On Permanent and Temporary Meadows and Pastures. 201 
indigestible. There is then a great advantage in feeding them 
green, or putting them en ensilage with green maize, as has 
been done for some years past by several eminent farmers, 
among others M. Lecouteux. The nutritive qualities of the 
maize are thereby considerably increased, and together they form 
a more complete and better-balanced cattle-food than maize- 
plants alone. 
Practical Conclusions. — We are thus led to practical conclu- 
sions of great interest, for, in the present condition of agricul- 
ture, the increased production of meat seems to be for a large 
number of localities the best resource. 
Let us now see what teaching results from the preceding facts, 
in so far as it relates to — 
1st. The formation of permanent or temporary grass-lands. 
2nd. The keeping up of the same. 
3rd. The improvement or the regeneration of old grass- 
lands. 
4th. The treatment of the soil of grass-lands which are worn 
out. 
Much has been written on these points, and I do not wish to 
revert to what has been said by my predecessors. But the most 
important point has always escaped them, because the necessary 
analyses were not made, and this is the side of the question 
which I now particularly wish to bring forward. 
I shall suppose that the necessary physical conditions of the 
soil, such as tilth, the rendering sweet by drainage, the arrange- 
ment of trenches for irrigation if necessary, &c., have been 
attended to, so as to limit myself to the chemical conditions of 
the operation. An examination of these conditions is indis- 
pensable, for if they are secured, subsequent expenses will 
answer their purpose, but if not, they will be wasted. 
The principles which govern the formation of grass-land are 
the same, whether for permanent or temporary occupation, but 
all soils are not equally well suited to produce grass. 
To obtain the largest crops, the soil ought to be of a light 
character, that is to say, as little clayey and as calcareous as 
possible. But on all soils it is possible to make productive 
grass-fields, of a more or less permanent character, provided 
that the soil bed be at least from 4 to 6 inches deep, and the 
subsoil not impermeable to water. 
From a chemical point of view, the soil should be rich in 
phosphoric acid, potash, and lime ; and it is important, if we 
have to do with permanent grass-land, to be informed at the out- 
set, by analysis, as to the state of the soil. We should be guided 
by the results of this analysis. If the soil is rich, we should 
