i9ii.] 



Moor Cultivation in Germany. 



icoi 



mended is that of draining and manuring, and extensive 

 investigations have been carried out by various Experiment 

 Stations to ascertain the most rational system of cultivation. 



Although moors may be made suitable for crops, they can 

 with advantage be converted into meadows. In addition to 

 draining and the formation of a bed for the germination of 

 mixed grasses by careful preparation of the soil, great care 

 must be taken to supply the soil plentifully with plant food. 

 For upland moors which are poor in chalk-a dressing of lime 

 is given, as this stimulates decomposition and the neutralisa- 

 tion of acids, &c. For one acre of upland moor about 32 cwt. 

 of slaked lime or 48 cwt. of lime marl would be sufficient. 

 Also loam, clay, and sand marl may be used with advantage. 

 The effect of the lime in these different forms depends to a 

 large extent upon the even mixing with the soil. 



For lowland moors which already contain a large per- 

 centage of lime, no manuring with lime is necessary. If it 

 has sometimes been used with advantage, the reason is that 

 it has had a neutralising effect on sour and insufficiently 

 drained moors. 



Lime should be used in conjunction with potash salts and 

 phosphates. As the moor soil is, as a rule, wanting in 

 potash and phosphoric acid, it is recommended both in the 

 preparation of the soil for meadows and also for some years 

 afterwards, that a somewhat large quantity of these manures 

 should be employed, as, for example, about 8 cwt. to 9 J cwt. 

 kainit or 2 J cwt. to 3 cwt. potash salt (40 per cent. K 2 0) and 

 about 5 cwt. to 6J cwt. basic slag to the acre. The object of 

 this is to accumulate a store of plant food in the soil, as well 

 as to replace the fertilising elements removed by the growing 

 crops. 



As the use of moors as meadows is not nearly so exhausting 

 as the growing of hay, the soil in the former case requires 

 much less manure. But where dairy cattle are kept and milk 

 is sold, the fertilising constituents removed from the soil 

 are much greater than where cattle are kept for fattening. 



When the moor soil has received a somewhat excessive 

 manuring and a residue of fertilising material has been 

 collected, 2J cwt. to si cwt. kainit and ij cwt. to if cwt. 



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