of Manures Applied to Pasture. 



57 



Summary of Results. 



1. Cake of various sorts was fed to sheep on pasture at 

 ii centres, and in no instance was the outlay on the cake 

 recovered in the increased mutton produced by the sheep in 

 the season when the cake was consumed. 



2. In the latter part of the grazing season sheep getting 

 liberal allowances of cake did not increase in weight to a 

 greater extent than those getting no cake, but which were 

 grazing pasture improved by liberal dressings of basic slag. 



3. The residual values of cake were occasionally higher 

 than is usually estimated, but, in comparison with basic slag, 

 cake-residues had a poor ameliorative effect on the pasture. 



4. Even when both direct and indirect effects of cake are 

 taken into account, the original outlay was not recovered 

 at two of the three main stations. This result was confirmed 

 at such of the minor stations as were concerned with this 

 problem. 



5. It would appear to be bad practice to feed cake on 

 pasture containing much clover, as the nitrogen in the cake 

 residues has a tendency to repress the clovers by stimulating 

 the non-leguminous plants. 



6. Common burned lime, used alone at the rate of four tons 

 per acre, has proved very ineffective ; but smaller dressings 

 of ground lime, when added to a phosphatic dressing, have 

 sometimes been justified. 



7. Basic slag applied as a single dressing at the rate of 

 half a ton per acre, has generally proved a most effective 

 agent in improving the feeding value of pasture, and its 

 effects are not nearly exhausted at the end of nine years. 



8. It has proved much more profitable to apply a heavy 

 dose of basic slag as a .single dressing, than to divide it into 

 two equal portions and apply these with a three years 

 interval. 



9. A repeated dressing of basic slag has, however, had a 

 marked effect in some cases, and the productiveness of slagged 

 pastures that are showing signs of exhaustion can be rapidly 

 improved in this way. The action of a repeated dressing 

 appears to be more rapid in many cases than the action of 

 the first dose. 



