XI.] MANURES FOR GRASS LAND 329 



grazing, rather than alternately to graze and hay the 

 same field, in which case particular grasses are first of 

 all encouraged and then repressed. 



Again, we may conclude that manure will be wasted 

 upon a field unless there is a proper herbage to take 

 advantage of it ; in dealing with poor grass land it is 

 uneconomical to spend much on manure until by 

 degrees the character of the vegetation has been 

 reformed. With these general principles in mind, we 

 may proceed to the consideration of a few typical 

 cases, which, however, cannot be made to cover all the 

 variations of soil and management to be met with in 

 practice. 



Land laid up for hay every year must receive a 

 regular manuring, unless it happens to be rich river 

 meadow or alluvial flat which derives its fertility from 

 the percolating water or the mud deposited during flood 

 time. But if it is ordinary medium grass land, about 

 3 cwts. per acre of kainit and 2 cwts. of superphosphate 

 should be applied in the early spring, in January or 

 February, followed by i to i| cwts. of nitrate of soda as 

 soon as the grass begins to move. On heavy soils, 

 especially on old grass land, basic slag may be 

 advantageously substituted for the superphosphate. 

 At intervals of five years or so the mixture of artificial 

 manures should be replaced by a winter dressing of 

 15 tons or so of farmyard manure. Occasionally, once 

 in five or six years, a light dressing of lime should be 

 given, a ton to the acre put on in the form of ground 

 quicklime is best. Land that has been but recently laid 

 down to grass should be dunged more frequently. If 

 much cake and corn is fed on the aftermath the nitrate 

 of soda can be reduced or even omitted. 



Pasture that is of any value to begin with will rarely 

 require any general manuring, so much cake and corn 



