142 Experiences up to the end of October, 1904. 



firms, of course, what is well known, that the rougher the ground 

 the more is the seed required. It yet remains to be proved whether, 

 in such cases, it will pay better to put down more seed, or rely on 

 the difference being made up by allowing the grasses to seed. I 

 regard this experiment as one of great importance, as, for various 

 reasons, it would often pay better to reverse the sod, and lay down 

 after a crop of rape, than to put the land through a course of cropping. 

 The above alluded to central portion of Alghope field has turned out 

 to be as satisfactory as could be expected, taking into consideration 

 that the lifting of the fence injured the experiment. In 1902 I dug 

 up some turfs of it in order to compare them with turfs taken from 

 the section laid down in 1884, and found much more rootage in the 

 former, and that the turf was thicker. Altogether, the pasture was 

 much improved by the operation, and is now free from moss, while 

 the pasture of 1884 is thick with it, and in a most unsatisfactory 

 condition in consequence. In the south-west corner of the 1884 

 section I have experimented this year (1904) by reversing the turf, 

 harrowing it, and sowing grass seeds, and clover, and rape on one 

 portion, and similar seeds with buckwheat on the other. So far as I 

 can see at present, the buckwheat will be much more favourable to 

 the grass than the rape, as the former disintegrates the surface soil 

 thoroughly, and so leaves it in a much more open condition than is 

 the case on the rape section, the surface soil of which is quite hard. 

 Next year, on the 1884 section, I am going to experiment by 

 ploughing up the turf thinly, turning it back again, and sowing 

 cocksfoot, clover, chicory, burnet, and kidney vetch, and some golden 

 oat grass over the interstices. This, I think, will be successful, and, 

 should it be so, the idea will be of great value to those who have 

 poor mossy pastures which they wish to improve at small expense. 

 I am in hopes that it will succeed, from observing the immense 

 improvement that took place in the mossy slopes of the terraces here, 

 when the turf was simply lifted and replaced after levelling the 

 inequalities in the slopes. Still no grass seeds were sown, nor manures 

 applied, and yet there was an immediate and great improvement in 

 the slopes, and the moss quite disappeared. 



Success of the Cliftmi Park System of Gra^s Groioing an Poor Glay 

 Soil. — At the meetings of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 

 held at Park Royal, London, in 1903 and 1904, the Cambridge 

 University Department of Agriculture exhibited turfs from their 

 experimental pastures at Abbotsley, Hunts, and the Department 

 made the following reports : — 



June, 1903. 



" Four turfs from Abbotsley, Huntingdonshire, showing pastures 

 produced on stiff clay soil by various ' seeds ' mixtures. The seeds 

 were sown about June 1st, 1900, and 10 cwt. basic slag per acre was 

 applied in the following autumn. 



" Details of the seeds mixtures will be found in the Fourth Annual 

 Report of the Department. The turfs exhibited are (a) from Plot I. 



