150 COMMON WEEDS 



grass land by means of judicious manuring. Indeed, 

 Mr. Martin ]. Sutton states l that from the Rothamsted 

 experiments made by Sir J. B. Lawes and Sir ]. H. 

 Gilbert, and confirmed by his own experiments, " it has 

 been demonstrated that most of the annual and not 

 a few Of the perennial weeds can be, for all practical 

 purposes, eliminated from a pasture by applications of 

 combined mineral and ammoniacal salts." The stronger 

 grasses are encouraged and the weeds crowded out. 



In general, farmyard manure should be spread on 

 the meadows, or haying land, rather than on the 

 pastures, which do not require nitrogen to the same 

 extent owing to the more extensive feeding of stock 

 thereon. Further, a judicious use of phosphates to 

 encourage clovers is especially useful on most heavy 

 soils, and leguminous plants will of themselves supply 

 nitrogen for the grasses. 



Some weeds, e.g. Ragwort, are freely eaten down in 

 the young state by sheep, and cake feeding of stock, 

 even to a moderate extent, will prove of great value in 

 improving the type of herbage, and the treading of the 

 stock is in itself of much advantage. 



Tall weeds like Thistles and Rushes should be regu- 

 larly mown or cut down with the thistle cutter, and a 

 thorough harrowing before manurial treatment is 

 resorted to is highly beneficial. 



To ensure even growth of good herbage it is essential 

 that all grazing land should be eaten bare at least once 

 a year, in order to prevent the accumulation of coarse 

 tufts of unpalatable grasses. The spreading of droppings 

 should be thoroughly done as soon as possible, or the 

 development of ugly patches which stock refuse to 

 touch will certainly occur to the detriment of the 

 pasture. 



1 Permanent and Temporary Pastures, 1908, p. 147. 



