390 Improvement of Grass-land on the 



A comparison of the composition of the improved hay with 

 that from the unimproved pastures offers several points of 

 interest 



1. In the first place it will be seen that the proportion of woodj 

 fibre in the good hay is much reduced — that is, in round num- 

 bers, from 47J to 56 per cent. 



2. The amount of soluble {%. e. readily digestible) albuminous or 

 flesh-forming material is considerably increased in the good hay. 



3. The total amount of albuminous compounds is increased 

 from 8 per cent, to lOi per cent., or one-fourth. 



4. The difference in the relative proportion of sugar and other 

 soluble matters is very marked — the bad hay containing only 

 10 per cent, the good hay nearly ]5 per cent, of sugar. 



5. The proportion of fatty and waxy constituents likewise is 

 larger. 



6. Lastly, the increase in the soluble mineral matter shows that 

 the good hay is the more succulent. The later analysis agrees 

 well with that of good meadow-hay, and shows conclusively that 

 the produce of the improved pasture is greatly more nutritious 

 and palatable than that which it bore in its original undrained 

 and impoverished condition. 



Profitable Character of the Operations. 



However interesting the above facts may be in a scientific 

 point of view, the practical landlord and the enterprising tenant 

 will require to know whether all these improvements were profit- 

 able, whether a good interest was secured for the outlay in works 

 of a permanent nature, and a fair profit made on the tenant's capital. 

 Unfortunately for the public, Mr. Ruck has not kept any exact and 

 separate account of expenditure and income for this farm : we have 

 to fall back upon a few particulars — from which, however, much 

 may be gathered. Here is one. The last tenant paid 12.S. anacre 

 rent. After three years in Mr. Ruck's hands, and, as far as we can 

 judge, without a very extravagant outlay, the grass-land has become 

 worth fully 30s. an acre. The grass-land is about 150 acres : in 

 1864, 64 acres of this were mown ; of the remainder, 27 acres 

 carried 31 yearling beasts all the summer with corn ; 22 

 acres maintained 25 yearlings. There were, besides, 100 ewe& 

 which were folded on the ploughed land at night. After mowings 

 the aftermath was hurdled off with the ewes eating corn. 



The artificial food consists of a Avell-prepared mixture of several 

 ingredients according to market value, generally barley, wheat, 

 beans, bran, malt-dust, with cotton-seed and linseed cake. The 

 cattle generally received about 4 lbs. a day and the sheep 1 lb. In 

 addition to the horned stock and sheep, a large number of pigs. 



