of Manures Applied to Pasture. 



5 1 



In the series of experiments carried out by the Highland 

 Society of Scotland and the West of Scotland College of 

 Agriculture, to which reference has frequently been made, 

 the question of the effect of ground lime was not gone 

 into in as much detail as at Cockle Park, Sevington, and 

 Cransley ; but at each station there was a plot getting 9 cwt. 

 superphosphate and 10 cwt. ground lime per acre, the 

 former containing the same amount of phosphoric acid 

 (200 lbs.) as another plot receiving 10 cwt. basic slag. We 

 have, therefore, at these Scottish stations a test on the same 

 lines as those referred to in the last paragraph, the only differ- 

 ence being that the amount of ground lime used in Scotland 

 was 10 cwt. in six years, as against 30 cwt. in nine years 

 (eight at Cransley). A summary of the results is shown on 

 Table XIX., where it will be seen that on three occasions the 

 basic slag produced most live-weight increase, while on three 

 the order was reversed. But when the respective costs of 

 the two dressings are considered there is no exception to the 

 statement that the financial results of the use of basic slag are 

 much superior to those that attended the use of superphos- 

 phate plus ground lime. Thus, at Sunderland Hall, Boon, 

 Holestane and Boreland a gain from the use of basic slag 

 becomes a loss where the slag is replaced by superphosphate 

 and lime. At Naemoor both dressings have paid, but the 

 profits from the super-lime plot are only 7s. 3d. per acre, as 

 against 19s. where slag was used. At Hillridge neither 

 dressing has paid, but whereas the loss from the use of slag is 

 only us. 9d., it is 17s. 4d. on the other plot. 



Of course, the quantity of free or "ground" lime in basic 

 slag is but small, amounting, in the case of a half-ton dress- 

 ing, to not more than 2 cwt. In the experiments that have 

 just been discussed ground lime was being used at the rate 

 of 10 cwt. and 30 cwt. per acre, so that it is not to be 

 supposed that the increases in live-weight got from the free 

 lime in, say, a half-ton dressing of slag are anything like those 

 that are produced by the use of, say, half a ton of ground lime. 

 The effect of the former must be very much smaller ; but that 

 the free lime in basic slag is of value admits of no doubt, 

 though this value is quite insignificant as compared with the 

 value of the phosphatic part of the manure. 



