APPENDIX, 



Observations on the chemical Composition of 

 the nutritive matter afforded by the gras- 

 ses in their different States. By the Edi- 

 tor. 



I have made experiments on most of the soluble 

 products supposed to contain the nutritive matter of 

 the grasses, obtained by Mr. Sinclair; and I have an- 

 alysed a few of them. Minute details on this subject 

 would be little interesting to the agriculturist, and 

 would occupy a considerable space; I shall therefore 

 content myself with mentioning some particular facts, 

 and some general conclusions, which may tend to elu- 

 cidate the inquiry respecting the fitness of the different 

 grasses for permanent pasture, or for alternation as 

 green crops with grain. 



The only substances which I have detected in the 

 soluble matters procured from the grasses, are mucil- 

 age, sugar, bitter extract, a substance analogous to 

 albumen, and different saline matters. Some of the 

 products from the after-math crops gave feeble indica- 

 tions of the tanning principle. 



The order in which these are nutritive has been 

 mentioned in the First Lecture, the albumen, sugar, 

 and mucilage, probably when cattle feed on grass or 

 hay, are for the most part retained in the body of the 

 animal; and the bitter principle, extract, saline mat- 

 ter, and tannin, when any exist, probably for the most 

 part are voided in the excrement, with the woody 

 fibre. The extractive matter obtained by boiling the 

 fresh dung of cows, is extremely similar in chemical 



