82 USES 
since they obtain their food for the most part without the necessity 
of his labour to provide it. The numbers of cattle and sheep which 
subsist on the vast natural pastures of the world are beyond con- 
ception. Of sheep and cattle in our own country there are respec- 
tively 30,000,000 and 11,000,000, and very much larger herds and 
flocks are reared in the United States, the Argentine Republic, 
and the Australasian colonies. An American writer tries to convey 
an idea of the number of cattle in the state of Kansas, by stating 
that if they were all destined for the supply of the city of New 
York, and were started five abreast, the heads of one rank being 
just a rod in advance of the next, and they were driven through 
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the Empire 
State, the head of the herd would be crossing Haarlem river before 
the tail of it had crossed the Missouri at Atchison. 100,000,000 
sheep are pastured in Australia (half of them in New South 
Wales), and 18,000,000 in New Zealand. The live stock of Argen- 
tina is estimated to be 25,000,000 cattle, 80,000,000 sheep, and 
5,000,000 horses. 
The British grasses available for pasturage are few in comparison 
to the total number of our species. Alopecurus pratensis, Festuca 
pratensis and Lolium perenne are the three most valuable meadow 
grasses ; they produce a large quantity of nutritious leaves and 
succulent stems, and are especially suitable for making hay. Fes- 
tuca duriuscula is an excellent bottom-grass, producing abundance 
of tender foliage. Poa pratensis and P. trivialis are also valued 
meadow grasses, the former is particularly esteemed in the United 
States, where it is known as Kentucky Blue-grass. Dactylzs 
glomerata and Phleum pratense produce a large amount of nutri- 
tious herbage, though rather coarse ; the latter yields much heavier 
crops in North America than in England. TZr¢se¢um flavescens has 
only slender foliage, but is relished by cattle. Avrhenatherum 
avenaceum occupies an inferior place to other grasses in our own 
country, but is largely grown in the United States for its abundant 
yield. Anthoxanthum odoratum is esteemed for the fragrance it 
imparts to hay. Cyzosurus cristatus and Festuca ovina are the 
sheep grasses par excellence. The latter grows abundantly in hilly 
districts, and is the chief constituent of the Highland pastures ; 
mutton fed upon it is superior both in flavour and quality. Agvos- 
iis alba, var. stolontfera, fiorin-grass, yields a heavy crop in spongy 
soil and irrigated meadows. The composition of meadow-hay is, 
approximately, in 100 parts: water, 16 ; albuminoids, 13 ; fat, 1°5 ; 
carbohydrates, 40’; ash, 6°0; remainder fibre ;—of pasture : water, 
78 ; albuminoids, 3°7 ; fat, o°4; starch, etc., 1o'2 ; mineral matters, 2. 
28,000,000 acres are under permanent pasture in the British Isles, 
6,000,000 of this for hay. This is exclusive of grasses sown under 
rotation, usually in combination with other forage plants. Lo/zum 
perenne is grown as a self-crop. The cereals are often cultivated 
as green crops for feeding cattle, more especially in countries 
where dryness of the climate makes the natural pasturage scanty. 
The grains of the cereals are largely used to supplement the 
