Vol. XXIII, Second Series. 



ROCHESTER, N. Y., JANUARY, 1862. 



No 1. 



EXPERIMENTS ON GRASS LAND. 



During the past year we made some experiments 

 with artificial manures as a top-dressing for grass 

 [and, the results of which may not prove wholly 

 uninteresting to the readers of the Genesee Farmer. 



The ground selected for the experiments was a 

 timothy meadow, sis years from seeding. The land 

 nad never been manured. The manures were sown 

 broadcast, May 9th, 1861. The hay from the vari- 

 ous plots was accurately weighed, and the follow- 

 ing are the results: 



Plot. Kind of fertilizer, 



Pounds per 

 acre. 

 No. 1. No manure, 



2. Superphosphate of Lime, .... 400 

 a Plaster, 250 



3. Salt, 150 



5. Unleached Ashes 800 



Hay cut per 



acre — lbs. 



2,880 



2,860 



2,950 

 8.960 

 3,620 



Unleached Ashes, 



Superphosphate of Lime,. 



800 

 400 



4.680 



Unleached Ashes, S'lO ) 



'• j Plaster of Paris, 250 



8. No manure, 



3,700 



3,330 



9. Sulphate of Ammonia, 400 4,560 



- n ( Sulphate of Ammonia 400 | . ft(!n 



1U - | Superphosphate of Lime,.. 400 f °> uau 



( Sulphate of Ammonia, 400 ) 



11. ? Superphosphate of Lime... 400 V 5,560 

 ( Unkached Ashes, 800J 



12. No manure, 2,600 



Between plots No. 5 and 6 there was an open 

 irain, and we skipped a hundred yards or so on 

 Bach side of the drain, from fear that there might 

 be some difference in the quality of the soil. In 

 view of this fact, the most likely way to get at the 

 real significance of the results will be to compare 

 plots No. 2, 3, 4, and 5, with the "no manure" 

 plot No. 1 ; and plots No. 6 and 7 with the " no 

 manure" plot No. 8; and plots No. 9, 10 and 11, 

 with "no manure" plot No. 12. 



Knowing from previous experience that in mak- 

 ing such experiments it is not easy to get land of 

 even quality, we left three plots without manure of 

 any kind, in order, as much as possible, to guard 

 against errors from this source. The results show 

 how necessary is such a precaution. Thus the 

 three plots without manure of any kind gave the 

 following results : 



No. 1, 2,330 



No. 8, 3.330 



No. 12, 2,000 



Such inequality in land that appeared to the 

 eye to be ordinarily even, and which had been 

 previously subjected to the same treatment, is very 

 remarkable, and shows how careful we should be 

 in drawing conclusions from the results obtained 

 from a single year's experiment. 



We put the results on record, however, and shall 

 not attempt to draw many conclusions from them, 

 intending to repeat the experiments next season. 



One result, however, is very marked. It was 

 quite manifest during the whole season, and there 

 can be no doubt in regard to it: The plots that 

 were dressed icith ammonia gave a very much greater 

 quantity of produce than any others, 



In two or three weeks after the manures were 

 sown, the effect of the ammonia was distinctly seen 

 in the much darker color of the grass, and by the 

 middle of June the outside line of plot No. 11 rose 

 up like a wall between it and the " no manure " 

 plot No. 12. It could be distinctly seen from the 

 road, thirty or forty rods distant. A farmer who 

 saw it at this time remarked that "he had never 

 seen grass before." 



There is one fact that we must not forget to 

 mention. The superphosphate and ashes on plot 

 No. 6, brought in a large quantity of red clover. 

 The effect in this particular was very marked. On 1 

 plot No. 7, with ashes and plaster, there was also 

 a little clover, but not one-tenth as much as from 

 the superphosphate and ashes. In Mr. Lawks' 

 grass experiments in the old park at Eothamstead, 

 the same result was obtained. The plots which 

 received alkalies and phosphates produced hay 

 containing much clover and other leguminous 

 grasses, while those dressed with ammonia pro- 

 duced hay composed almost entirely of grasses 

 proper (such as timothy, etc.). These results on 

 grass land that had not been plowed for centuries, 

 are very remarkable, and Mr. Lawes concludes from 



