160 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



composition, for both types of grass contain about 

 the same amount of nutrient substances. It is 

 rather that in the one case the fodder is palatable, 

 although digestibility trials would perhaps show 

 that the coarser grasses are not so well digested 

 on account of the higher percentage of silica which 

 they contain and which doubtless acts as do the 

 incrusting materials in the crude fibre of hay or 

 straw. Further, it must be noted that the sharp 

 particles of the coarse grasses have an irritant 

 effect, often indeed cause injury to the mucous 

 membrane, and thereby diminish the food meta- 

 bolism in the animal. 



In order to maintain a compact growth of plants 

 in permanent pastures care has to be taken that the 

 development of the stem shall not take place. As 

 animals grazing on the pasture also bite off certain 

 plants very completely, the flora has an entirely 

 different character to that of meadows in the same 

 position. English and Italian rye grasses, timothy, 

 cock's foot, dog's tail, and the different fescues 

 have proved themselves good lasting varieties for 

 permanent pastures, whilst amongst the clovers, 

 the red, and, on dry soil, the yellow varieties are 

 also very successful. As the leaf surface upon 

 which the formation of fresh organic matter depends 

 never reaches the extent in pasture plants that it 

 does in meadow plants, the weight of the harvest 

 from the former is often 30-60% less than from the 



