1921.] The Condition of Permanent Meadows. 209 



country as a whole, the weed coiUiibiition to the hay on the 

 unnianured plots is about 8 per cent.* 



The above brief review has taken no account of Yorkshire 

 Fog and Soft Brome — grasses which should certainly be 

 regarded as weeds on most classes of meadow land. Both are 

 grasses which ripen their seed early; w^hen the hay is cut 

 they are usually over ripe and will have shed most of their 

 seed, and will, therefore, not contribute their full quota to 

 the hay crop, but they will, by their vigorous growth, have 

 hampered the -development of other and later maturing grasses. 

 Apart altogether from any question of their nutritive value, 

 therefore, they can hardly be regarded as satisfactory meadow 

 grasses. Both species frequently make an individual contribu- 

 tion of up to and over 50 per cent, to the hay of poor meadows, 

 and contribute largely to that from first rate fields.! 



The average weediness of meadows is chiefly due to the 

 following causes: — 



1. The complete withholding of manures. 



'2. Excessive manuring wdth farmyard manure. 



3. Late cutting of hay. 



4. Using fields as meadows for excessive periods. 



The effect of farmyard manure in comparison with dressings 

 of complete artificials, including sulphate of ammonia, is 

 shown by reference to Table I. 



It is apparent that farmyard manure alone and continually 

 applied tends to make for a weedy hay, and that ammonium 

 sulphate included in a complete artificial dressing tends largely 

 to decrease weeds, even in the year of application (see Tarlton, 

 Cricklade and Dry Leaze in the table). Farmyard manure 

 is, however, in many districts practically the only manure 

 applied to permanent meadows, and this largely accounts for 

 the very weedy state of the great proportion of the meadow 

 land in this country. This is well seen in Lancashire, where 

 dung is liberally applied to the meadows which, as before 

 shown, tend to be overrun with Sorrel and Dandelion and also 

 contain an excess of Yorkf^hire Fog. Improvement in condition 

 would follow if complete artificials were frequently used 

 instead of dung. In many districts good results have followed 

 the alternate use of duncf and basic. slag. 



(/onntv of NortlniMilioiIaiiil Auiicultural ExpcriiiR'ntiil Station, Cocklo 

 Park, Bullotin No. 1«. 



t Meadows in WaK^s have i)eon analysed, sho\vin,n- Yorkshire Fog coiitri- 

 Imtin^i: 78 per ecnt. to the hay yield. Soft Bronie has contrihiited 1.3 per cent, 

 at Garforth (Inc. at.'). Both are often ahundant in the hay from water 

 niea 'ows. 



B 



