94 
The Affricultwe of Pembrokeshire. 
duces much fertility ; it neutralises and so renders harmless 
numerous acids and other substances which are formed in the 
various processes of growth and decay in the soil ; again, it 
forms compounds essential to plant growth, and it probably 
aids in the evolution of nitrogen, and also, as was pointed out 
by Dean Buckland a long time ago, of phosphoric acid from 
soils containing it. Very often one hears the remark, that 
superphosphates — bone or mineral — had a more beneficial 
effect when first used, than in recent years ; possibly the fact 
that most of the land contained plenty of lime, had more to do 
with the early success than any variation in the quality of the 
superphosphates. 
Sir J. B. Lawes has shown what different effects result from 
using different manures on pasture land, how with some the 
rank growing grasses will be stimulated so as to choke almost 
all others ; and again, that other manures encourage the growth 
of the more valuable grasses and clovers. Every farmer in this 
county should study these results, as he would then understand 
how a soil constantly losing — as the soil of this county loses 
— its most valuable constituents, is unequal to the growth of the 
most valuable herbage. 
The value of the growth in a pasture depends on its feeding 
qualities, therefore those grasses and clovers which contain the 
largest proportion of the constituents which go to form bone, 
muscle, and milk, are the most valuable. To expect these to 
thrive in soil already exhausted of these elements is of course 
useless. As to the course which the writer would suggest, it 
would depend a good deal on the nature of the soil. If the 
soil is deficient in lime and the clovers want stimulating, or the 
daisy, mosses, and such like are abundant, an occasional liming 
in moderate quantity would be advisable. Of other manures, 
it is assumed that the farmer requires all the dung for roots, 
otherwise this is doubtless the best ; then dissolved bones would 
cost about 6Z. 10s. per ton, which might be considered too dear. 
Therefore we look in another direction for the phosphoric acid, 
nitrogen, and saline constituents — chiefly potash — which are 
required. Possibly a mixture of 15 cwt. mineral superphosphate, 
costing 3/., with 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, costing 125., and 
4 cwt. of kainit, costing 13.f., or a total cost of 4/. 5^., would be 
a ton of manure suitable. These prices are the extreme local 
value. 
Management and Feeding of Cattle. — The next point that 
occurs to one is the management and sort of food supplied to 
the young and mature cattle and sheep. In considering this 
we have excellent guides in the customs of those who excel in 
rearing the best cattle and sheep in the county. 
