462 
The Natural History of British Grasses. 
Mr. Bourne's and Mr. Doriner's show a greater increase, which 
mio-ht naturally be expected from their being a year older. 
Reckoning, therefore, that Mr. May's lot No. 2 gained 9 lbs. 
more mutton than No. 1, and eat 11t cwts. of turnips less, and 
It cwt. of cake more, the balance will be as under, supposing 
l-3rd of the artificial food to be valued as vianure. 
s. d. 
No. 2. Cr. 9 lbs. oF mutton sX7d 5 3 
11 J cwts. of turnips, at 7s. per ton .. .. 3 11^ 
9 ^ 
Dr. If cwt. of cake at 10s., deducting l-3rd 
as manure 8 4 
Balance in favour of cake 0 10^ 
Again, if No. 1 without cake eat 4^ lbs. of turnij)s daily more 
than No. 2, a crop of turnips weighing 20 tons would keep only 
15 sheep per acre, toithoiit cake, for twenty weeks, but would 
keep 19 sheep, ioith | lb. cake each daih/, for the same period. 
It will be seen, however, that this calculation does not apply to 
Mr. Dormer's sheep, those which had cake eating more turnips 
than those which had none. 
The general result of tlie experiment goes to show that ^ lb. 
cake daily is the best quantity for each sheep, or say 1 lb. of 
cake to about 36 lbs. of turnips. Mr. Haywood recommended 
1 lb. of cake to 40 lbs. of turnips. 
In calculating the value of cake, the superior quality of the 
wool, and the generally improved condition and healthfulness 
of the sheep, should also be considered. 
Tamioorth, April, 1854. 
XVIII. — The Natural History and Ayricultural Economy of the 
British Grasses. By James Buckman, F.G.S., F.L.S., &c. 
Professor of Geology and Botany in the Royal Agricultural 
College. 
Prize Essay. 
The importance to the agriculturist of a knowledge of the 
pasture or meadow grasses which are everywhere found in our 
fields is now so generally recognised that little need be said to 
enforce its value, especially when it is considered how much of 
the land of this country is still in natural pasture, and even 
that under tillage may at some time or another be required to be 
laid down in pasture of a permanent form, or be employed from 
time to time in the cultivation of grasses as a shifting crop. 
