19-21.] 



Improvement of Grass Land. 



1057 



improve the quality of the herbage and maintain or even improve 

 the quantity (where desired) would be most useful. There are 

 cases where it has been found possible to widen the " panes " 

 in water meadows without any ill-effect. Other farmers have 

 found it profitable to go farther, to abandon the method of 

 manuring solely by means of well-regulated flooding, and to rely 

 upon the use of artificial manures, especially basic slag. 



In other cases, farmyard manure is chiefly or altogether relied 

 upon. Farmyard manure is undoubtedly a good manure for 

 mown meadows, but it is not usually produced in sufficient 

 ■ quantity for extensive use. Where it is continuously used alone, 

 also, the quantity of hay obtained may be right, but the quality 

 is not always of the best. 



In experiments carried out by the University of Leeds it was 

 found that, over a period of 21 years, 6 tons of farmyard manure 

 ard a complete " artificial " manuring, consisting of 1J cwt. of 

 nitrate of soda, 2 cwt. of superphosphate, and 3 cwt. of kainit, 

 applied in alternate years, gave practically the same results as 

 6 tons of farmyard manure applied annually, and that in addition 

 the quality of the hay was greatly improved. The quantity pro- 

 duced as a result of the application of manure was almost double 

 that on similar unmanured land. 



In experiments on meadow hay on the College Farm, Aberyst- 

 wyth, the use of farmyard manure and basic slag in alternate 

 years gave excellent results both as regards quality and quantity. 



Manuring of u Seedis 99 or notation Hay. — The improve- 

 ment which can be effected by manuring " seeds " or rotation 

 h )v is well shown by the results obtained at Cockle Park, 

 Northumberland. The seed mixtures used in these experiments 

 were more elaborate than is usually the case where a field is laid 

 •down to a one-year ley, but the figures given below indicate the 

 marked difference made, even in the first year's hay crop, by 

 "proper manuring. 



Hay Crop. 



Plot 1. 10 cwt. Basic Slag per acre ... ... 39| cwt. per acre. 



„ 2. 10 tons Far. nyard Manure 28 „ „ 



o (10 „ „ „ and) oo 



" * ( 10 cwt. Basic Slag \ "' 55 



„ 4. No Manure 6J ., „ „ 



The manures were applied in November after the corn crop 

 had been harvested. 



It will be seen that there was a very great advantage in apply- 

 ing manures to the " seeds." Farmyard manure gave very 

 good results when used alone, but was not nearly so effective; 



