and Permanent Pasture. 
79 
eyes in what a remarkable degree tlie growtli of true grasses, 
especially tlio coarser kinds, is encouraged by nitrogenous fer- 
tilisers, and having also noticed the changes which a mixture of 
salts of potash and superphosphate produces on permanent pasture 
in the relative proportions of leguminous plants and true grasses, 
I was quite prepared for similar changes in the produce of the 
Escrick experiments. But the differences in the quality of the 
produce of some of the experimental plots at Escrick Park 
were more striking than any which I had previously witnessed at 
Kothamsted Park or anywhere else. 
The Italian rye-grass on plot 9 I found at harvest-time, as Jlr. 
Hull truly observes, so exceedingly coarse, that it appeared 
scarcely better than good oat-straw, and very few clover-plants 
could be seen. Again, the effect which muriate of potash, and 
in a still higher degree a mixture of muriate of potash and super- 
phosphate produced on the clover-plant, was truly magical. 
I never before witnessed anything so striking and instructive 
as these experiments on artificial grasses. There must, of course, 
be a good reason why in this instance the quality as well as the 
quantity of the grass-crop were so much more powerfully affected 
by the different manures than I found to be the case in other 
experimental trials. We know that the character of the soil 
materially affects the quality and the weight of the crops we raise 
upon different classes of soil. It is, therefore, natural to connect 
the remarkable results obtained in the Escrick Park experiments 
with the peculiar character of the soil on the experimental field. 
I have, therefore, taken care to obtain a fair average sample from 
the field on which the grass-experiments were tried, and after 
drying the sample at 212° Fahr., I submitted it to a careful 
analysis, according to which the composition of the soil may be 
represented as follows : — 
Composition of the Soil of the Field at Escriclc Parh Home Farm, on 
lohicli the Experiments upon Clover-seeds trere tried. 
Oi'ganic matter and loss on heating 4'28 
Oxide of iron "Gl 
Alumina 2-lG 
Carbonate of lime "SO 
Sulphate of lime "25 
Carbonate of magnesia •23 
Potash -14 
Soda -05 
Phosphoric acid '08 
Insoluble siliceous matter (sand) Ol'Bl 
100-00 
Even a superficial inspection will show at once that this is an 
extremely poor and very light sandy soil. Mr. Coleman moreover 
