IMPROVEMENT OF GRASS LAND 149 



i cwt. of nitrate of soda, i cwt. of superphosphate, and 

 3 cwt. of kainit being about the best proportion in 

 which to employ them. 



"7. On all old grass land an occasional dressing of 

 ground lime, at the rate of half a ton per acre, applied 

 in the early winter (best in the year following the dung- 

 ing), will sweeten the herbage and utilise the reserves of 

 past manuring." 



In the case of some experiments conducted by 

 Professor Somerville on permanent grass land in 

 Cumberland, 1 nitrate of soda in conjunction with 

 phosphate had a markedly repressing influence on 

 species of Agrostis, which are usually numbered 

 amongst the poorest grasses. Ribwort was also re- 

 duced, and so were leguminous plants ; but Yorkshire 

 Fog was greatly increased. Used alone, nitrate of soda 

 tended to encourage an inferior type of herbage, and 

 sulphate of ammonia produced more Agrostis and Rib- 

 wort. Superphosphate was found to reduce the percent- 

 age of Agrostis and Cocksfoot, but had no general in- 

 fluence on other plants. Kainit markedly increased the 

 yield of leguminous plants, and " almost as markedly 

 repressed the growth of Agrostis." As regards lime, 

 its application was found consistently to increase the 

 yield of Ribwort, but considerably to reduce the per- 

 centage of Agrostis and Yorkshire Fog. 



These experiments have been discussed at length on 

 account of the extreme importance of the whole sub- 

 ject of the manuring of grass land and the changes 

 in the character of the herbage which such manuring 

 brings about. 



The foregoing remarks conclusively show that very 

 much may be done in the way of suppressing weeds in 



1 Jour. Bd. Agric., vol. vii. No. 2. 



