314 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 May, 191 i. 



The use of lime was not found to be profitable for improving pastures, 

 when applied in the form of heavy dressings (4 tors to the acre, &c.), the 

 improvement shown in the first few years in certain cases being evidently 

 due to the lime hastening the liberation of the nitrogen already present 

 in the soil, or at least being only shown in cases where the soil contained a 

 fair quantity of humus. 



Similarly, the addition or separate use of potash and nitrogenous 

 manures was found to be unprofitable. The phosphatic manures stimulate 

 the clover, whereas the nitrogenous manures stimulate the grass which 

 smothers the clover, so that, in pastures, the two manures are to a large 

 extent antagonistic to each other. In addition, although the nitrogenous 

 manures stimulate an early and luxuriant growth of grass, this is deficient 

 in feeding properties and produces less meat than the smaller yield grown 

 by phosphate alone. 



Another interesting comparison was made in regard to the effects of 

 equal quantities of phosphoric acid in the form of basic slag and super- 

 phosphate respectively. In every ca.se, the basic slag produced the greater 

 amount of increase in the live weight of the sheep. This is a conclusion 

 of considerable importance, since there does not seem to be any reason why 

 the same conclusion should not apply under Victorian conditions tO' Vic- 

 torian pastures. The fact that superphosphates are specially valuable to- 

 the early growth of grain crops, does not show that they will be equally 

 valuable for manuring pasture land, where what is needed is not so much 

 a short stimulating action, but rather a prolonged one, whose effects will 

 suffice to keep the pasture in good heart over several years. 



For the details of the work and the methods of observation employed, 

 tjie reader is referred to the original publication, but as this is perhaps 

 the most important work on the manuring of sheep pastures that has been 

 issued for some time, it may be worth while to give in detail, the author's 

 summary of the results to be drawn from his experiments. These are as 

 follow : — 



Summary of Results. 



1. Cake of various sorts was fed to sheep on pasture at eleven centres, 

 and in no instance was the outlay on the cake recovered in the increased 

 mutton produced by the sheep in the season when the cake was con- 

 sumed. 



2. In the latter part of the grazing season sheep getting liberal allow- 

 ances of cake did not increase m weight to a greater extent than those - 

 getting no cake, but which were grazing pasture improved by liberal 

 dressings of basic slag. 



3. The residual values of take were occasionally higher than is usually 

 estimated, but, in comparison with basic slag, cake-residues had a poor 

 ameliorative effect on the pasture. 



4. Even when both direct and indirect effects of cake are taken into- 

 account, the original outlay was not recovered at two of the three main 

 stations. This result was confirmed at such of the minor stations as were 

 concerned with this problem. 



5. It would appear to be bad practice to feed cake on pasture con- 

 taining much clover, as the nitrogen in the cake residues has a tendency to 

 repress the clovers by stimulating the non-leguminous plants. 



6. Common burned lime, used alone at the rate of 4 tons per acre, 

 has proved very ineffective; but .smaller dressings of ground lime, when- 

 added to a phosphatic dressing, have sometimes been justified. 



