1896.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 33. 145 



6. Experiments with a Rotation of Manures ufon 

 Permanent Grass Lands, Meadows and Pastures. 



One of the many advantages derived from the introduction 

 of commercial fertilizers and chemicals for manurial purposes 

 into general farm practice consists in the circumstance that 

 in many instances a change with reference to the general 

 character of the manure applied has served efficaciously as a 

 substitute for a change of crops. The improved chances in 

 compounding the manures to suit special requirements of 

 soil and crops have, to say the least, greatly modified current 

 views regarding the desirability or necessity of a rotation 

 of crops in the interest of economy. The beneficial results 

 noticed in other connections, due to a change in the general 

 character of the manurial substances used, in case of the 

 same land and in connection with the same crops, caused the 

 arrangement of the experiments described upon a few sub- 

 sequent pages. 



Permanent grass lands are apt to suifer in the course of 

 time from an accumulation of half-decayed vegetable matter, 

 which is liable sooner or later to interfere with a healthy 

 growth. To counteract this tendency it was decided to 

 manure meadows alternately by top-dressing with barn-yard 

 manure, or bone and muriate of potash, or wood ashes. The 

 liberal amount of carbonate of lime, from 30 to 40 per cent., 

 contained in the current supply of unleached wood ashes, 

 was to serve as the means to hasten on the decomposition of 

 the accumulating vegetable matter, and thereby secure favor- 

 able conditions for a healthy growth of valuable forage 

 plants. 



The meadows under consideration comprise an area of 

 about 9.6 acres. The entire field up to 1886 consisted of 

 old, worn-out grass lands, overrun with a worthless growth 

 on its more elevated portion and covered with weeds and 

 sedges in its lower swampy portion. The improvement of 

 the land by underdraining was commenced in 1886 and con- 

 tinued during the succeeding year. For details of the work, 

 see ninth and tenth annual reports (1891-92). 



In the spring of 1893 a change was made in the mode of 

 manuring of the grass plats. It was decided to study the 



