328 
by the Countess of Hardwicke, the soil of which is 
a damp stiff clay. They afforded 28 pounds of 
fodder ; of which 1000 parts afforded 64 parts of 
nutritive matter, consisting nearly of one-sixth of 
sugar, and five-sixths of mucilage, with a little ex- 
tractive matter. In another experiment, four 
square yards gave 27 pounds of grass. The 
quality of this grass is inferior to that of the fiorin 
referred to in the Table, in the latter part of the 
Third Lecture, which was cultivated by Sir Joseph 
Banks in Middlesex, in a much richer soil, and cut 
in December. 
The fiorin grass, to be in perfection, requires a 
moist climate or a wet soil ; and it grows luxuri- 
antly in cold clays unfitted for other grasses. In 
light sands and in dry situations its produce is much 
inferior as to quantity and quality. 
The common grasses, properly so called, that 
afford most nutritive matter in early spring, are the 
vernal meadow grass, and meadow fox-tail grass ; 
but their produce, at the time of flowering and 
ripening the seed, is inferior to that of a great 
number of other grasses ; their latter-math is, how- 
ever, abundant. 
Tall fescue grass stands highest, according to 
the experiments of the Duke of , Bedford, of any 
grass, properly so called, as to the quantity of nutri- 
tive matter afforded by the whole crop when cut at 
the time of flowering ; and meadow cat’s-tail grass 
affords most food when cut at the time the seed is 
ripe : the highest latter-math produce of the grasses 
examined in the Duke of Bedford’s experiments is 
from the sea-meadow grass. 
