FERTILIZING MEADOWS 319 
may be used in order to encourage the growth of 
the second crop, or aftermath. For this purpose, 
an application of 150 to 300 pounds of the mixture 
per acre may be made. Experiments to determine 
the most useful quantity show that, for the spring 
top-dressing, as high as 450 pounds of a mixture 
rich in nitrate, as the one above, will pay better 
than smaller applications, although in many in- 
stances, where the areas are large, farmers are 
not prepared to provide so large an allowance. 
These top-dressings, as already pointed out, may 
be either manure or fertilizer, but they should be 
applied every year, if permanence and good crops 
are expected; and, while the proportions of the 
different grasses may change somewhat, experi- 
ence shows that the yields will be more profitable 
and will gradually increase, owing to the improved 
fertility of the land. 
Experiments at the West Virginia Experiment 
Station show that the use of manure alone, when 
applied to a soil not highly fertile, caused an 
increase in yield from less than two tons per 
acre in the first year to over five tons per acre 
in the sixth year, and with nitrate of soda alone 
to about four tons. The average for the six 
years was four tons and over, for the manure, 
and three tons and over for the nitrate. “The 
entire meadow produced hay during the six years 
of the test to the value of more than thirty-six 
