Alghope Field Experiments. 167 



freely used, as these will overcome the grasses and 

 weeds existing in old pasture to a very great extent, 

 if not entirely, though the latter is a point that remains 

 to be proved. I omitted tall fescue in this experiment 

 in order to lessen the cost of seed. 



It was very noticeable how superior the end rig of the 

 experiment was to the rest of the field, and this 

 evidently arose from more seed having fallen there (from 

 the sowing machine slowing). This confirms, 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 naade 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 satis- 

 factory 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 (then four years old) 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 conse- 

 quence. In the south-west corner of the 1884 section I 

 have experimented this year (1904) by reversing the 

 turf, harrowing it, sowing grass and clover seeds with 

 rape on one portion, and grass and clover seeds with buck- 

 wheat 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 



