Manurial Experiments ox Pasture. 441 



Basingstoke, on ''Bower's Meadow." This is an old 

 pasture, the soil being a clay loam of consider- 

 able depth ; the subsoil is clay, varying from six to 

 twelve feet in depth, resting on chalk. The pasture was 

 rough and benty to begin with, and was producing a con- 

 siderable amount of herbage of an inferior character. The 

 plots are each T V acre in area. The experiments were com- 

 menced in 1896, and in that year all the manures were applied 

 during the first week in April, after all the plots had been 

 well harrowed with heavy toothed chain harrows. In Jan- 

 uary, 1897, the upper half of each plot was manured in the 

 same way as in 1896, the nitrate of soda not being applied 

 till early in April. In 1 898 no manures were applied, but 

 the upper half of each plot was manured for 1899 m ^e 

 same way as for 1897. A portion of each plot acre) was 

 fenceol off in the spring of 1897, and the results on these 

 portions for 1897 and 1898 are shown in the following tables. 

 As no portion of the plots was mown in 1 896, the results for 

 that year cannot be shown. The plots were grazed along 

 with the field in 1896, and the unfenced portions were again 

 similarly grazed in 1897, 1898, and 1899. The aftermath, or 

 second cut of grass, on the mown portions of the plots, has 

 been regularly grazed. 



In the spring of 1897 the pasture was very rough and 

 covered with coarse herbage, which considerably decreased 

 its grazing value ; the plots were then harrowed with heavy 

 toothed chain harrows, and the portion of the field so 

 harrowed is now a very much better pasture. 



The first table below shows the striking effects of the 

 different manures in the fourth season after their application. 

 Superphosphate now gives very little increase over the 

 unmanured plot ; basic slag still gives a considerable increase, 

 and so does basic slag with sulphate of potash. In the last 

 two cases the quality of the pasture is still greatly superior, 

 the herbage being much closer and sweeter at the bottom, 

 with more clover plants present ; where nitrate of soda was 

 added to basic slag and sulphate of potash in 1897 the 

 weight of the herbage is now less than on plot 4 and the 

 quality is not so good. 



The second table shows the effects of three dressings of 



