278 
On Fibrous Covering. 
than that around, and become of a darker green colour — this would be 
found to be the case if an experiment was made either on the shady 
or sunny side of a wall or hedge. The more these rods or horizontal 
lines were multiplied, the greater would be their influence. Flags, 
rushes, straw, bushes, or in short any fibrous covering, would produce 
a similar effect. Reed, or wheaten straw, applied over grass at the rate 
of about a load to a load and a half per acre, would in a short time 
increase the quantity of grass to an incredible extent. The various 
grasses under it would be found to be healthy, and rapidly passing 
through the stages to maturity — some growing, some flowering, some 
seeding. The daisies, though covered, would be observed to be fully 
open during the days when others were open, and uniformly shut up at 
night : the shade would seem not to affect them in this respect, as 
might be supposed. Part of a field of grass placed under this 
operation for one month had increased in weight, upon the remain- 
ing portion left uncovered, at the rate of nearly three to one. The 
green grass from the part untouched, cut at the end of the month, 
weighed 2201 lbs. per acre, that of the portion placed under the opera- 
tion weighed 5870 lbs. per acre. The grass was weighed as it came 
from the scythe. During this period there was not a ilrop of rain — and 
guano, nitrate of soda, lime, shell sand, wood-ashes, and other manures, 
possibly from the drought, tried against it, produced during this period 
no very visible action. In this experiment the fibruus covering was 
laid on the 15th of April, and the grass cut and weighed the 30th of 
May. Half of a lay field of 3 acres was covered on the morning of 
their last meeting," which was that day month, viz., the 2nd of May. 
"He yesterday had cut and weighed lespectively those portions of the 
field, covered and uncovered; and found that the one weighed 3460 lbs. 
per acre, whilst the other weighed only 970 lbs." Tliis field had been 
stocked previous to the 2nd of May, which accounted for the variation 
from tiie other field in quality and jjroportion ; and the land was not so 
good. He had measured the respective lengths of grasses — "The trefoil 
in one case measured 3i inches, whilst in the other it only measured 
about an inch ; clover 6 Inches, in the other li." 
On the white Dutch the eft'fcts were more apparent, " and in the 
uncovered parts there was literally none, whilst on the other the ground 
was thickly studded, varying in height from 1 to 2 inches." The 
quantity of green grass produced could not be mistaken. The next 
question of practical interest was, whether it was watery distention or 
perfect elementary formation. He had ex])osed some of the grass cut 
in the first experiment to the sun for eight days, turning it occasionally. 
At the end of this period it was respectively and carefully weighed. 
" The one had lost 3914 lbs. per acre, which was about two-thirds its 
original weight; the other had lost 1497 lbs., which was about the 
same proportion." From this it would ap])ear that the value of one 
was equal to the other, weight for weight, for hay — i. e., a ton of the 
one was equal to a ton of the other: if so, in oi>e case we should get 3 
tons of hay ])er acre, whilst in the other only 1. He said that whilst 
the |)rodigious increase of one month's production was before us, it 
shoulil be borne in mind that that month was the most productive of 
