12 ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS 



The effect of manuring with nitrogenous, phosphatic, 

 and potassic manures, in various combinations, in addition 

 to the annual cutting is more complex, and the changes 

 as the years have gone on have been most interesting, 

 and in many ways wonderful. The details of weighings 

 and botanical analyses taken yearly since the experiment 

 began, are given fully in the voluminous reports of the 

 Director and his statf. Only a very hurried glance at 

 some of these changes can be attempted here. A marked 

 difference in the herbage is found on the plots to which 

 a fall manuring of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid 

 has been applied. The source of the nitrogen, whether 

 from sulphate of ammonia or nitrate of soda, has also 

 produced differences of a peculiar kind. Generally this 

 complete manuring, where sulphate of ammonia has been 

 used, has caused an enormous increase of the smaller 

 Grasses, especially Poa pratensis, Festuca ovina, and 

 Anthoxantham odoratum — the last named having gone up 

 from 4 per cent, to 23 per cent. In fact these three Grasses 

 form about 90 per cent, of the whole, and the absence 

 of Legubminosce, and other plants is most marked. The 

 weight of hay has gone down by 50 per cent., even 

 though the manuring has been so extravagantly complete. 

 The fact that the smaller Grasses have taken the place of 

 the larger and more vigorous no doubt accounts for this. 

 When nitrate of soda has been the source of nitrogen 

 this change has not been so great, probably because 

 Meadow Fox-tail and the Oat Grasses, and generally 

 those rooting more deeply, are influenced earlier by the 

 greater solubility of the nitrate. Where these nitrogenous 

 manures have been applied alone, a marked difference 

 in their action has been found. In the case of 

 sulphate of ammonia Sheep's Fescue and Sweet Vernal 

 have trebled their percentage. The Fox-tail, Oat Grasses, 

 Poas, Rye-grass, etc., have absolutely disappeared, and 

 hardly a trace of Leguminous plants remains. Leontodon 

 hispidus, which had flourished with an addition of super- 



