Manuring of Essex Pastures. 



345 



At Burnham, the sub-soil is river gravel, and the general 

 design is similar to that at Birch. The results indicate, that 

 a mixture of rye-grass, cocksfoot, timothy, foxtail, and 

 meadow fescue, with leguminous seeds, forms a suitable 

 mixture for laying this class of land down to grass ; that to 

 get a good bottom of grass quickly the herbage should be 

 grazed, not mown for hay, but that by doing so twitch is 

 encouraged, while some of the sown grasses more quickly 

 disappear ; and that the best means of increasing the fertility 

 of the soil, so far as nitrogen is concerned, is to teed the stock 

 liberally. 



The other experiments relate to the best manurial 

 treatment of grass land in general. Three fields were placed 

 under experiment at as many centres during the winter of 

 1895-6, and three other trials were commenced subsequently. 

 Each experiment was planned on the same lines, the principle 

 adopted being the annual application of small quantities of 

 the chief artificial manures. Lime, where used, was applied 

 at the commencement of the trial, and dung has been given 

 every alternate year. Another experiment, started in 

 1900-01, at Hedingham, relates to the improvement of 

 grass land for feeding ; it is in connection with similar 

 experiments conducted in other counties under the auspices 

 of the Agricultural Department of Cambridge University. 

 Apart from this last centre, the pastures which it is hoped to 

 improve may be divided into three categories, viz., old grass 

 land, new grass land, and the so-called derelict grass land. 

 There are, however, some strongly marked results which hold 

 good for all the experiments, and which may be summarised 

 before considering the manurial and other effects on the 

 particular class of pasture. 



Generally, the application of phosphates proved practically 

 essential in Essex to quality and quantity of herbage, on 

 both new and old g'rass land. Of the two common phosphatic 

 manures, basic slag usually proved the most successful, and 

 for old pasture no other manure seemed necessary. With 

 regard to new grass land, feeding was found to be much 

 more advantageous than mowing the herbage, and better 

 results were obtained by feeding with cake than by applying 



