661 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. II 



grasses those soils which seem most favorable to 

 their growth ; a lew varieties being adopted for the 

 purpose of ascertaining the effect of different soils 

 on the same plant. 



The grasses were either planted or sown, and 

 their produce cut and collected and dried, at the 

 proper seasons, in summer and autumn, by Mr. 

 Sinclair, his grace's gardener. For the purpose of 

 determining, as far as possible, the nutritive pow- 

 ers of the diflerent species, equal weights of the 

 dry grasses or vegetable substances were acted 

 upon by hot water till all their soluble parts were 

 dissolved ; the solution was then evaporated to 

 dryness by a gentle heat in a proper stove, and the 

 matter obtained carefully weighed. This part of 

 the process was likewise conducted with much ad- 

 dress and intelligence by Mr. Sinclair, by whom 

 all the following details and calculations are fur- 

 nished. 



The dry extracts, supposed to contain the nutri- 

 tive matter of the grasses, were sent to me for che- 

 mical examination. The composition of some of 

 them is stated in aforegoing table; I shall offer 

 a few chemical observations on others at the end 

 of this appendix. It will be found from the ge- 

 neral conclusions, that the mode of determining 

 the nutritive power of the grasses, by the quantity 

 of matter they contain soluble in water, is suffici- 

 ently accurate for all the purposes of agricultural 

 investigation. 



Books quoted in the following pages. 



Curt. Lend.— Flora Londinensis. By William Cur- 

 tis, 2 vols. London, 1798, fol. 



Fl.Dan. — Florae Danica, orlcones Plantarum sponte 

 nascentium in Regnis Daniae etNorvegiae, editae a Ge. 

 ^der. Hafniae, 1761, fol. 



Engl. Bot.— English Botany, by J. E. Smith, M. 

 D.; the Figures by J. Sowerby. London, 1790, 8vo. 



W. B. Botanical Arrangements. By Dr. Wither- 

 ing. London, 1801, 4 vols. 



Huds. — Hudsoni Flora Anglica, 1778, vol. ii. 



Host. G. A. — Nic. Thomae Host Icones etDescrip- 

 tiones Graminum Austriacorum, vol. i. — iii. Vindo- 

 bonae, 1801, fol. 



Hort. Kew. — Hortus Kewensis. By W. J. Aiton, 

 vol. i. London, 1810. 



Details of Experiments on Grasses. By George 

 Sinclair, Gardener to his Grace the Duke of 

 Bedford, and Corresponding Member of the 

 Horticultural Society of Edinburgh. 



I. Anthoxanthum odoratum. Engl. Bot. 647. 

 Curt. Lond. 



Sweet-scented vernal-grass. Nat. of Britain. 



At the time of flowermg, the produce from the 

 space of an acre equal to -000091827364 of a 

 brown sandy loam with manure, is — 



oz. or lbs. per acre. 

 Grass, 11 oz. 8 dr.* The ) ^25235 0=7827 3 



produce per acre ) 



80 dr. of grass weigh wheni 



TheVduceofthe''*''7 23«^« « = 2103 8 

 space, ditto 49. ly? J 



* The weight is avoirdupois ; lbs. pounds, oz. 

 ounces, dr. drachms. The weights not named are 

 quarters of drachms, and fractions of quarters of 



or lbs. per acre. 

 5723 10 



1956 12 = 122 4 12 



98010 = 6125 10 ff 



The weight lost by the 



produce of one acre in ' 



drying . . [ 



64 dr. of grass afford of^ 



nutritive matter 1 dr. 

 The produce of the space, 



ditto . 2.3/5 



At the time the seed is ripe, the produce is- 



Grass 9 oz. The pro- 

 duce per acre 



80 dr. of grass weigh when") 



^u^^ a' r ,u 2^ '^'■- I 29403 0=1837 11 

 The produce of the space, ,' 



ditto . 43yV J 



The weight lost by the ^ 



produce of one acre in > 



drying . . y 



64 dr. of grass afford of^ 



nutritive matter 3.1 dr. I 

 The produce of the space, 



ditto . 7.1:i^ 



The weight of nutritive^ 



matter which is lost by | 



taking the crop at the I 



time the grass is in flow- ( 



er, exceeding half of its | 



value . . J 



The proportional value which the grass at the 

 time of fiowering bears to that at the lime the 

 seed is ripe, is as 4 to 13. 



The latter-math produce is — 

 Grass, 10 oz. The produce 



per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afford of \ ^^^^ g _ 239 4 



4287 15 



4977 10 = 311 1 1 



188 12 4 



108900 = 6806 4 



of) 



nutritive matter 2.1 dr. 5 



The proportional value which the grass of the 

 latter-math bears to that at the time the seed is 

 ripe, is nearly as 9 to 13. 



The smaliness of the produce of this grass 

 renders it improper for the purpose of hay ; but 

 its early growth, and the superior quantity of nu- 

 tritive matter which the latter-math affords, com- 

 pared with the quantity afforded by the grass at 

 the time of flowering, causes it to rank high as a 

 pasture grass, on such soils as are well fitted for 

 its growih ; such are peat-bogs, and lands that are 

 deep and moist, 



II. Holcus odoratus. Host. G. A. Growing in 

 woods. 

 Sweet-scented soft grass. Nat. of Germany. 

 Flo. Ger. — H. borealis. Growing in 

 moist meadows. 



At the time of fiowering, the produce from a 

 rich sandy loam is — 

 Grass, 14 oz. The pro- ) ^52459 



duce per acre . > 

 80 dr. of grass weigh ^ 



when dry 20.2 dr. I 



The produce of the ( 



space, ditto 57.1§J 



The weight lost by the ^ 



produce of one acre in > 



drying . . ) 



64 dr. of grass afford of^ 



nutritive matter 4.1 dr. ! 

 The produce of the space, | 



ditto 14.31 J 



At the time the seed is ripe, the produce is — 

 Grass, 40 oz. The pro- > ^gggp^ 



duce per acre . ) 



9528 12 



39067 14 = 2441 11 14 



7087 2 



10124 13 = 610 15 5 



= 27225 



drachms ; thus 7.1^ means 7 drachms, 1 quarter of a 

 drachm, and J of a quarter. 



