MEADOWS. . 373 



to which, of course, the farmer must give his best atten- 

 tion, and on which we have already, under the head of 

 permanent pasture, given remarks which will be of service 

 in this department the chief labour in the management 

 of meadows consists in applying manures, and in freeing 

 the surface from stones and rolling it. When it is consi- 

 dered that the hay crop removes more fertilizing ingredi- 

 ents from the land than any of the other crops of the farm, 

 the importance of restoring these by means of appropriate 

 manures judiciously applied will not be disputed. Thus, 

 while we find that wheat takes per acre 1 Ibs. of nitrogen 

 from the soil, hay takes 14 Ibs. The manure used chiefly 

 for meadow land is farm yard, which is often supplemented 

 by artificial manures. The time for applying the farm- 

 yard manure to the land, which is done by casting it on 

 and spreading it over the surface by the fork, is a disputed 

 point amongst farmers, some recommending its application 

 early in the autumn, or, at least, early in the winter ; others 

 deeming this bad, or, at least, unsafe practice, recom- 

 mend its application in spring. In place of farm-yard 

 manure, a compost may be used with good effect, if richly 

 composed and properly made. As regards the use of arti- 

 ficial manures, the following is from the celebrated authority, 

 Mr. Lawes: 



176. " The application of bones is not recommended for 

 general adoption; they appear to be chiefly adapted to the 

 exhausted pastures of certain localities, and not to be 

 generally applicable to meadow land which is mown for 

 hay. The hay crop is a great exhauster of the mineral 

 constituents of the soil; and these, owing to the higlu 

 price of salts of potash, cannot, with profit, be restored in 

 artificial manures. The return of the mineral constituents 

 is better accomplished by means of farm-yard manure, 

 stable dung, night-soil, and the like, which, at the same 

 time, bring on to the land a more or less considerable 

 quantity of available nitrogen. The best artificial manures 

 for grass land are Peruvian guano, which is rich in phos- 

 phates as well as nitrogen; and nitrate of soda, and sul- 

 hate of ammonia, which are rich in nitrogen, but contain, 



