804 [Assembly 



fermentation commences, which is generally evinced by an ascent of 

 scum from the bottom; the water must be immediately removed, or 

 injury will accrue to the growing crop, and perhaps its entire des- 

 truction; I would infinitely prefer grass grown upon upland for the 

 use of stock, to water meadow grass. I have an eleven acre field 

 of upland meadow, w^hich will fat an animal much sooner, than the 

 rich low land meadows in its vicinity, plainly showing that low 

 land meadow grass is not as nourishing as permanent upland; I find 

 Mr. George Sinclair has determined this matter experimentally; " he 

 obtained Irom rye grass, at the time of flowering, taken from a wa- 

 ter meadow that had been fed to sheep till the end of April, of nu- 

 tritive matter, 72 grains; and from the same weight of this grass, 

 taken from a rich old pasture, which had been shut up for hay about 

 the same time, 92 grains. From the same grass from the meadow, 

 that had not been depastured in the spring, 100 grains. And from 

 the same grass, from the pasture which had not been fed off, 120 

 grains. He also found that all the grasses in fact, where their growth 

 is forced by the application of either liquid or solid manures, contain 

 nutritive matter in diminished quantities. From four ounces of a 

 very rankly luxuriant patch of rye grass, on which a large portion 

 of cow dung had been deposited, he obtained of nutritive matter, 72 

 grains. From the same quantity of the same grass, growing on the 

 soil which surrounded this luxuriant patch, he obtained 122 grains. 

 And, in a second trial, the same species of grass on a soil entirely 

 destitute of manure, afforded, of nutritive matter, 95 grains. On the 

 same soil, excessively manured, the grass afforded only 50 grains. 

 In these experiments, the plants were of the same age, and were ex- 

 amined at the same stage of their growth," (Hortus Gramini Vo- 

 lumensis, 354.) The soil of uplands usually produces a very sweet 

 nourishing grass, far more fattening, in my estimation, than the rich, 

 luxuriant, low land meadows. In Switzerland, during the summer 

 season, ihe milch animals, (cows and goats,) are invariably sent to 

 the mountain pastures, which are frequently irrigated by snow water 

 from the higher peaks, it passes rapidly over them, and consequently 

 never has time to stagnate. The soil is found by the water charged 

 with nitrogen, oxygen, carbonic acid and other gaseous matters, these 

 are carried by its percolating properties, to the roots of grass, and 

 each performs its separate avocation, governed by the laws of na- 

 ture; the oxygen assists to decompose the vegetable matter in the 

 soil; and the carbonic acid gas yields food to the plant. If this 

 water remained on the soil for any length of time, what would be 

 the effect? Why, the gaseous substances would go off with the 

 evaporation, and be exhausted; such is not the case in Switzerland, 



