304 AUSTRALASIAN 
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. /ess 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 homeeopathically 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 
