544 SCOURING LANDS OF CENTRAL SOMERSET. 
lent indication of the unripe and unwholesome condition of 
turnips, mangolds, and vegetable produce in general. To 
mention only a few examples : whilst unripe mangolds, accord¬ 
ing to the stage in which they are examined, contain as much 
as 2| to 3 per cent, of nitrogen in a dry state, when fully ripe 
they contain only 1| to 1| per cent, of nitrogen. In turnips 
dried at 212° Fahr. I find the proportion of nitrogen in roots 
at an early stage as high as 3^-; examined later in the season, 
the proportion of nitrogen gradually dwindles down exactly 
in the measure in which they get more ripe, and reaches a 
minimum when they are perfectly mature. 
2. In quickly-growm rank grass from irrigated meadows I 
find a larger proportion of nitrogen and mineral matters than 
in good sweet meadow-grass. I need hardly say that the 
latter is infinitely superior to the former in nutritive value. 
3. In turnip-tops and mangold-leaves the proportion of 
mineral matters and nitrogen is nearly double that contained 
in the ripe roots, which, of course, are more nutritious than 
the tops. 
4. In unripe roots, grass, leaves, &c., in which a high per¬ 
centage of nitrogen occurs, I find, comparatively speaking, 
little sugar, and a considerable quantity of various vegetable 
acids, such as tartaric, oxalic, malic, and tannic acids. 
These are some of the principal results which have a direct 
bearing on the subject under discussion. We thus see that 
a high per-centage of ash and nitrogen in roots, &c., indicates 
an immature condition, and is always accompanied by a com¬ 
paratively small quantity of sugar, and by a large proportion 
of various vegetable acids. Most of these acids, either in a 
free state or in their combinations with mineral matters, espe¬ 
cially with potash or soda, have a decidedly aperient effect; 
hence we can account for the scouring effects of unripe man¬ 
golds, turnip-tops, mangold-leaves, young unripe clover, 
Italian rye-grass forced with too much liquid manure, and 
grass from water-meadows at certain seasons of the year. 
The herbage from scouring pastures is umvholesome for 
the same reason for which unripe mangolds, turnips, and 
forced grass are injurious to cattle. My investigations show 
that the hay from such pastures contains more nitrogen and 
ash than that from sound land; and as more especially a 
higher per-centage of nitrogen indicates a less mature and less 
nutritious condition than a lower, there cannot remain much 
doubt that the immature condition of the herbage is the origin 
of the complaint in nine cases out of ten. 
It is worthy of special notice that quickly-grown and very 
luxuriant-looking clover and grass invariably contain more 
nitrogen and ash than clover and grass which are more gra- 
