of Manures Applied to Pasture. 



55 



Coming now to finance : it will be seen that the use of a 

 nitrogenous manure has been well-nigh disastrous. At 

 Cockle Park it has reduced a profit of £^ 9s. gd. to one of 

 £2 7s., at Sevington a profit of £3 2s. is turned into a loss 

 of us., while at Yeldham and Downan losses from the use 

 of superphosphate, and superphosphate plus potash, respec- 

 tively, are greatly intensified. The apparent financial im- 

 provement at Cransley is, as has been pointed out, not a real 

 one, and may be disregarded. 



The use of any nitrogenous manure along with phosphate 

 on grass-land where phosphate stimulates clover to a marked 

 extent must be condemned as bad practice. No doubt the 

 nitrogenous manure- brings early verdure over the pasture, 

 and it does undoubtedly stimulate growth of grass, but the 

 herbage so grown is very deficient in feeding properties, so 

 much so, in fact, that the increased weight of food will 

 produce less meat than the smaller yield grown by phosphate 

 alone. What happens is this : the phosphate stimulates clover 

 and the grass stimulated by the nitrogen smothers it. The 

 two manures are consequently antagonistic. It is not neces- 

 sary to reproduce the monthly weighings of the sheep, these 

 may be studied for Cockle Park at p. 55 of Bulletin No. 8 

 of the Northumberland County Education Committee. But 

 it may be said that even in the early part of the season, 

 when a nitrogenous manure might be expected to be of benefit, 

 no such benefit is traceable. As will be seen from Tables 

 IV., V., VI., the sulphate of ammonia has largely increased 

 the yield of herbage, but the sheep have proved that this 

 herbage is of low feeding value. 



The Effects of Dissolved Bones. 



One plot (No. 10) was given up at Cockle Park, Sevington, 

 and Cransley to seeing how this manure compared in its 

 action with superphosphate and slag. The quantity (about 

 6 cwt. per acre) of dissolved bones given to Plot 10 in the 

 first year contained the same amount of phosphoric acid 

 (100 lbs.) as that supplied by 5 cwt. basic slag, or by 7 cwt. of 

 superphosphate. When these manures were repeated on their 

 respective plots for the fourth year, the dissolved bones were 

 also repeated, so that a strict comparison as to (a) quantity, 



