THE HAY- FIELD AND ENGLISH HAY. 177 



liberal development of leaves and roots, enables tbem to 

 benefit in an exceptionally high degree by existing natural 

 and local resources of plant food of air and soil. They are 

 for this reason less exacting, as far as an additional supply 

 of plant food is concerned ; and they can be raised upon a 

 naturally good soil, fit for grass production, at a less ex- 

 pense for manure than the majority of general farm crops. 



Good grass lands pay well, yet they are to-day more the 

 exception in many localities than the rule. 



A safe general fertilizer for grass lands has to be com- 

 pounded by the same rules which guide us in making provi- 

 sions of that kind for other crops upon ploughed lands. 



Wood ashes, l)arnyard manure, if necessary supplemented 

 by commercial manurial chemicals,* or a suitable combina- 

 tion of commercial manurial substances, may be used in that 

 connection with more or less advantage under diiferent 

 local circumstances. 



The grass crop contains, on an average, one part of phos- 

 phoric acid to three parts of nitrogen and four parts of potas- 

 sium oxide. In case of new grass land it is well to adhere 

 to that proportion of these constituents in the manure to be 

 used. In case of old grass land, with an abundance of veg- 

 etable refuse matter, the amount of nitrogen may be safely 

 reduced to smaller proportions ; whilst an extra occasional 

 application of some potash compounds alone, as muriate of 

 potash (150 to 200 pounds per acre), or kainite (500 to 600 

 pounds per acre) , judging in this matter from personal obser- 

 vations, secures quite frequently satisfactory crops. It is 

 difiicult to state collectively the exact amount of nitrogen, 

 potash, and phosphoric acid for a given area, which will 

 secure the best results, on account of the widely varying 

 conditions of grass lands, as far as locality and their state of 

 fertility is concerned. To apply about one-half of the 

 fertilizing constituents contained in an average crop seems to 

 be a good rule, under otherwise fair conditions. Taking 

 two tons of hay as an average yield per acre, the fertilizer t© 



• 2,000 lbs. of barnyard manure contains, of — 



Nitrogen 8 to 10 lbs. 



Phosphoric acid, 4 to 5 lbs. 



Potassium oxide, 9 to 12 lbs. 



Value, $1 94 to $252 



