386 Transactions. — Botany. 



devote themselves to studying and working out the best means of grazing 

 the largest quantity of live stock the area can fairly and profitably carry. 



Instead of allowing the sheep or cattle to roam over the whole of the 

 pastures at once, destroying more food than they eat, and searching for the 

 small patches of grass they prefer the taste of and neglecting the others, it 

 will be necessary to divide the land into small hedge-enclosed paddocks, and 

 by putting in a sufficient quantity of animals, cause them to eat the whole 

 of the grass in a few days, and then remove them all into the next inclo- 

 sure, and give the one they leave a rest, long enough for the grass to grow 

 up healthily, before the stock are placed upon it again. And as there is 

 often a difference in a very short distance in the chemical constituents of 

 the soil and subsoil, in the wetness or dryness of the soil or subsoil, of 

 the flat or hilly character, of the easterly or westerly exposure — giving 

 it earlier or later sun-light impact (for it is well-known to scientists that 

 the angle of incidence with which sun-light is able to strike land, will 

 materially alter its power of growing differing plants), the exposure or 

 otherwise of the several pieces of land to prevailing winds, its mechanical 

 condition of looseness or cohesion, and its condition of tillage, — these, and 

 many others, will enable the man with knowledge to choose the right kinds 

 of grasses to sow down on his several enclosures, and then hy sowing as 

 many of the proper kinds as possible upon each enclosure, the live stock 

 will meet with a constant change of food, and will thus thrive and come to 

 maturity at the earliest date, and give the largest return for the invested 

 capital. And as neither animals nor plants can live without suitable chemical 

 elements are supplied to them, and as the different species of grasses take 

 up and assimilate different quantities and qualities of chemical elements, so 

 the animals fed upon ground carrying such grasses can thus readily obtain 

 the material they require to build up their tissues and organs. Again, 

 each species of grass has its own particular season of greatest perfection, 

 some in the summer, some in the winter, others in the spring, and others 

 in the autumn, and the seasons of greatest growth also very materially 

 differ ; for while the Briza, Alopecurus, and the Anthoxantlium., are growing 

 fastest in spring, and certain of the Panicums, Andropogons, Anthisteria, 

 etc., in summer; the Fescues and Pldeums, in autumn; the Poas, the Brovies, 

 and others in wmter — therefore, the latitude, elevation above sea level, and 

 many other conditions, will regulate the species and varieties of grass to 

 sow ; but as there are such numbers to select fi-om in the numerous grasses 

 of the world, there will be no difficulty found in choosing a large number of 

 the best kinds for all sorts and conditions of pastures. Not only is it well 

 to get grasses and fodder plants frona other countries, and endeavoiu' to grow 

 and acclimatize them here, but to select the finest seeds from the best 



