50 Influence on the Production of Mutton 



lime. Also it is to be noted that the superiority of the 

 limed plot is rather emphasised as time goes on — that is to 

 say, as more lime is given — but that in the penultimate and 

 last years, the beneficial action of lime seems to be on the 

 wane. If, as is possible at Cockle Park, the subject were 

 pursued beyond the ninth year, it would be found that this 

 waning tendency becomes still more marked. It would 

 appear, therefore, that the lime is acting rather as a liberator 

 of inert nitrogen than as a direct plant food. 



At Sevington, on the chalk, the results of the use of lime 

 are somewhat different from what they are at the other 

 stations. For the first two years after the first dose of lime 

 was given it did positive harm, but from the third to the 

 seventh years it caused the production of a considerably 

 increased amount of mutton as compared w'ith the unlimed 

 plot. Thereafter the results are of a give and take character. 

 At Sevington, therefore, as the lower part of Table XXI. 

 shows, lime has not been used to advantage, the nett gain 

 of £3 2s. on Plot 5 (without lime) being reduced to £2 os. 3d. 

 on Plot 8 (with lime). On the other hand, both at Cockle 

 Park and Cransley the lime has caused such an increase in 

 live-weight that its cost has been more than met, so that at 

 Cockle Park a nett gain of £\ 9s. 9d. (without lime) is raised 

 to one of £$ 9s. 9d. (with lime), while at Cransley a nett 

 gain of 3s. 9d. is raised to one of 32s.* One can, therefore, 

 say with some confidence that on clay soils, rather low in 

 lime, it will pay to put on a moderate amount of ground lime 

 or other form of calcium, if one is depending on superphos- 

 phate as the source of phosphoric acid. Referring to Tables 

 IV., V., and VI., it will be seen that at each of the three 

 stations under discussion the combination of 14 cwt. super- 

 phosphate and 30 cwt. ground lime (Plot 8) has produced 

 more mutton than 10 cwt. basic slag containing the same 

 amount of phosphoric acid, and applied for the same seasons 

 (Plot 4). But as the latter dressing has cost (25s.) much 

 less than the former (£3 8s. 6d.), the profits from the slag 

 have always been considerably greater. 



* This result at Cransley appears to be more favourable than it really is, seeing 

 that the plot getting no lime was prejudicially affected by flooding in 1903. 



