THE HAY-FIELD AND ENGLISH HAY. 167 



its influence on a. more juLliciul management of grass lands 

 is concerned. 



The causes of unsatisfactory returns of meadows and 

 pastures are at present fairly understood ; it remains our 

 work to benefit by the lessons of the past, and make our- 

 selves, as far as possible, familiar with the result of more 

 recent experiments. 



The of late increasing practice of cultivating upon 

 ploughed lands for a short period some varieties of grasses, 

 single or mixed, or as an admixture to other fodder plants, 

 is evidently a movement in the right direction. 



The grasses are in many instances well qualified to serve 

 advantageously as a link in a rational system of a rotation of 

 crops. 



2. Our supply of suitable fodder articles for farm live- 

 stock in general has been of late materially increased from 

 two directions : a greater variety of fodder plants is oflfered 

 for our choice, and large quantities of by-products and 

 refuse materials of various branches of industry have proved 

 efficient helpmates in the compounding of healthy fodder 

 rations. 



The introduction of a greater variety of fodder plants 

 enables us to meet better the difierences in local conditions 

 of climate and of soil, as well as the special w^ants of diflPer- 

 ent branches of farm industry. 



The merits of some comparatively new fodder plants, as 

 several varieties of clover, of vetch and of millet, are already 

 well recognized in New England, whilst others, as the horse 

 bean, the Southern cow pea, the serradella, the prickly c^m- 

 frey, the lupines, the alfalfa and others invite our attention. 

 On the other hand, we notice a steady increase in the valu- 

 able refuse materials from various industries in consequence 

 of an increase in the existinsj ones and addition of new ones. 



The by-products of flour mills and vegetable oil works, 

 as the brans, middlings arid oil-cakes, are already highly 

 appreciated ; the refuse products from starch works, glucose 

 works, breweries and others, the starch feed, gluten meal, 

 spent brewers' grain, etc., deserve a more general trial. 



The steady increase of suitable fodder materials from 

 these new sources tends to revolutionize our system of feed- 



