DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING-STUFFS 159 



tension. Following upon these general statements 

 a short description of the various green foods and 

 hay may be briefly mentioned here.* 



1. Fodder from pastures and meadows. 



The value of the food obtained from natural 

 grass lands depends in the first place upon the 

 plants which have become established in any par- 

 ticular soil. Viewed from the practical standpoint 

 these plants may be divided into (a) grasses, 

 (b) clovers, (c) plants belonging to other families. 



Amongst the grasses, such examples as rye grass, 

 meadow grass, meadow oat-grass, timothy, meadow 

 foxtail, brome grass, etc. are noted for their palat- 

 ableness and other valuable properties. In opposi- 

 tion to these are sedge grasses, rushes, sedges, etc., 

 which diminish the feeding value considerably. 

 The clovers and vetches are almost all reckoned 

 amongst the best fodder plants, whilst amongst the 

 herbs are a lot — burnet, thyme, scabiosa, . etc. — 

 which give a valuable fodder. 



A fodder which contains a large quantity of sweet 

 grasses and clovers is more valuable than one com- 

 posed largely of those grasses which flourish on poor 

 or acid soils. The reason of this is not so much to 

 be sought in the actual differences in chemical 



* In the description of the several food-stuffs the author has 

 refrained from giving particulars as to their composition and digesti- 

 bility. Tables I and II in the Appendix show the differences in composi- 

 tion more clearly than could be done in words. The reader is par- 

 ticularly recommended to look through these from time to time. 



