66 



THE MANURING OF GRASS LAND 



[CH. 



Marked improvement was obtained at the Midland Agricultural 

 College by the use of superphosphate (4 cwts high grade) and 

 sulphate of potash (1|- cwts) on a poor heavy clay on the Keuper 

 Marl formation 1 . The plots were grazed with milch cows and the 

 yields in Ibs of milk per acre for the four seasons, 1909-1912, were : 



Total for 4 years ... 7 16 



Nothing was applied after the first dressing in 1909. 



2. Down land. On the South Down pastures west of the 

 Sussex Ouse, where the rainfall is considerable, marked improve- 

 ment has resulted from the use of basic slag. 



3. Poor hill pastures. It is difficult to make any general 

 rule about this. Improvement has been effected by the use of 

 basic slag 2 , and also by lime ; in other cases a mixed dressing of 

 basic slag and kainit was necessary, but the results were never as 

 striking as at Cockle Park, and the cost was often more than the 

 return, so that the transaction was not profitable. The margin 

 for improvement is not very great, and each case has to be con- 

 sidered on its merits ; all that can be done is to find out from the 

 county agricultural authority what experiments have been made 

 on similar land. 



4. Hot pasture on sand or thin gravel. These cases are also 

 very difficult, and not many experiments have been made on them. 

 The determining factor is usually the underground water supply ; 

 if this is satisfactory there is hope for improvement by suitable 

 grazing and manuring. In some cases basic slag has given good 

 results, in others bone meal, and in others again sometimes a 

 dressing of meat meal or fish meal has been best. 



Where the underground water supply is inadequate the case 



1 Midland Agr. Coll. Reports, 1909-1912. Both plots had previously received 

 10 cwts lime per acre. 



2 Greig, Aberdeen Bull No. 16, 1910. 



