FORAGE. 47 



All these points will be further considered in detail. 



N.B. If in a sample of the hay, a variety of the best grasses, such as 

 rye-grass, meadow fescue, meadow foxtail, cat's-tail, &c., are found, but 

 attenuated, it is a proof that the soil, though naturally good, is in bad 

 heart, i. e. impoverished by over-cropping or want of manure. The hay 

 is worthless. There is no virtue in grass except such as is extracted 

 from the soil. For an illustration, compare No. 3 meadow foxtail and 

 No. 17 slender foxtail. It is true that these arc different varieties. 

 But meadow foxtail grown on impoverished, though naturally good soil, 

 will look very much like slender foxtail. 



80. Upland, Loivland, and Water -meadoiv hay. 



Hay may be broadly distinguished as either upland, lowland, or water- 

 meadow. 



Upland is the best. None but upland hay should be used for horses 

 doing fast work. Lowland hay is inferior. Water-meadow hay is 

 altogether unfit for horses. 



These terms, which are in common use and generally well understood, 

 are not in all cases strictly accurate, e. g. a low-lying meadow may repose 

 on a dry formation, and in addition may be well drained ; and if so, it 

 may grow fine, commonly called upland grasses. On the other hand, a 

 meadow may lie high and yet may be a swamp, and will therefore grow 

 coarse, commonly called lowland or even water-meadow grasses. Still 

 for all practical purposes these expressions may be used, and will be 

 understood by all practical men. 



Certain grasses grow only on upland meadows, others only on lowland, 

 whilst others are found only on water-meadows. Some sorts are found 

 both in upland and lowland meadows, whilst others are found both in 

 lowland and water meadows. In short, no very sharp line of demarca- 

 tion can be drawn between grasses of upland and lowland and water- 

 meadow growth. They shade into each other according to the pecu- 

 liarities of the soil. 



The best upland grasses will, however, be found only in upland 

 meadows, but the inferior upland grasses will be found in moderately 

 dry lowland meadows, and vice versa, the best sorts of lowland grasses 

 may be found, to a certain extent, on upland meadows. 



The same remarks apply to lowland and water-meadow grasses. The 

 inferior lowland grasses may be found in water-meadows, whilst the best 

 water-meadow grasses may be occasionally, though more rarely, found in 

 lowland meadows. 



81. Distinction between upland, lowland, and ivater-meadow hay. 



Upland hay is known generally by the fineness and firmness of the 

 stalks or stems, and by the narrowness of the leaves of its grasses. 

 Specially, it is recognised by the prevalence of certain grasses (of which 

 hereafter) which do not grow on lowland ; and, again, by the prevalence 



