PRACTICAL VALUE OF A GRASS. 229 



A glance at this table will show that the different 

 principles in the artificial grasses vary, to a great 

 extent, as follows : 



Lowest. Highest. Average. 



Flesh-forming principles, . . . . 12.76 24.60 18.68 



Fat-producing principles, . . . . 2.76 4.77 3.76 



Heat-giving principles, 33.31 49.65 41.48 



The difference in composition exhibited in the natural 

 grasses of Table VIII. is very marked, and of course 

 the value of the grasses as compared with each other 

 must vary greatly. Still, the practical value of a grass 

 depends somewhat upon circumstances which cannot 

 be analyzed, such as the period at which it arrives at 

 maturity, and the particular soil and location of the 

 farmer. It might happen that a grass, not in itself so 

 rich in nutritive qualities as another, would be preferred, 

 on account of its coming to maturity just at the time 

 when the farmer most needed it. But this table shows 

 the comparative nutritive qualities of the grasses, since 

 all the specimens were collected and investigated in the 

 same manner, at the same period of growth, or as 

 nearly as possible, when in the flower, so that, what- 

 ever sources of error might exist to modify the results, 

 they would naturally apply to all alike. 



The grasses from the irrigated meadow consisted 

 principally of June, or Kentucky blue grass, rough- 

 stalked meadow grass, perennial rye grass, meadow soft 

 grass, barley grass, meadow oat grass, and a few other 

 species ; and it will be noticed that in combination they 

 abound in flesh and fat forming principles to a greater 

 extent than we should be led to suppose from the 

 composition of any one of them alone. 



Our cultivated Timothy compares very favorably with 

 the other grasses, containing a less percentage of use- 

 less matter, as woody fibre, than any other, except Ital- 

 20 



