ENGLISH PASTURE STUDIES 313 



acter throughout, except for the variations on Plot 11, which are 

 there indicated. This last plot is sheltered by trees on its northern 

 and western boundaries, which also renders it not quite comparable 

 with the others. Generally speaking the soil of the field varies from 

 4" to 12" in depth, is a poor clay and clay loam throughout, and is 

 practically all lying on a subsoil of poor yellow boulder clay. Of the 

 706,000 acres under crops and pasture in the County of Northum- 

 berland, there are over 400,000 acres lying on this boulder clay sub- 

 soil, so that the Tree Field results are of great value as a guide to 

 the manuring of the bulk of the pastures of the county. That Tree 

 Field has one of the poorest of this class of soils may be judged 

 from the fact that Cockle Park has not since 1829 been let at more 

 than $3.60 an acre, and that this field is one of the poorest on the 

 farm, and has at no time been worth more than $2.40 an acre. It 

 was under cultivation and grew wheat crops frequently till about 40 

 years ago, since when it has been lying under pasture, which before 

 1897 was poor and benty and worth only about $0.60 an acre. The 

 soil has been analyzed by Mr. Collins, who found it to contain .2 

 per cent nitrogen, .07 per cent phosphoric acid, and .5 per cent 

 potash. There was soluble in a 1 per cent solution of citric acid, 

 .005 per cent of phosphoric acid and .013 per cent of potash. It also 

 contained .69 per cent of lime (CaO). For the last five years this 

 Plot (Plot 6, untreated) has been stocked with four sheep, but it 

 had a larger number in the previous years. The average gain in 

 live weight per acre per annum has been 37 1/9 pounds, which at 

 7 l / 2 c. a pound is equal to $2.78 an acre. Live weight increase, how- 

 ever, is not worth nearly as much from this plot as from the plots 

 which have been improyed by treatment, so that the real returns 

 are considerably less than the above. In five of the nine years 

 the sheep on this plot were worth less at the end than at the be- 

 ginning of the season. On Plot 3, 10 cwt. slag applied for 1897 has 

 at a gross cost of $5.44 given an average annual gain of $5.34 for 

 the nine years, a marvelous return from this single dressing. It had 

 the greatest effect in the third season after its application (when it 

 gave 163 pounds per acre of live weight increase, worth about $12.24) 

 and even in the ninth season afterwards has given 33 pounds of 

 live weight increase, worth about $2.44 an acre. Clover develop- 

 ment was greatest in the second year (about 20 per cent of the herb- 

 age). The poor bent grass has been greatly reduced. The soil has 

 been improved in texhire and darkened in color to a marvelous 



