FRUITS. 277 



before our readers which may possibly benefit them, I sub- 

 join the following from an article on the subject, in the 

 British Farmer's Magazine. 



" The fact of a remarkable increase of vegetation from 

 fibrous covering, has now been fully confirmed by numerous 

 and careful experiments. In every instance where the rela- 

 tive quantities of grass were cut and weighed, that operated 

 on by this agency showed an increase of six to one over that 

 of other parts of the fields without manure, and of five to one 

 above that where guano, farm-yard manure, wood ashes, or 

 pigs'-hou'se dung had been applied against it. The quantity 

 of hay obtained from the grass was in the same ratio ; the 

 mean of the results from different farms, shows that a ton and 

 a half was obtained where Gurneyism had been used, and 

 only from four to five hundred weight where it had not. In 

 many cases the grass was so slight on the parts of the fields 

 not covered, that it could with difficulty be mowed, and in 

 some cases was considered not worth cutting at all. 



The question of quantity is indeed settled. The next 

 question, its comparative goodness, seems also determined. 

 Mr. Gurney, at former meetings, gave it as his opinion that 

 the quality was not inferior to that of other grass ; this 

 opinion, he said, was founded on botanical observation and 

 careful chemical analysis. In all cases, cattle eat this grass 

 as readily as they do that of ordinary production, and ap- 

 pear to do as well on it. It has moreover been observed 

 that the milk and cream of cows fed on it have both in- 

 creased in quantity and improved in quality. 



Another very interesting and important fact is developed 

 that this action tends to improve the herbage, by favoring 

 the growth of the more valuable kinds of plants. In 

 almost every instance it has very much increased the growth 

 of the Dutch clover. In Belgium, and many parts of the 

 midland counties of England, it is the common practice, in 

 order to destroy the couch grass, &e., to manure twice on 

 the green sod with active compost. The result of this prac- 

 tice is to bring up the more valuable grasses, which, being 

 delicate, require the assistance of art to insure their vigor- 

 ous growth. The same results follow the action of fibrous 

 covering, but in a more rapid manner, and certainly the 

 quality of the herbage is improved. In many parts of fields 

 where the action had been induced, a beautiful floor of grass 

 now appears ; while on those parts left uncovered, the grass 

 is very inferior in appearance, having a considerable quan- 



