304 AUSTRALASIA-N 



positions of the soluble products afforded by different crops 

 from the same grass, I found in all the trials I made, the largest 

 quantity of truly nutritive matter in the crop cut when the 

 seed was ripe, and the least bitter extract and saline matter, 

 and the most saccharine matter, in proportion to the other 

 ingredients, in the crop cut at the time of flowering." In the 

 instance which he then gives, as an example, the crop cut when 

 the seed had ripened showed nine per cent, less of sugar, but 

 eighteen per cent, more of mucilage and what he terms " truly 

 nutritive matter " than the crop cut at the time of flowering. 

 From this it would follow, that during the time a plant is in 

 blossom and throwing off a superfluity of saccharine matter in 

 the shape of honey, the assimilation of true nutritive matter in 

 the plant itself is progressing most favourably. In any case it 

 is clear that the honey, being once exuded, may be taken away 

 by bees or any other insects (as it is evidently intended to be 

 taken) without any injury to the plant, by which it certainly 

 cannot be again taken up, but must be evaporated if left ex- 

 posed to the sun's heat. 



QUESTION AS TO GRAZING STOCK. 



There is, however, a plea put in by the agriculturist on 

 behalf of his grazing stock, and one which he generally seems 

 to consider unanswerable. He says, " Even if it be admitted 

 that the removal of the honey from my farm is neither exhaust- 

 ing to the soil nor injurious to the plants of the standing crops, 

 still it is so much fattening matter, which might be consumed 

 by my stock, if it had not been pilfered by the bees." 



Now it may at once be admitted that honey consists, to a 

 great extent, of fattening matter, though it may be allowable 

 to doubt whether, in that particular form, it is exactly suitable 

 as food for grazing cattle. Although it is quite true that the 

 saccharine matter assimilated in the body of a plant tends to 

 the formation of fat in the animal which eats and digests that 

 plant, still one may question the propriety of feeding the same 

 animal on pure honey or sugar. We may, however, waive that 

 view of the subject, as we shall shortly see that it is only a 

 question of such homoeopathically small doses as would not be 

 likely to interfere with the digestion of the most delicate grazing 

 animal, any more than they would considerably increase its 



