1920.] The Improvement of Moorland Pasture. 611 



moving over the moor; special attention is given to this prac- 

 tice, as it results in the whole moor being better grazed and 

 consequently improved. 



The following plan of management is to be adopted on the 

 latter farm: — 



(1) About 50 acres mown annually for hay will receive, 

 if possible, a dressing of 10 tons of dung per acre every 

 fourth year, with about 7 cwt. per acre of high grade basic 

 slag (or the equivalent quantity of lower grade) every 

 fourth year. Such combination of slag and dung for 

 meadow land has been most successful at Cockle Park, 

 and it is certain to be so on moorland farms. The quan- 

 tity of hay should be increased, the nutritive value 

 improved, and the autumn and winter grazing should be 

 of a much more valuable character. 



(2) About 7 cwt. per acre of high grade basic slag (or 

 the equivalent of low grade) will be applied every fourth 

 year on all the enclosed pasture land on this farm (except 

 the poorer and more mossy pasture) . 



Grazing with both Cattle and Sheey. — Sheep reject herbage 

 of a benty character and graze only the fine bottom herbage, 

 which they bite very closely, so that pasture grazed with sheep 

 alone becomes rough and benty. Cattle graze more evenly 

 and not so closely, and their heavier treading is also a great 

 advantage. At Cockle Park pastures treated similarly in other 

 respects produced live weight gains of 200 lb. per acre per 

 annum w T hen grazed with a mixed stock of cattle and sheep, 

 and only about 100 lb. when grazed with sheep alone. 



Grazing by cattle is further beneficial in that it does much 

 to prevent the accumulation of dead and matted organic matter 

 on the surface. Such matter makes improvement especially 

 difficult on much moorland, because basic slag in such cases 

 has no chance to penetrate to the soil underneath. 



It is therefore of great importance that more cattle should 

 be kept on moorland farms. 



High Grade Basic Slag and Mineral Phosphates for Moor- 

 land. — The difficulty of access to moorland increases the cost 

 of conveying manures for application, so that the highest grade 

 manures obtainable should be used. Professor Gilchrist made 

 a strong plea for the reservation of a certain proportion of our 

 highest grades of basic slag for moorland improvement. He 

 also referred to the phosphatic deposits of the Island of Nauru, 

 surrendered by Germany, which are said to be capable of pro- 



