FORAGE. 53 



No. 23. Common Ked clover (Tri folium pratense) is found in abund- 

 ance on most good soils, and to a certain extent on other soils, as long 

 as they are dry. 



No. 24. The Little Yellow Clover (Lotus corniculatus) is good herbage, 

 and prevails on most dry upland soils. It varies a good deal in its 

 growth and appearance in different places. 



No. 25. The Yellow Vetch (Lathyrus pratensis) is found on soils, 

 whether rich or poor, if dry. 



These latter two, as they ripen, are apt to become bitter and unpalat- 

 able. 



No. 26. Sainfoin (OnobrycTiis sativa) is found only on fairly good soils. 



No. 27. Hop trefoil (Tri folium procumbens) is found on both good and 

 poor soils, if dry. 



90. Lowland herbage. 



Lowland herbage consists of a great variety of plants. It is easily re- 

 cognised by its broad coarse leaves and general rankness. 



91. Recapitulation. 



Good hay contains a large proportion of the best grasses, along with 

 the trefoils and other good herbage, and only a small proportion of the 

 inferior grasses. 



Inferior hay, on the other hand, consists mainly of the inferior grasses, 

 with only a small, or perhaps no admixture of the best grasses, whilst 

 good herbage will be wanting. 



Inferior hay generally contains an unduly large proportion of leaves to 

 stems. The absence of a good proportion of stems to leaves is always a 

 sign of inferiority, whether the hay be upland or lowland. 



The best upland hay consists mainly of the grasses numbered from 1 to 

 6, with almost always some admixture of the rather inferior grasses 

 numbered from 7 to 10. 



Inferior hay will contain but little of the grasses numbered from 1 to 6, 

 a very large proportion of those numbered from 7 to 10, and some pro- 

 portion of those numbered from 11 to 15. 



Very inferior hay will contain none of the grasses numbered from 1 to 

 6, and the bulk will consist of those numbered from 7 to 15, with some 

 of those from 16 to 19. 



The specimens of water-meadow grasses are numbered from 18 to 21. 



92. Of Weeds. 



The presence of weeds in hay is generally an unfavourable sign. They 

 indicate land either in bad heart, or naturally poor or wet. 



Buttercups, however, are often found in considerable quantities on fair 

 moist soils. There are four varieties of buttercups all more or less 

 acrid. The long-stalked and bulbous varieties are found in considerable 

 quantities on most fair moist soils. The creeping and celery-leaved 

 varieties are found on wet marshy soils. 



