1863. 



NEW EXGLAND FARMER. 



343 



flowering season, with its bluish-green leaf and 

 stem, surmounted by a panicle of white-anthered 

 flowers. 



Every one must have noticed in feeding stock, 

 a difference in the nutritive vulue of difl'erent 

 gi-asses. The difference between the richest and 

 poorest is very great. It would require a long sc- 

 ries of very careful experiments to make sure of 

 their relative value. Several things have to be 

 taken into account when we undertake to decide 

 which will give us the largest profit. We want to 

 known which will give tlie heaviest crop on our 

 soil, which is ricliest in flesh — and which in fat- 

 forming principles, which will give most strength 

 and jiower of endurance, and which will produce 

 most milk ; because we nt times have all these 

 objects to provide for, and might find it for our 

 advantage to select our grasses with reference to 

 the end we aim at. A careful, study of the qual- 

 ities of various grasses, as shown by their effects 

 on stock, might enable us to improve on our pres- 

 ent practice. To aid us in this endeavor chemists 

 have given us careful analyses of many varieties 

 of grr.ss, showing their composition and theoretic 

 nutritive value. Probably these analyses are not 

 to be relied upon as absolutely accurate. Still, they 

 show us something near the fact. It may be pre- 

 sumed that the stomach of a cow has a laboratory 

 where results are often obtained, varying consid- 

 eral)!y from those that would be obtained by Lio- 

 big, Von Shaer, Wav, or Jackson. The action of 

 the vital chemistry of 'the animal cannot be imi- 

 tated by the imperfect science of man, and its 

 mode of action is not clearly understood. The 

 chemist will tell you, to the hundredth part of a 

 grain, the comparative parts of grass or fiesh — so 

 much oxygen, so much nitrogen, so much h\dro- 

 gen, tec, — but he cannot weigh vitality, nor meas- 

 ure its energy as applied to the combinations of 

 which his gasses are susceptible. Still his conclu- 

 sions are of value, and will generally agree with 

 the ex])erience of the careful feeder. And as ap- 

 proximation in this matter is all that we can rea- 

 sonably expect at present, it is better to take ad- 

 vantage of all the means presented to us for infor- 

 mation. Prof. Way, a distinguished English chem- 

 ist, has carefully analyzed a variety of grasses, for 

 the purpose of ascertaining their relative nutritive 

 value, and from his tables, as quoted by C. L. 

 Flint in iiis book on Grasses, I have taken the re- 

 sult he arrives at in regard to a few of those most 

 commonly cultivated iiere, and a few others that 

 are elsewhere consitlered valuable. The grasses 

 were cut when in blossom and dried till all water 

 was evaporated from them. In that state the per 

 cent, of nutritious matter contained in each grass 

 is 



^.S S^s • 



3 I S .5 S g,=^ 



''5 ■*< s "S 



Timnttir. in caloareons loam 11.36 3. .55 51.70 



Red Cli'.ver, in tenacious loam 22.o5 3.07 44.47 



White llover, in forest loam 18.7 64.38 40.04 



Fall Oat Grass, in forest marble loam 12.9 53.19 33.03 



Jiini; (;r:!-:s, in dry caloarcous loam 10.35 2.63 43.06 



Oi-chanUIrass, in calcareous loam 13.53 3.14 44.32 



Ifali tn Rve Grass, in f rest marble do. . .10.10 3.27 57.*2 

 Lucerne." 12.06 2.76 40.16 



Of the Red-top 1 can find no chemical analysis, 



but it has a reputation, founded on experience of 

 its value, that is likely to retain for it an impor- 

 tant ])lacc among our cultivated grasses, without 

 the chemist's aid. 



It is supposed to be ascertained that the gluten 

 or albumen of grasses and grains goes mainly to 

 the formation of flesh, while the fatty matter, and 

 starch, sugar, gum, <S:c., arc largely used in respi- 

 ration, what is not so used being deposited in the 

 form of fat in various parts of the body. So when 

 we know the composition of an article of food, we 

 can tell pretty nearly wliat will be the effect on the 

 animal eating it. Put the chemical properties of 

 grass are probably somewhat modified by the soil 

 on which it grows, and this adds to the uncertain- 

 ty of the chemist's analysis. Those species, the 

 qualities of which I have just stated, grew on a 

 lime or clay soil. Every one knows that Timothy 

 and Red-top grown on reclaimed swamp lands are 

 inferior, both in nutritive and palatable qualities, 

 to the same sorts grown on uplands. But then, 

 again, the upland soils differ, and give different 

 properties to crops grown on them, as different 

 kinds of food given to an ox will cause differences 

 in the qualities of his flesh. True, that to some 

 ex'tent, the organs of both the plant and the ani- 

 mal will secrete and assimilate those elimentary 

 principles that are suital)le for them, yet if there 

 is a deficiency of any, or any exist in dispropor- 

 tionate quantity, or in unsuitably modified forms, 

 the organs must take what they can get, or starve. 

 It has been found by experiment, in Germany, 

 that vetches grown on well-limed land promote 

 the production of cheese, while after being ma- 

 nured with good ashes, they increased the quanti- 

 ty of milk and cream. And in the County of 

 Leicester, England, the manuring of an old pas- 

 ture with good farm-yard manure is said to have 

 greatly injured the quality of the cheese made 

 from the cows fed on it. So before we can be sure 

 of the quality of grass of any species, we must 

 know upon what kind of soil it grew, and it is but 

 fair to presume that some of the difference noticed 

 in the analyses of the several chemists should be 

 attributed to the various (jualities of the soil. We 

 have yet much to learn in this matter of adapting 

 grasses to their most appropriate .soils, and also in 

 suiting our manures both to crops and soils. 

 Most grasses will grow to some extent in any 

 place where they can get a place to stand, but, for 

 all that, there Is a soil where they will thrive best. 

 We want to know where to put each plant, and 

 what dressing to give it, to produce the best re- 

 sults. Opinions now differ on these points ; for 

 instance, Mr. Flint says, "The soils best adapted 

 to clover are tenacious or stilT loams, containing 

 more or less of lime or clay." I. P. Moore has 

 said "Clover is a good thing to sow on dry soils." 

 And two of the best crops of clover I ever had grew 

 on light sandy loam. One of the lots was ma- 

 nured early in the spring, with a compost of peat, 

 lime and salt. The ashes of a plant will, to some 

 extent, indicate the nature of the soil l)est adapted 

 to it, for, though, "on whatever soil a plant is 

 grown, if it shoots up in a healthy manner, and 

 fairly ripens its seed, the quality of the ash is near- 

 ly the same ;" yet where the appropriate food 

 abounds, it is evident the plant will flourish most 

 luxuriantly. The ash of red clover contains about 

 G^ per cent, of phosphoric acid, 23^ per cent, of 

 carbonic acid, 2 per cent, of sulphuric acid, 22!i 



