124 HORTUS GKAMINEUS WOBU RN E N SlS. 



Experiments. — About the middle of April, the produce from 

 a clayey loam is 5,445 lbs. per acre. 



The produce of latter-math is 9,528 lbs. per acre. 



The culms of this grass at the time the seed is ripe contain 

 more nutritive matter than those of any other species of 

 grass that have been submitted to experiment. In regard 

 to the production of early herbage in the spring, it is supe- 

 rior to the cock's-foot grass ; the results of the experiments 

 showed the quantity of grass to be equal in both plants ; but 

 the nutritive matter afforded by the grass of the meadow 

 cat's-tail in the early part of the spring, was superior to that 

 of the cock's-foot, in the proportion of 9 to 8. The value of 

 the culms simply, exceeds that of the grass, at the time of 

 flowering, in the proportion of 14 to 5 ; a circumstance 

 which gives value to this grass above many others for the 

 purpose of hay ; as its valuable early foliage may be cropped 

 to a late period of the spring without injury to the culms, 

 which cannot be effected with those grasses which flower 

 earlier in the season, without incurring a loss of nearly half 

 the value of the crop, as has been proved by former ex- 

 amples. 



Though there is more nutritive matter contained in the 

 seed crop than in the flowering crop, nevertheless the loss of 

 latter-math which would have been produced in the time the 

 seed was ripening, would more than outweigh the superior 

 quantity of nutritive matter contained in the grass of the 

 seed crop. To the practical farmer this last observation 

 (which likewise applies to every similar statement throughout 

 these details) is, I am sure, unnecessary. If the season has 

 been dry, this grass should be cut at the time of flowering ; 

 but in moist cloudy seasons it should be suffered to stand at 

 least eight days after the period of flowering ; in two days 

 after this period it will accumulate more nutritive matter 

 than it did in ten days previous to that stage of growth, pro- 

 vided circumstances do not interrupt the progress of vege- 

 tation, which the results of numerous experiments have 

 proved. 



This grass is very deficient in the produce of after-math, 

 and is slow in growth after being cropped : these defects 



