662 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



No. 11 



Bumed : the attachment or dislike to a particular 

 kMiid of (bod exhibited by animals, offers no proof 

 of il.s nutritive powers. Cattle, at first, refuse 

 linseed cake, one of the most nutritive sub- 

 stances on which they can be fed.* 



* For the following observations on the selection of 

 different kinds of common food by sheep and cattle, I 

 am obliged to Mr. George Sinclair. 



" Loliuin perenne, rye-grass. Sheep eat this grass 

 when it is in tlie early stage of its growth, in prefer- 

 ence to most others ; but after the seed approaches to- 

 wards perfection, they leave it for almost any other 

 kind. A field in the park at Woburn was laid down 

 in two equal parts ; one part with rye-grass and white 

 clover, and the other part with cock's-foot and red 

 clover: from the spring till midsummer the sheep kept 

 almost constantly on the rye-grass ; but after that time 

 they left it, and adhered with equal constancy to the 

 cock"s-foot during the remainder of the season. 



^' Dadylis gloinerata, cock's-foot. Oxen, horses, and 

 sheep eat this grass readily. The oxen continue to 

 eat the straws and flowers, from the time of flowering 

 till the time of perfecting the seed: this was exempli- 

 fied in a striking manner in the field before alluded to. 

 The oxen generally kept to the cock's-foot and red 

 clover, and the sheep to the rye-grass and white clo- 

 ver. In the experiments published in the Amoenitates 

 Academicae, by the pupils of Linnaeus, it is asserted 

 that this grass is rejected by oxen : the above fact, 

 however, is in contradiction of it. 



"Alopecurus pratensis, meadow fox- tail. Sheep and 

 horses seem to have a greater relish for this grass than 

 oxen. It delights in a soil of intermediate quality as 

 to moisture or dryness, and is very productive. In 

 the water-meadow at Priestley, it constitutes a consi- 

 derable part of the produce of that excellent meadow. 

 It there keeps invariably possession of the top of the 

 ridges, extending generally about six feet from each 

 side of the water-course; the space below that to 

 where the ridge ends is stocked with cock's-foot, the 

 rough-stalked meadow grass, Festitca praiensis, Fes- 

 tuca duriuscula,Agrostis stolonifera, Agroslis pabistris, 

 and sweet-scented vernal gniss, with a small admixture 

 of some other kinds. 



"Phleum prateme, meadow cat's-tail. This grass is 

 eaten without reserve by oxen, sheep, and horses. 

 Dr. Pulteney says that it is disliked by sheep; but in 

 pastures where it abounds, it does not appear to be re- 

 jected by these animals, but eaten in common with 

 such others as are growing with it. Hares are remark- 

 ably fond of it. The Phleum nodosum, Phleum alpi- 

 num, Poa feriilis and Poa compressa, were left un- 

 touched, although they were closely ad'oining to it. It 

 seems to attain the greatest perfection in a rich deep 

 loam. 



^'Jgrostis stolonifera, florin. In the experiments de- 

 tailed in the Amoenitates Academicae, it is said that 

 horses, sheep, and oxen eat this grass readily. On 

 the Duke of Bedford's farm at Maulden, florin hay 

 was placed in the racks before horses in small distinct 

 quantities, alteinately with common hay; but no de- 

 cided preference for either was manifested by the horses 

 in this trial. But that cows and horses prefer it to 

 hay, when in a green state, seems fully proved by Dr. 

 Richardson, in his several publications on florin; and 

 of its productive powers in England (which have been 

 doubted by some,) there are satisfactorv proofs. La- 

 dy Hardwicke has given an account of a trial of this 

 grass; wherein twenty-three milch cows and one young 

 horse, besides a number of pigs, were kept a fortnight 

 on the produce of one acre. 



"Poa trivialis, rough-stalked meadow. Oxen, 

 horses, and sheep eat this grass with avidity. Hares 

 also eat it; hut they give a decided preference to the 

 smooth-stalked meadow grass, to which it is, in many 

 respects, nearly allied. 



"Poa j»rfl/ensis, smooth-stalked meadow-grass. Oxen 



When food artificially composed i8 to be given 

 to cattle, it should be brought as nearly as possi- 



and horses are observed to eat this grass in common 

 with others; but sheep rather prefer the hard fescue, 

 and sheep's fescue, which affect a similar soil. This 

 species exhausts the soil in a greater degree than al- 

 most any other species of grass; the roots being nu- 

 merous, and poweifully creeping, become in two or 

 three years completely matted together; the produce 

 diminishes as this takes place. It grows common in 

 some meadows, dry banks, and even on walls. 



" Cynosurus aistatus, crested dog's-tail grass. The 

 South Down sheep and deer appear to be remarkably 

 fond of this grass: in some parts of Woburn Park this 

 grass forms the principal part of the herbage on which 

 these animals chiefly browse; while another part of 

 the park, that contains the Jlgrostis capillaris, Jlgros- 

 lis pumilis, Fesiuca ovina, Feshica duriuscula, and Fes- 

 tuca cambrica, is seldom touched by them: but the 

 Welsh breed of sheep almost constantly browse upon 

 these, and neglect the Cynosurus cnstaius, Lolium pe- 

 renne, and Poa trivialis. 



"Jgrostis vulgaris (capillaris, Linn,), fine bent; 

 common bent. This is a very common grass on all 

 poor dry sandy soils. It is not palatable to cattle, as 

 they never eat it readily, if any other kinds be within 

 their reach. The Welsh sheep, however, prefer it, as 

 I before observed; and it is singular that those sheep 

 being bred in the park, when some of the best grasses 

 are equally within their reach, should still prefer those 

 grasses which naturally grow on the Welsh mountains: 

 it seems to argue that such a preference is the effect 

 of some other cause than that of habit. 



"Fesiuca ovina, sheep's fescue. All kinds of cat- 

 tle relish this grass ; but it appears from the trial that 

 has been made with it on clayey soils, that it continues 

 but a short time in possession of such, being soon over- 

 powered by the more luxuriant kinds. On dry shal- 

 low soils that are incapable of producing the larger 

 sorts, this should form the principal crop, or rather the 

 whole; for it is seldom or ever, in its natural state, 

 found intimately mixed with others, but by itself. 



" Feshica duriuscula, hard fescue grass. This is 

 certainly one of the best of the dwarf sorts of grasses. 

 It is grateful to all kinds of cattle; hares are very 

 fond of it; they cropped it close to the roots, and ne- 

 glected the Festuca ovina- and Festuca rubra, which 

 were contiguous to it. It is present in most good 

 meadows and pastures. 



" Festuca praiensis, meadow fescue. This grass is 

 seldom absent from rich meadows and pastures; it is 

 observed to be highly grateful to oxen, sheep, and 

 horses, particularly the former. It appears to grow 

 most luxuriantly when combined with the hard fescue 

 and Poa trivialis. 



"Avena eliator, tall oat grass. This is a very pro- 

 ductive grass, frequent in meadows and pastures, but 

 is disliked by cattle, particularly by horses; this per- 

 fectly agrees with the small portion of nutritive mat- 

 ter which it affords. It seems to thrive best on a 

 strong tenacious clay. 



"Avena flavescens, yellow oat-grass. This grass 

 seems partial to dry soils and meadows, and appears 

 to be eaten by sheep and oxen equally with the mea- 

 dow barley, crested dog's-tail, and sweet-scented ver- 

 nal grasses, which naturally grow in company with it. 

 It nearly doubles the quantity of its produce by the 

 application of calcareous manure. 



" Holcus lanatus, meadow soft grass. This is a very 

 common grass, and grows on all soils, from the richest 

 to the poorest. It affords an abundance of seed, which 

 is light, and easily dispersed by the wind. It appears 

 to be generally disliked by all sorts of cattle. The 

 produce is not so great as a view of it in fields would 

 indicate; but being left almost entirely untouched by 

 cattle, it appears as the most productive part of the 

 herbage. The hay which is made of it, from the 



