Basic Slag on Clay Land. 



futility of applying basic slag to soils of a certain character. 

 The clay of the lower field here gives place to a capping of 

 sand upon the bottom rock, and consequently the soil loses its 

 stiff, impervious character, and the results of the basic slag 

 have here been almost nil. From this particular case, and 

 also from others, it seems that special attention should be 

 given to the nature of the sub-soil in deciding upon the 

 advisability or otherwise of applying basic slag in a particular 

 locality, and also in judging the comparative effects of the 

 manure in different localities. It may frequently happen 

 that in two contiguous fields the top-soil in the one case may 

 have so thinned out as to bring the sub-soil (which is often, 

 as in this case, the equivalent of the bottom-rockl nearer or 

 close to the surface, and thus to alter materially the character 

 and behaviour of the soil in reference to the action of the 

 manure. 



Stockbridge. — On this farm four separate experiments have 

 been tried — -two upon the Oxford clay, and two on the stiff, 

 cold clay above the forest marble. The results have in all 

 cases been very marked. One of the plots situated upon the 

 Oxford clay afforded a very instructive example of the 

 capabilities possessed by basic slag for improving poor soils 

 of this character. The field in question, though on a gentle 

 slope, and artificially drained, is normally wet, and after a 

 few hours' rain is little better than a bog. The herbage is 

 very scanty, the grasses consisting chiefly of fiorin and York- 

 shire fog. With these are abundantly associated carnation - 

 grass, field wood- rush, common rush, marsh cudweed, and 

 buttercup. Moss is also exceedingly prevalent. Clovers are 

 only sparsely represented. The field is one which has been 

 allowed to go to grass, no seeds whatever having been sown 

 upon it. 



The effects of the dressing of basic slag are chiefly notice- 

 able in the production of a good plant of clover, and the 

 complete elimination of the carnation-grass, rush, and moss, 

 wdth a marked reduction in the quantity of buttercup. The 

 difference between the manured plot and the portion of the field 

 adjoining it could be detected directly one stepped from the 



one to the other. The fiorin-grass and Yorkshire fog have 



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