April, 1940] 



PASTURE TOP-DRESSING IN N. H. 



19 



T.ABLE 18. — Financial returns, Seavey pasture, per acre per year 



Treatment 



Value of 

 forage 



Gain over 

 check 



Cost of 

 fertilizer 



Net annual 



return per 



acre 



Basic slag, 555 lbs., 3 yrs. 

 Superphosphate, 500 lbs. 20%, 3 yrs. 

 Superphosphate, 167 lbs. 20%, 



annually 

 Muriate of potash, 200 lbs. 50%, 3 yrs. 

 Muriate of potash, 67 lbs. 50%, ann. 

 Muriate of potash, 200 lbs. 50 % ] . 

 Superphosphate, 500 lbs. 20% f "^ -^''^• 

 Ave. 3 nitrogen carriers, 50 lbs. N ann. 

 Ave. 4 complete fertilizers 

 50 lbs. N annually, 100 lbs. P^O. 



and 100 lbs. K2O every 3 yrs. 



duced. All of the treatments increased production over and above 

 the cost of the fertilizer varying from two cents per acre in the an- 

 nual application of superphosphate to $7.34 in the triennial applica- 

 tion of superphosphate and potash. In point of returns on the mon- 

 ey invested the treatments rank as follow^s : superphosphate and 

 potash, annual potash application, basic slag, nitrogen alone, trien- 

 nial application of potash, complete fertilizers, triennial application 

 of superphosphate and annual application of superphosphate. 



It seems only fair to state in this connection, that farmers are not 

 likely to grow enthusiastic about pasture improvement when it is 

 impossible to see with the eye the results secured. On a pasture 

 which responds as does this one it would take results such as are 

 gained by applying nitrogen, complete fertilizers, or superphosphate 

 and potash to accomplish this end. 



Table 19. — Financial returns, Livingston pasture, per acre per year 



Of the Livingston treatments. Table 19, complete fertilizers rank 

 first in net returns per acre as well as returns per dollar invested. 

 This is followed by the 0-20-20. with nitrogen third. Again it may 

 be well to point out that phosphoric acid and potash were applied on 

 Livingston pasture at a heavy annual rate, three times that of the 

 Seavey plots, and it is quite possible that a lower rate of application 

 might have afifected appreciably the economy of operations although 

 yields would doubtless have been somewhat lower. 



These data are designed to contrast the purchase of feed, a well- 

 known farm operation, with the purchase of fertilizer which is ap- 

 plied to pasture sods to increase the feed there. The latter is a less 

 well established practice than buying feed but a very effective one 



