HAT. 31 



the sun it never heats ; a slight fermentation, far from 

 being deleterious, is often very useful; in fact, we 

 know that, in such a case, certain aromatic principles 

 are produced which render fodder more sapid, and 

 perhaps even more nourishing. As long as the green 

 colour remains, the hay has lost none of its quality ; 

 when it is much heated, it turns brown. Some culti- 

 vators prefer brown to green hay, and it is certain that 

 the former frequently has more flavour and smell than 

 the latter ; but, though cattle prefer brown hay, it is 

 not at all desirable to have sufficient moisture in the 

 fodder at the time it is housed to turn it brown, be- 

 cause the loss resulting from fermentation is not 

 counterbalanced by the slight aromatic smell it 

 acquires." 



Grass lands, unless of exceptional richness, require 

 to be manured in order to keep up the quality, as well 

 as the quantity of the grass produced. Poor and im- 

 poverished land produces but very inferior fodder. On 

 the other hand, as pointed out by Mr. H. S. Thompson 

 (Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 1872), if 

 land be treated witli an excess of manure rich in 

 nitrogenous matters, as guano and nitrate of soda, the 

 luxuriant grass thus produced will be of inferior 

 quality, and will prove unwholesome. The same re- 

 mark applies to carrots and other roots. 



Bamboo Leaves. In some parts of Eastern Bengal 

 these leaves are used as a substitute for grass ; they 

 seem to answer fairly well. 



Lucern. Lucern forms the best green crop for use 

 during the hot weather : the seeds are readily procur- 



