on Permanent Meaclmv Land. 573 



plants, like the Graminaceous corn-crops of our rotations, assi- 

 milated but little more nitrogen, from natural sources, under the 

 influence of liberal supplies of purely mineral manure ; they 

 gave a largely increased growth, only when there was an artificial 

 supply of available nitrof/en within the soil ; and when this was 

 provided, the direct supply of mineral constituents was essential 

 to its full effects. 



The more practical conclusions may be very shortly stated. 

 In order that the more temporary, or more rapidly acting means 

 of increasing the produce of meadow land, may have their lull 

 effect, the more permanent means of amelioration that may be 

 required — such as draining, marling, liming, and the like — must 

 not be neglected. The application of bones is not recommended 

 for general adoption. They appear to be chiefly adapted to the 

 exhausted pastures of certain localities, and not to be generally 

 applicable to meadow land which is mown for hay. The hay 

 crop is a great exhauster of the mineral constituents of the soil : 

 and these, owing to the high price of salts of potash, cannot, with 

 profit, be fully restored in artificial manures. The return of the 

 mineral constituents is better accomplished by means of farmyard 

 manure, stable dung, night soil, and the like ; which, at the same 

 time, bring on to the land a more or less considerable quantity 

 of available nitrogen. Tlie best artificial manures for grass-land, 

 are, Peruvian guano, Avhich is rich in phosphates as well as 

 nitrogen ; and nitrate of soda, and sulphate of ammonia, which 

 are rich in nitrogen, but contain, of course, no phosphates. 

 Peruvian guano, when used alone, may be employed at the rate of 

 from li to 2i cwts. per acre ; nitrate of soda alone, or sulphate 

 (or muriate) of ammonia, at the rate of It to 2 cwts. per acre. 

 The salts of ammonia are, however, relatively too expensive to be 

 employed largely with profit ; and both ammoniacal salts and 

 nitrate of soda are more advantageously used in combination with 

 guano. A very generally useful top-dressing for the hay crop 

 may be made of 3 parts Peruvian guano, 1 part nitrate of soda, 

 and 1 part sulpliate of ammonia. Of this mixture, 2 to 2? cwts. 

 per acre may be employed. With this applied annually, and 

 the application of 10 or 12 tons per acre of poor rotten dung once 

 every four or five years, a good crop of hay may be taken oft 

 every year, without injury to the land. The best time of sowing 

 the "artificial " manures is generally in January ; and it should 

 at any rate be seldom postponed beyond February. 



[To be continued.] 



