Field Experiments on Clover-Seeds. 



489 



manure applied alone has little effect, is again strikingly brought 

 out in the experiments on permanent grasses. 



Table sliowing jManures used and Produce from Plots of ^^ of an Acre eacli of 

 Permanent Pasture, and Produce calculated per Acre. 



The whole tenor of the preceding experiments tends to prove 

 the impolicy of applying to clover-seeds exclusively phosphatic 

 manures or simple saline fertilizing agents, such as common salt, 

 salts of potash, nitrate of soda, or sulphate of ammonia. The 

 two last-mentioned salts, it is true, produce a large increase in 

 weight, but in mixed " seeds," this increase is realised at the 

 expense of the clover-plant. On the other hand, the experiments 

 teach us that mixed manures, containing phosphates and alkaline 

 nitrates, or phosphates and salts of potash, promote the growth of 

 clover-seeds on land not particularly well suited to them. 



I am inclined to think that a mixture of soluble phosphate, of 

 nitrate of soda, and of muriate of potash, would have given a 

 larger increase than the highest obtained in my experiments. 

 On good clay soils, which generally abound in potash, the arti- 

 ficial supply of potash probably may be omitted altogether in a 

 clover-manure, and nitrate of soda be substituted for potash- 

 salts. 



Where good farmyard manure can be obtained at a reasonable 

 price, I have no hesitation in saying I believe it will be found 

 the most efficacious and economical manure both for seeds and 

 permanent pasture. Even at 12^. 6<f. or 105. per ton, I am in- 

 clined to think that first-rate dung will be found a cheaper 

 manure than any mixture of artificials, however skilfully pre- 

 pared it may be. But as in some places it is not possible to 



