8 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



bunches of grass. Even on lands that at first sight seem well 

 seeded, these bare portions really occupy as much of the sur- 

 face as the grass itself, they are partly covered by the over- 

 hanging blades but are nevertheless unoccupied land. 



Now, from what I have said, you will see that these unoc- 

 cupied spots will support a second species better than more 

 plants of the first, because one will take from the soil what 

 the other rejects. But even after a second, and a third kind 

 are growing, there are still bare places that may be used by 

 still another kind, and these do at last get in there, until at 

 length the ground is entirely covered. 



Now, all of these changes have been going on together, 

 each one constituting a part of the difference between an old 

 and a new pasture. 



Since this meeting of our Board began, I have heard seve- 

 ral of the members telling their experience or observation on 

 this subject how some pasture-lot, spared from the plow for 

 many years, has kept on improving, how it has furnished 

 more and more forage, how their stock liked the grass better 

 and better, and how they thrived upon it, and how nutritious 

 the grass- was, as shown by the flesh or milk produced. I 

 have in my mind many such cases, even with farmers who 

 devote the most of their land to a rotation. 



I do not wish to lose sight of the fact of the variety of 

 grasses being an important element in the excellence of such 

 pastures, nor that other fact, that a variety seems more nu- 

 tritious than a forage of one species exclusively, and is more 

 eagerly sought by cattle, and that we get this variety more 

 commonly in old than in new pastures. So much is suscep- 

 tible of proof. Furthermore, I believe that a given species of 

 grass gradually becomes better in such an old pasture (if the 

 soil has been kept up,) that it will produce better flesh, milk, 

 butter, and cheese. I say, I believe this, but I cannot assert 

 it, because I can offer no positive proofs. But if there are 

 no conclusive proofs of it, there are many things that indicate 

 it. There is the almost universal experience of the increased 

 richness of such pastures, at least for many years. Grass 

 may be improved in quality as well as fruit or grain, and 



