RAY 



nutriment will be found to rcfide in the llalks ; and if fo, tlie 

 advantages of ray-grafs will be decifive. But, however this 

 may be, it is certain that, fuppofing wet weather comes on 

 during the procefs of hay-making, the firll part of the grafs 

 that decays is tlie leaf, which fou[i becomes yellow, and then 

 black, lofing all pretenlions to nutritive properties ; in which 

 cafe it is evident that almoll the whole nutriment contained 

 in the hay mull refide, exclufively, in the flowering-ltalks. 

 Ray-grafs then has, in unfavourable hay-feafons, an advan- 

 tage, he thinks, over all otliers, inafmuch as from having 

 fewer leaves it is not fo apt to be injured by a continuance 

 of rain ; and it is, befides, when in the cocks, more acccl- 

 fible to the air and wind from lying more open and light ; 

 and confequently not fo apt to heat and mould as other 

 graffes in funilar fituations and feafons. And he concludes 

 that it certanily polleffcs the following valuable properties. 

 I . That there are few graffes fo early in the fpring. 2. That 

 there are none better reliihed by cattle, or more nutritive. 

 7. That it has the power of refifting the effefts of bad wea- 

 ther, in ticklilh feafons, in a greater degree than other 

 grailes. 4. That there is a greater facility in collecting iti 

 feed than of any other grafs. 



It is fuppofed that the prejudices againft it have proceeded, 

 I. From its having been fown in land not capable of pro- 

 ducing a full crop of any good vegetable. 2. From allow- 

 ing it to (hoot up fo far, as to h.ive formed the feed in t lie 

 flowering-llalk, before cattle have been turned into palhire, 

 or that it has been cut for hay. Ray-grafs appears, he thinks, 

 to partake more of the nature of grain than any other grafs. 

 Hence, when it hasperfeftedits feeds, it (hoots out no mere 

 ftalks, and but few leaves that feafon, as lord Kaimes has 

 juftly obferved. Hence it is necefTary to turn cattle into a 

 field of this grafs early in the fpring, and to keep it well 

 under by a fufficient quantity of ftock ; in which cafe it will 

 continue to put out frefli flowering-llalks and leaves during 

 the whole feafon. 3. The hay, for the reafon juft afiigned, 

 (hould be cut before it becomes a mere ftraw. Common 

 hay-grafs, being compofcd of graffes in various ftages of 

 growth and ripencfs, admits of greater latitude than a field 

 of ray-grafs, becaufe many of them will generally be in a 

 proper ilate for cutting, although others may have palled 

 their prime. 



He adds the following fafts in fupport of its nutritious 

 properties. No hay, fays he, could be better reliihed by 

 my horfesthan this was ; not a particle of ii was wafted by 

 them, or left in the rack ; no animals could thrive, coat, or 

 do their work better, than they did, whilft they had this ray- 

 grafs hay to take to. Never was there a greater contrail 

 than when they were put to the natural hay-grafs of the 

 country, after they had finifhed the other. They were lite- 

 rally ftarved into the eating of it ; and in fpite of an addi- 

 tional quantity of corn, they fell away (agreeable to his 

 farming man's mode of expreffion) a limb a-piece. This 

 year nothing can look better than his horfes do upon this 

 hay, (with which fome red clover is mixed,) and this, with 

 the addition of very little corn, and that moftly light, the 

 tailings of oats and barley. 



Thefe fads place the utility of this grafs in a very ftriking 

 point of view. And the following, given by Mr. Duncan, 

 are of the fame tendency, as he found in a comparative ex- 

 periment of pieces of ground laid to pafture with it, and 

 meadow foft-grafs alone and in mixture, that the ray-grafs 

 portion was not only more early ready for the fcythe by 

 nearly three weeks, but the hay of it always more greedily 

 eaten by the hories and cattle, as well as the pafture in fuc- 

 ceedjng years, en the ray-grafs divifion, oonftantly eaten 



6 



RAY 



bare before the cattle flock would touch that of the foit 

 grafs. 



in the county of Effex tlic farmers in many places have, 

 however, a very indifferent opinion of ray-grafs, believing it 

 to do great injury to the land, efpccially when of the better 

 kind. When fown witli red clover, it does not do fo well or is 

 fo good as a preparation for wheat, but it anfwers well for 

 pcafc. In trying it mixed and unmixed with clover, fome 

 have found that when without it, it is all the better for the 

 wheat ; and that the wire-worm after ray is fure to deftroy 

 the wheat. 



In weaning calves it is fotind extremely ufeful and ?d- 

 vantagecms, as it agrees very well with them, far better 

 than tares, which are hable to run through them, or fcour. 



In Sutfex this fort of grafs is employed in mixture writh 

 otliers, as a fheep-feed, with great benefit and fuccefs. 



The farmers in the tillage parts of Oxfordfhire alfo con» 

 fider ray-grafs as preparing badly for wheat ; they conceive 

 that the wheat which follows will never be found fo good 

 where it is fown as where there is none. It is thought far 

 from having any ameliorating effects on the land, as it draivj 

 too much. It is never fown alone by fome. It makes the 

 very worlt hay, unlefs cut at an early period, or very young, 

 in the opinion of many. 



In Berkfliire this grafs is fown in the chalk diftri£l, and 

 found to a certainty lefs nutritious than many other forts, as 

 well as more exhaufling in its nature. When intended for 

 permanent pafture, it is found, in general, to fail in a very 

 few years ; and, unlefs the feed is changed, it will degene- 

 rate under any mode of management. It, however, pof- 

 feifes the advantage of being cheap, and of producing early 

 feed, which are objefts of no inconfiderable importance on 

 a farm. Some find that the Peacey variety furnifhes feed a 

 fortnight or three weeks fooner than the common fort. It 

 is feldom fown fmgly, but in mixture with many other arti- 

 ficial graffes, in proportions to fuit the difference of foil. 

 In fome places it is fown with different other artificial graffes 

 in variety, every four years, on different parts of the land, 

 fo as to prevent it getting fick of the fame kind of feeds. 



In the intention of hay, it Ihould be cut early, or its juices 

 will be much exhaufted. Horfes fed on this fort of hay 

 are found to preferve their wind better than on hay of other 

 grafles. 



In Chefhire the dairy farmers do not confider it a good 

 grafs for producing milk, on which account it is not fo 

 much cultivated ; its earlinefi, however, has made it efteemed 

 by many ; as on almoil any foil, fome fuppofe it will be a 

 pafture a week or ten days fooner than any other kind. 

 And its having the property of correcting the tendency of 

 clover to produce flatulency, renders it alfo highly worthy of 

 the farmer's attention. 



When for hay, if not cut early, the produce is fcarcely fo 

 nutritious as ftraw. 



This grafs-feed is fometimes fown alone, and the quantity 

 of feeds which the plants afford, and the facihty of collect- 

 ing it, are probably the reafons of its being very common ; 

 while the advantages of its earlinefs have led to its more fre- 

 quent cultivation. It is fuggeftcd, however, that feveral 

 graffes, as the vernal, the fox-tail, the meadow poa, and 

 fome others, are equally as early as this grafs, and that the 

 meadow fefcuc, the oat-grafs, and fome others, feem to be 

 as well deferving of the attention of the farmer. 



According to the ingenious experiments on this grafs, 

 made under the direftion of the duke of Bedford, as flated in 

 the appendix to fir Humphry Davy's Agricultural Che- 

 miftrv, the refults were as follow. 



Th- 



