198 Professor Barnes' Seed Mixture. 



Bowmont, and our agriculture never can be restored to a sound 

 condition unless the principles carried out there — principles the 

 soundness of which are admitted all the -world over — are 

 universally adopted in these islands. 



Professok BAEiras, Teinity College, Dublin, writes : — 

 "I have been using Kidney Vetch, Burnet, and Chicory in 

 my laying-down mixtui'es for several years, and have not found 

 either of the two former to be very deep -rooted. Kidney Vetch 

 always did very well with me for the first year, but failed com- 

 pletely afterwards ; and I have no doubt but that it will not 

 last on a soil deficient in lime, as mine is. I have therefore 

 given up using it. I have observed that in this coimtry it 

 never grows naturally except on Umestone soils, and on such 

 I would certainly recommend its use. In many of Mr. Elliot's 

 fields it looked very thin after the first year. As to Burnet, 

 sheep are very fond of it, and eat it so closely that it never gets 

 a chance of growing to any size, and therefore makes but little 

 show in the herbage. Chicory is a very deep-rooted plant, and 

 does well whether the soil be deficient in lime or not, and I use 

 it extensively. I am using at present the following seed 

 mixture for one year's meadow and two years' pasture : — 



Total, 40 lbs. per acre. 



My soil is a gravelly loam, about 10 inches deep and very 

 dry. On stronger and moister land I woidd certainly include 

 Meadow Foxtail in the mixture. I have a very high opinion as 

 to the value and necessity of humus, but I think that where a 

 soil is deficient in mineral ingredients, a moderate a,ppliGation of 

 suitable artificials wiU expedite the production of the clovers and 

 grasses, and therefore increase the quantity of humus in a 

 shorter time than would otherwise be the case." 



