15 
ON VAPID OR UNRIPE FOOD. 
By the Same. 
As it is a general subject of complaint amongst farmers 
that the crops of 1871, though in some cases abundant, have 
not exercised that beneficial influence upon stock which they 
had expected, we purpose offering a few notes upon this im¬ 
portant matter, with a view to explain the causes upon which 
this defalcation has depended. 
Farmers all say that their stock have not done so well upon 
grass or hay or roots this year as usual, and they explain the 
matter by saying that “ feed has not been proofy,” or that 
it has been deficient in “ proof,” the simple meaning of 
which is that they have found from experience that, as they 
eannot observe their cattle to thrive so well upon an abun¬ 
dance as they have sometimes seen them do on a comparative 
scarcity, they conclude that the redundant herbage has been 
deficient in feeding qualities. 
Now, as we all know how important is the influence ex¬ 
ercised by sunshine and heat in ripening the different pro¬ 
ducts of the earth, we may, perhaps, be right at starting in 
noting the fact that the past summer was remarkable for a 
low summer temperature, and a general dark, lowering, and 
moist atmosphere. Not that much rain fell at a time, but 
there was a general absence of dry sunshiny weather, and 
it was usually too dark, cold, and dismal to render the 
national game of cricket at all certain or agreeable. 
These were just the conditions which favoured the growth 
of a heavy crop of grass, but not those to secure either a well- 
ripened or a well-made crop of hay, whilst the animals in 
the meadows got on but badly in the midst of freshness and 
abundance, the truth being, in as far as we could make out, 
that the condition of bitter extractive which in grasses proper 
precedes the conversion into saccharine matter was continu¬ 
ous, and saccharine matter was not formed, a fact w'hich we 
think true with regard to straw of all kinds ; add to this fact 
that the various aromatic principles dependent upon the 
formation of different essential oils, and which are only 
fully developed under conditions of heat and light, were 
very deficient, the result being that herbaceous food was 
vapid and watery, unripe, and, as the farmers would say, 
“ without proof” and devoid of aroma. 
In the previous year (1870), maize grew perfectly well, 
and ripened complete cobs on our farm. This year, under 
