This is the manner, indeed, in which the 



