The Farm Livestock of the Period. 261 



a small patch of this variety, which was cut in the month of 

 September, had advanced before winter to the length of five 

 or six inches, " forming the closest pile that could be imagined." 

 " And although there had been about six weeks of very in- 

 tense frost with snow, and about six weeks immediately suc- 

 ceeding that, of exceeding frost every night with frequent 

 thaws in the day-time without any snow, during which time 

 almost every green thing was destroyed, yet this little patch 

 continued all along to retain as fine a verdure as any meadow 

 in the month of May." Purple fescue, vernal grass, and burnet 

 possessed the same qualities, though in a less degree. Common 

 rye-grass, soft grass, the myrrh plant and epilobium, though 

 incapable of resisting frost, were earlier in leaf in the new 

 year than other varieties. Some grasses, like the common 

 milk-wort, yarrow or milfoil, sheep's fescue, etc., only appear 

 after the ground has been for some considerable length of time 

 in grass; while, on the other hand, "couch-grass, knot-grass, 

 and earth-nut only flourish while the ground is under cultiva- 

 tion, or at most for a year or two after it is laid into grass ; 

 after which time they usually disappear, and are no longer 

 seen till the ground has been again in tillage for some time " 

 — a fact which was taken advantage of by Scotch farmers for 

 getting rid of these destructive weeds. ^ 



It had been also observed that dry food seemed less apt to 

 produce fat than more succulent varieties; that peas and 

 other leguminous grain had a greater tendency to promote a 

 quantity of fat and juicy flesh than oats ; that the Arabs, who 

 paid especial attention to their horses, fed them with a paste 

 of dates and camel's milk ; that the Portuguese preferred 

 chestnuts to barley or oats as horse-feed ; that carrots were 

 coming into use in England for a similar purpose, and that 

 bruised whins greatly promoted the health of the same quad- 

 ruped. Without stopping to criticise these assertions, it may 

 be assumed that the British agriculturist was fully alive to 

 the necessity for further chemical knowledge on the sustain- 

 ing powers of various fodder plants. " Experiments are still 



' Would that couch-grass {triticum repens) were so easily got rid of ! 



