74 GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS. 



which had been dug up from a garden and thrown into the 

 brook to get them out of the way. Several other instances of 

 a smilar nature have also come to my notice. One farmer has 

 propagated it extensively in his wet meadows by forcing the 

 ripe seed panicles into the mud with his feet. As the stripe of 

 the ribbon grass is only accidental, dependent on location and 

 soil, it constitutes only a variety of the reed canary grass and 

 loses the stripe when transferred to a wet and muddy soil. 



The cut, Fig. 82, was made from a specimen too far advanced 

 to show this grass as it ordinarily appears ; the panicle or head 

 is too spreading and not sufficiently long. I have fine speci- 

 mens with panicles three times as long as appears in the draw- 

 ing, and more in the shape of a spike of Timothy. 



To ascertain the exact nutritive qualities of this grass when 

 cured as hay, a careful analysis has been made at my request, 

 by Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, with the following 

 result : Of water, the specimen contained 10.42 per cent. ; ash, 

 5.31 per cent. ; nitrogen, .55 per cent. ; nitrogenous ingredi- 

 ents, flesh forming principles, 3.53 per cent. ; woody fibre, 

 starch, gum, sugar, &c., 80.73 per -cent.* It will be seen by 



* The following are the details of this valuable analysis : — 



Ist. Of the Leaves stripped from the Culms or Stalks ; 



2(1. Of the Stalks from which the Leayes and Joints were removed ; and 



3d. Of the Joints. 



Weight of different j)ortions of the Plant. 



Grammes. Av. Gr's. 

 Leaves of four Stalks, air-dried, weighed, 2.9239 



" " " " " 2.8740 



Four Stalks, without Joints, or Leaves, air-dried, weighed, . . 4.1167 



" " " " " . . 3.2018 



Joints of four Stalks, air-dried, weighed, .5161 



6592 



.4624 



Average Total, 7.0205 Grammes. 



Average weight of Stalks with Leaves and Joints, 1.7551 Grammes. 



Water Determination. 



I. Of the Leaves, .9234 grammes lost at a temperature of 212° Fah. .1014 grammes — equal to 

 10.98 per cent. 

 II. Of the Stalks, 1.983G grammes lost at 212° Fah. .1902 grammes— equal to 9 58 per cent. 

 III. Of the Joints. 2.4529 grammes lost at 212° Fah. .2630 grammes— equal to 10.72 per cent. 



Ash Determination. 



I. Of the Leaves, air-dried, 2.9239 grammes gave .2590 grammes Ash — equal to 8.86 per cent. 

 II. Of the Stalks, air-dried, 4.1167 grammes gave .1475 grammes Ash — equal to 3.58 per cent. 

 III. Of the Joints, air-dried, .5161 grammes ga e .0181 grammes Ash — equal to 3.50 per cent. 



