212 



Farm Animals in United States. 



benefited to a large extent by the manure, and the bottom- 

 growth, as compared with that of the rest of the field, is 

 excellent. The fact that the normal herbage of the field does 

 not include any grasses of good quality is sufficient to 

 account for their absence from the manured plot. 



The clovers specially stimulated by the basic slag were red 

 and white clovers (especially the latter), and yellow suckling. 

 Except in one instance it did not appear that the basic slag 

 had promoted the growth of the grasses to an equal extent 

 with the clovers, but rather that it had supplied the necessary 

 stimulus which was lacking in order to enable the clover 

 plant to displace the worthless weeds of the pasture, and thus 

 to convert a portion of the poor clay pasturage, characterised 

 by thin, wiry, and weedy herbage, into a comparatively rich 

 feeding ground. 



Experiments, of a more or less similar character to the 

 above, in the application of basic slag to grass land have also 

 been carried out in different parts of the country by some of 

 the Agricultural Colleges receiving grants from the Board of 

 Agriculture. Particulars of the results of these experiments 

 will be found in the Report upon the Distribution of Grants 

 for Agricultural Education and Research for 1897-98. 

 (C. 9,061.) 



Farm Animals in the United States. 



The statistics of the number and value of the farm animals in 

 the United States on the ist January, 1898, are given in the 

 Year Book of the Department of Agriculture. The numbers of 

 horses, cows, other cattle, and swine, which have been 

 decreasing for some years past, show a further diminution. 

 The average value, however, of all classes of farm animals 

 was higher in 1898 than in the preceding year. The number 

 of cattle, other than milch cows, in the United States was 

 returned at 29,264,197. The number is lower than in any 

 year since 1884, and is nearly eight and a half millions below 

 the return of 1892, when 37,651,239 cattle were reported. 

 The average value per head on the farm was estimated at 

 87s., as compared with 69s. in 1897 ; the farm price has not. 



