Manor Farm, Braydon, Wilts. 389 



out fully tlie evidence as to the poor character of the hay, which 

 its external appearance affords. On the occasion of our last visit, 

 in the autumn of 1865, we were much struck with the wonderful 

 improvement in the character of the grass-land, and found, in 

 place of a small stock of miserably poor hay, a good store of well- 

 made fragrant hay, secured in a hay-barn, of which more anon. 

 Several of the coarser weeds noticed in the herbage of the un- 

 drained impoverished pasture had either entirely disappeared, or 

 else the few specimens still to be seen showed a much weaker 

 growth ; instead of rushes we found a fair sprinkling of red, white, 

 and yellow clover, but little carnation-grass. Poor grasses, such 

 as " lop-grass," "dog's-tail," " quaking-grass," and others prevalent 

 on wet clays, had to a great extent made way for more nutritious 

 grasses — such as the better species of Fescue, Poa, and Phleum. 

 On examining the hay, we found few Hardheads in it, no Cam- 

 mock, and only a iew of the prickly weeds which were before so 

 abundant. Apparently the herbage had become more simple in 

 character, and the effect of lime and phosphates was clearly 

 visible in the increased proportion of white, yellow, and red 

 clovers, meadow vetchling, and common birdsfoot trefoil. The 

 hay was soft, sweet to the taste, and highl^f scented by Authox- 

 anthuvi odoratum, sweet-smelling vernal grass, and was much 

 relished by stock, A fair average sample submitted to a careful 

 analysis yielded the following results : — 



1. General Composition of Good Hay from Improved Pasture at Braydon 



Manor Farm. 



Calculated Dry. 



Moisture 16-00 



Organic matter soluble in. water .. .. 18-31 .... 21'77 

 Mineral matter soluble in water .. .. 5'29 .... 6-30 



Organic matter insoluble in water . . .. 58'20 .... 69"30 

 Mineral matter insoluble in water . . .. 2*20 .... 2-63 



100-00 100-00 

 2. Detailed Composition. 



~ Calculated Dry, 



Water 16-00 



Oil and wax 3-41 .... 4-08 



*lnsoluble albuminous compounds .. .. 7-29 .... 8-65 



Crude woody fibre 47-50 .... 56-57 



f Soluble albuminous compounds .. .. 3-41 .... 4-08 



Sugarandgum 14-90 .... 17-69 



Soluble mineral matter 5-29 .... 6-30 



Insoluble mineral matter 2-20 .... 2-63 



100-00 100-00 



*Containing nitrogen 1'16 .... 1*39 



fContaining niti-ogen "54 .... '65 



Total nitrogen 1-70 .... 2-04 



