THE EFFECT OF MANURES. 277 



Lolium perenne and Arrlienatherum avenaceum were very much 

 reduced. 



It is certainly somewhat discouraging to find that the influence 

 of farmyard manure was not favorable under all circumstances. 



Nitrate of soda alone. This generally gave an increased pro- 

 portion of grasses, a late-ripening dark green crop, rather more 

 leafy than stemmy. 



Superphosphate and ammonia. This produced much the same 

 effect as the ammonia added to other combinations, viz: increas- 

 ing the grasses and greatly diminishing the leguminous and mis- 

 cellaneous plants. 



Minerals and ammonia. Here the yield was large, the grasses 

 much increased, the legumes and weeds not improved. The 

 larger the amount of ammonia the more marked were the results. 



All poor grasses, except Lolium, were discouraged by the 

 ammonia. The Ranunculacece and Umbelliferce, Composite^, Labi- 

 ates were nearly expelled or greatly diminished. 



The grasses on the plats thus treated ran much to leaves. 



Minerals and Nitrate. The proportion of grasses was large, 

 that of legumes small, and that of miscellaneous plants much 

 reduced. 



Sulphate of lime, (gypsum) often called "plaster," sometimes 

 slightly increases the growth of leaves and stems of grasses, but 

 usually exerts a very marked effect to increase the growth of 

 leguminous crops. 



Disuse of manure. In such cases the plants soon assumed the 

 conditions of those on the unmanured plats. A disuse of potash 

 was followed by a decrease in the produce of grasses, a marked 

 decrease of the legumes and an increase of miscellaneous plants. 



The practical conclusions may be very shortly stated. Drain- 

 age, marling, liming, must not be neglected. The application 

 of bones is not recommended for general adoption. They ap- 

 pear to be chiefly adapted to the exhausted pastures of certain 



