GEASS AND HAY. 37 



ferment, if kept tied up for a few hours. Besides, there 

 is always danger of disease germs being conveyed to 

 the grass, from the water in which it may have been 

 washed ; for the filthiest pool will be considered, by the 

 grass-cutters, quite good enough for this purpose. " It 

 should be an invariable rule never to feed horses on 

 grass grown in swamps, on account of the numerous 

 lower forms of animal and vegetable life found in 

 stagnant water. Horned cattle living on swampy land 

 are particularly liable to anthrax ; and there is no 

 doubt but that this very fatal disease, called in India 

 Loodianah fever (a form of anthrax), is often caused 

 by horses either drinking stagnant water, or eating 

 grass grown in it. Worm in the eye also appears to be 

 produced in the same way." (MeyricJc.') 



I have abridged the following remarks on grass and 

 hay, from a paper by M. L. Grandeau, which appeared 

 in the Journal d' Agriculture Pratique : 



Growing grass possesses a waxy envelope, which 

 protects the sugar, albumen, and other soluble com- 

 pounds contained in it, from being dissolved by 

 moisture and rain. When the grass is cut, this varnish 

 gradually wears away, and if the grass be exposed to 

 wet, it will then lose a considerable portion of its 

 nutritive elements, especially if this envelope be 

 bruised in any way. As long as the plant lives, it 

 cannot be the seat of fermentation, which process is 

 caused by the nitrogenous matters coming in contact 

 with the sugar and water, on the breaking up of the 

 different cells which compose the substance of the 

 grass. During fermentation, the non-nitrogenous 

 matters are turned into sugar, then into alcohol, and 



