374 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Dec 
Boussingault fed a number of pigeons on lard, 
another lot on the white of an egg, and another on 
starch, and a fourth he deprived of food altogether. 
The results were briefly as follows:— 
Fed with 
Proportion of 
Fat in their 
Blood. 
Pigeons 3 weeks old 
1. Starch. 
.0021 
2. White of egg 
.0056 
3. Nothing .... 
.0043 
Pigeons 4 weeks old 
1. Starch. 
.0046 
2. White of egg 
.0055 
3. Lard. 
.0065 
4. Nothing .... 
.0070 
Hurdles,.-. 
1. Starch. 
.0042 
2. White of egg 
.0044 
3. Nuts. 
.0049 
4. Nothing 
.0034 
From tins experiment Boussingault draws the fol¬ 
lowing conclusions: — 
1st. In opposition to previous opinion, that the 
fat in the blood cannot be increased by fat in the 
food. 
2d. The proportion only varies between about 
4-1000 to 5-1000- and 
3d. That the fat in the blood is in no case derived 
immediately from fat in the food, because those ani¬ 
mals which received no food at all had as much fat 
in their blood as those which were fed on hog’s 
lard. 
So far, these experiments seem satisfactory; and 
when coupled with the fact that the food of our 
fattening animals—as potatoes, turneps, and such 
like—contain fatty substances in almost infinitesi¬ 
mal proportions, we may consider the non-import¬ 
ance of these substances (about which so much has 
been said and written) as almost established. 
Natural Grasses. 
In the extreme scarcity and exorbitant price of 
Herd’s grass seed, the introduction of any substitute, 
combining its valuable qualities, is highly desirable. 
I have heard it asserted by those who profess to 
speak from experience, that Red Top is well adapt¬ 
ed to laying down upland dry meadows, and pas¬ 
tures of light sand or of gravelly soil. I know it to 
be equal, if not superior to Herd’s grass (Timo¬ 
thy,) for forming a permanent ley in low and moist 
grounds. It produces, I consider, a more tena¬ 
cious sward, more enduring, and less liable to be 
affected by the changes and severities of our cli¬ 
mate, whilst the hay it affords often exceeds the 
Herd’s grass, both in quantity and quality. The 
usually received opinions of the nature and habits 
of the Red Top, have led us to suppose that it is 
congenial to, and will only flourish in deep, rich, 
and moist soils, and that it is not calculated for 
other situations. If the idea is correct, that this 
grass is adapted to the soils of a light and sandy 
character, it presents a most important fact, that 
should be generally promulgated 
A natural grass, uniting many important and de¬ 
sirable properties, occurs in this region upon, and 
in the vicinity of low marshy grounds. It generally 
selects a soil warmer than the natural marsh, fre¬ 
quently exhibiting itself along the line of earth 
thrown up in ditching of low lands. If susceptible 
of general cultivation, I would esteem it an acqui¬ 
sition of high consequence, I have recently ob¬ 
served that it appears gradually to insinuate itself 
more extensively among the wild grasses and brakes 
of our marsh meadows. I have not determined 
its botanical name; but in the popular nomencla¬ 
ture, it is designated the Blue Joint,—analogous in 
name only, I apprehend, to the Blue Grass, so cele¬ 
brated in Kentucky. When growing, it presents a 
most beautiful spectacle; its matted masses waving 
in rich verdure and brilliant luxuriance. It forms 
a hollow stalk, often reaching, on favorable posi¬ 
tions, eight and nine feet in height, bearing a series 
of broad linear leaves, with continuous sheaths en¬ 
closing the entire stem, which is surmounted by a 
heavy peduncle, presenting, when ripe, the appear¬ 
ance in shape and colour of a fox’s tail. The foli¬ 
age is excessively thick and heavy, and the plant 
usually occurring in clusters, so vigorous and min¬ 
gled as to be almost impenetrable to the smaller ani¬ 
mals. The growth and yield of fodder far surpasses 
that of any grass within my knowledge. Every 
description of stock feed on it with avidity; and I 
am not aware but that it possesses equally nutri¬ 
tive qualities with the cultivated grasses. 
Is any reader of the Cultivator familiar with 
this grass? Is it adapted to cultivation, or has any 
effort been made towards its introduction into arti¬ 
ficial culture? 
The writer of this article has for several seasons 
been attracted by the appearance, and observed the 
habits of this plant with much interest, until the 
conviction has been formed, that it is susceptible of 
cultivation, and capable of taking a high rank 
among our improved grasses. W. C. W. Port 
Kent, N. Y., November, 1849. 
Variety of Corn. 
Eds. Cultivator —The intention of this brief 
communication is simply to remove an erroneous 
impression entertained by many of the readers of 
the Cultivator, and more fully expressed, in a short 
notice of the merits of the south Oregon corn, in 
one of the spring numbers of the Cultivator. I 
mean, that of its not being early enough for the 
northern states, and of its belonging to the “ dent” 
class of southern corn. True, it grows finely south, 
and likewise west; and is cultivated with admirable 
success in Ohio, as I am informed. I did not, as 
you are aware, make any reply to those doubts,— 
not deeming it absolutely necessary at the time; 
but can now, with a certainty, recommend this va¬ 
riety of Indian corn, as being in every essential 
point preferable to any of the northern varieties 
raised for market, coming under my observation, 
many of which I have known tested. And in point 
of shelling, the Oregon corn will give a yield of six 
bushels per barrel of shelled corn ; and no northern 
corn can ever come up to this. I have no doubt it 
will suit your climate admirably well, judging from 
its prolific yield in Maryland, and the high estima¬ 
tion it possesses in Ohio. 
The present year, I have been more particular as 
to planting and gathering this corn. I planted about 
six acres the 25th of April, the land not having re- 
covered from the severe cold of the middle of that 
month; the six acres were set with a peach and 
apple orchard eight years old. This land was ma¬ 
nured two years past, broadcast, and has been cul¬ 
tivated every year since,'—the present year in corn, 
as stated above. The first week in October, I ga¬ 
thered the corn, it being sufficiently dry to go to 
mill notwithstanding the disadvantage of the shade 
of the trees, now full of leaves. From this lot, I 
have housed more than double the quantity of corn 
