304 MEADQWS AND PASTURES 



tilizers, and 50 cents per ton for farm manures, the use of 20 tons 

 of farm manure applied twice to timothy but not used for corn, 

 gave a gain of $108 per acre in four years. Ten tons' of manure 

 gave a gain of $72 per acre, and the most profitable combination 

 of fertilizer constituents produced a gain of $60.85." 



Lessons from the Old World. Prof. Douglas A. Gil- 

 christ of Armstrong College, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 

 England, has made many experiments in fertilizing 

 meadow and pasture land long laid down in the counties 

 of Cumberland, Durham and Northumberland. In a bul- 

 letin on "Effect of Manures on Old Hay Land," issued 

 in February, 1906, I find much of great interest and 

 value. The soils operated, however, are some. of them 

 quite different from any commonly used in America, ex- 

 cept that we have peaty soils in our northern states. The 

 experiments found a most interesting change in the 

 character of these old meadows consequent on fertiliza- 

 tion, the use of basic slag bringing in the better species 

 of grass and many clovers. Work of a similar nature, and 

 equally significant in results, is under way at the Rotham- 

 sted Experiment Station at Harpenden, England, as re- 

 ported by Director A. D. Hall. I quote thus from Prof. 

 Gilchrist : 



Effects of manures on herbage and soil nitrogen. "From an anal- 

 ysis of the soil of the unmanured plot, it was seen to be of a very 

 poor character. It contains 14 per cent of stones and nearly 6 per 

 cent of poor, turfy, organic matter. It is remarkably poor in avail- 

 able phosphates and potash, and contains only 25 per cent of lime. 

 This poorness in lime probably explains the greater effectiveness 

 of basic slag than of superphosphate on this soil, and also the much 

 worse results with sulphate of ammonia than with nitrate of soda. 

 This has been demonstrated in a striking manner at Woburn. A 

 student took samples of soil, 12" square on the surface and 6" deep, 

 from four of the plots in July, 1905, and also collected the herbage 



