144 JUxperiences up to the end of October, 1904. 



distributed over a, rocky surface, were sown in 1900, and this year 

 (1904) the results shown are most satisfactory, and a fair amount of 

 grazing has been attained, where almost nothing could have been 

 expected from an ordinary grass mixture. 



Success of the. Clifton Park System in Growing Potatoes without 

 Mar.ure. — I now pass to an experiment with potatoes in the case of 

 the Haugh field of 27 acres — a shingly-spotted haugh on the banks of 

 the Bowmont — which, in our early experience of the farm, always 

 suffered extremely from drought. It was laid down in 1893 with one 

 of my mixtures containing chicory, burnet, &c., and was ploughed up 

 at the close of last year (1900), and partly sown in 1901 with 

 potatoes, and partly with turnips. The former, which were manured 

 with dung and kainit, at an estimated cost of £2 10s an acre, gave 

 15 tons per acre. Those which had no manure gave 14 tons 6 cwt. 

 Estimating the potatoes at £2 per ton, the result was £1 2s in favour 

 of the unmanured portion. In the case of the Balderston farm potato 

 experiments near Linlithgow in 1903 no less than 20 tons of dung per 

 acre and 7i cwt. of " artificials" per acre were used. The Up-to-Date 

 variety gave 10 tons 18 cwt. 6 lb. The same variety at Clifton-on- 

 Bowmont gave 13 tons 14 cwt., and there were practically no diseased 

 potatoes, only an occasional one such as, I am told, is commonly seen 

 in nearly all cases, whereas there were 7 cwt. 2 lb. of diseased potatoes 

 in the case of the Balderston experiments with the Up-to-Date 

 variety. The Evergood variety gave less in quantity than we 

 obtained from the Up-to-Uate variety, and was free from disease, so 

 that had I been allowed to compete I should have come out at the 

 top with the aid of a variety which stands fifth on the list, and 

 shown a much larger profit, as I used neither dung nor artificials. See 

 also page 119. 



Turnips Grown without Manure. - In the Big Haugh field some 

 drills of turnips were sown without any manure in 1901 and 1903, and 

 answered so well that I this year ventured on sowing a whole field 

 (the East Countridge) with them. The result has been most satis- 

 factory, and competent judges have declared that it would be 

 impossible to have a finer crop of turnips. 



How most Cheaply to Rt-Seed Pastures. — Superior grasses are 

 liable to decline in pastures, because the culms are eaten by stock, 

 while inferior grasses, in quality or productive power, like holous 

 lanatus, bent grasses, and crested dogstail (the last, though a good 

 grass, is a small producer, and it is not desirable to have a large 

 quantity of it) tend unduly to increase. Mr. Faunoe de I^aune sought 

 to overcome this by turning out stock at the time when the flowering 

 culms were growing, and re-stocking after they had seeded ; but this 

 course would often not suit the circumstances of the farmer, and I 

 think it would be better to hurdle off a strip on the side of the field on 

 which the strongest winds blow, and then remove the hurdles after 

 the seed had fallen or been blown across the field. I am led to 



