PROFITABLE FARMING. 63 



culty in obtaining actual figures showing the 

 improvement of pastures than with crops. The 

 only satisfactory way is by grazing cattle or 

 sheep and then comparing the improvement, 

 either by the quantity of milk produced or as 

 live weight increase. These comparisons neces- 

 sitate much attention, and being also costly are 

 necessarily few in number. 



Such a comparison has recently been con- 

 ducted by the Edinburgh and East of Scotland 

 College of Aitkendean, Midlothian, 

 during the three years 1908-1910, Manuring 

 and is fully described in College 

 Report, No. XXIII. 



' The field was raw boulder clay, somewhat 

 wet and retentive. It had lain for many years 

 in grass, and was clothed with a thick covering 

 of soft inferior herbage. Uniform parts of the 

 field were selected and fenced off ; four acres 

 received no manure whatever, the other four 

 acres received in February, 1908, a dressing 

 at the rate of 6J cwt. superphosphate (30 per 

 cent, soluble) and 50 Ibs. potash as sulphate of 

 potash per acre. The cost of the fertilisers 

 amounted to nearly thirty shillings per acre. 

 On I2th June, 1908, the plots were stocked with 

 sheep (Cheviot Dinmonts) which had been 

 weighed, and at the conclusion of the grazing 

 period they were again weighed. The feeding 

 experiment was continued in 1909 and 1910, but 

 without any further application of fertiliser. 

 During the intervening winter and spring 

 months the plots were grazed along with the 



