No. 4.] THE GRASS CROP. 253 



condition reported of the majority of our grass lands has to 

 be largely ascribed to the prevalence of an indifferent system 

 of manuring them. 



The cultivation of one and the same crop or class of crops 

 year after year upon the same lands without some rational 

 mode of manuring cannot fail to change gradually but surely 

 the mechanical as well as chemical character of the soil for 

 the better or the worse, as far as that crop or class of crops 

 is concerned, — in the majority of cases for the worse. 



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

 pounded on the same rules which are recognized as rational 

 wdth reference to other farm crops ; i.e., it ought to provide 

 for the return of those essential articles of plant food which 

 the grass crop in an exceptional degree has removed from the 

 soil upon which it has been raised. It is to be remembered 

 that wdierever the grass crop is still the main source of coarse 

 fodder for farm live stock the product of the fertility of grass 

 lands is constantly turned to account for the improvement of 

 the lands used for the cultivation of other farm crops. This 

 once universal practice of manuring farm lands has ceased to 

 be advisable or even excusable, since a well-developed trade 

 in commercial fertilizers provides amply the needed remedy, 

 — more manure. Its ruinous influence on the original pro- 

 ductiveness of the farm lands in all civilized countries, ours 

 not excepted, wherever important farm products, as grains, 

 etc., have been largely sent to market without any return of 

 the plant food they contained, is fully recognized. 



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

 phoric acid to four of potash and three of nitrogen. In case 

 of newly laid down grass lands it is well to adhere to that 

 proportion. In case of old grass lands with an abundance 

 of vegetable decayed matter the amount of nitrogen may be 

 safely reduced one-half. It is not possible to state more 

 definitely the exact amount of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 

 potash which will secure the best results, on account of the 

 widely varying condition of grass lands as far as their state 

 of fertility is concerned. Taking two tons of hay as an aver- 

 age yield per acre as the basis, from twenty to twenty-five 

 pounds of available phosphoric acid, one hundred pounds of 

 available potassium oxide, with thirty pounds of available 



