No. 144.] 229 



Mr. Robinson. — Before members begin to separate, let us fix 

 the subject for the next meeting. And unless members prefer 

 something else, I move " The relation between an increase of 

 crops and an increase of national prosperity." That subject was 

 unanimously adopted. 



THE BEST TIME FOR CUTTING THE GRASSES AND 

 GRAINS OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Judge Van Wyck — The practice of late .cutting of the grasses, 

 or not cutting them, until the seeds got hard and ripe, arose, in a 

 great measure, in England, from experiments made by Mr. George 

 Sinclair, in the employ and under the patronage of the late Duke 

 of Bedford, in about 1820. Professor Johnston, one of the great- 

 est agricultural chemists of the age, thinks the practice erro- 

 neous. In our country the same course has been pursued, and is 

 yet, to a certain extent, springing probably from the same source. 

 In both countries the general practice now is to let the grass have 

 a good growth of stems and leaves, and cut it immediately w^hen 

 the flowers are fully blown, except timothy, and this last when 

 they begin to fall. It is thought the juices and saccharine mat- 

 ter of the plant are in the best state to make the most and rich- 

 est food for animals. They are not dried up and lost by evapor- 

 ation, but absorbed in the plant. The first makes more wood, 

 the last more nutriment. The stubble of tlie cut grasses is greener 

 and will grow up sooner — advantages certainly worth securing. 

 Grain, especially wheat, with us, is generally left too long in the 

 field before cut. It gets too ripe ; tlie flour is not so good for it. 

 Much of the wheat is lost in gathering, particularly the bearded, 

 which easily drops from the cup that holds it. Experiments 

 have lately been made in England on the advantages of cutting 

 wheat early, even two weeks, or near it, before fully ripe. It 

 yields a greater quantity of handsomer and sweeter flour from 

 eight to ten per cent more in weight. The straw of the earlier 

 cut wheat makes better food for stock and better manure for the 

 land. The stem is not all dried up to mere wood; it contains 

 some of the sap it did when in a green state, and cattle will eat 

 more of it ; and from the same cause the residue, which is left 

 as litter, will ferment and decompose sooner, and make a richer 



