108 YALE AGRICULTURAL LECTURES. 



skill of the farmers, as its natural soil is far below the average 

 of the State in richness. If the same skill were exerted in 

 other counties, the same result will follow. Another cause of 

 the diminution of grass is the prevalence of weeds ; at present 

 nearly one-third of the plants in our meadows are weeds. 



Much ignorance exists among farmers ; very few know the 

 names of the grasses growing on their farms, nor can they 

 distinguish one from another. They know little or nothing of 

 the comparative nutritive values of the different species, nor of 

 the soils best adapted to them ; nor of the special purposes 'to 

 which they are applicable. It was ' alleged that chemistry 

 can never, by itself, furnish a safe and reliable guide to the 

 nutritive values of the grasses, because there were frequent 

 obstacles to the assimilation by the animal of the nourishment 

 contained in the grasses; thus, Phragmites communis (com 

 mon reed grass) had a coating of silica so thick that it 

 would cut the stomachs of animals ; other species had sharp 

 spines, which deterred animals from eating it ; others combined 

 unwholesome elements in their nutriment; hence, whatever 

 nourishment might be contained in these was quite useless to 

 the farmer. 



Much of observation and experiment is necessary before we 

 pretend to understand the grasses. The making of artificial 

 meadows is an art yet in its infancy. We never hear of them 

 in England prior to A. D. 1681, nor in this country until about 

 A. D. 1720. The attention of observers and experimentalists 

 should be directed to the following points : 



I. The special use of each of the 3,000 species of grass. 



II. The absolute and comparative values of each species 

 should be ascertained by chemical analysis and practical tests. 



III. The adaptation of each species to different soils, climate, 

 and circumstances. 



IV. The period of its growth when it contains the greatest 

 amount of those properties on which its value chiefly de 

 pends. 



