Report on Laying down Land to Permanent Pasture. 505 
he consumption of artificial food on the ground by the grazing 
itock will be sufficient to secure a gradual improvement of the 
^rass. If a more rapid improvement is desired, an occasional 
op-dressing with artificial manures, alternating with bones, lime, 
ompost, or farmyard-manure, should be applied. At all times 
t is to be presumed that manuring grass land with suitable 
substances will repay the outlay. There is little danger of 
jeing too liberal in this respect, although some grass land will 
\ ield a fair profit by grazing alone, and the inducement to give 
it additional manure is not so great. Corn crops may be too 
jeavily manured, leading in moist seasons to a great yield of 
straw at the expense of quality of grain. Barley or wheat may 
be too bulky and get laid, when the grain does not properly 
ipen, and the difficulty and expense of harvesting the crop are 
considerably increased. But grass being consumed in the blade, 
ind before it is ripened, cannot well grow too luxuriantly. 
Cateris paribus, the outlay in manuring grass is a safer invest- 
nent than in the case of corn. 
The great value of farmyard-manure as an application to 
jrass land, both young and old, appears to be admitted by all. 
There is no difference of opinion on this matter. Whilst abun- 
lant corn-crops can be raised by artificial manures alone for a 
series of years, grass appears to require for its highest develop- 
nent occasional dressings of farmyard-manure. This was 
lointed out by Mr. Lawes, many years ago, in this ' Journal.'* 
The soil under grass has not the same chance of getting its mineral 
constituents liberated as when cultivated for corn, and these are 
ikely to become practically exhausted by the forcing process of 
requent applications of nitrogenous manures, especially if the 
land is mown for hay. The permanent condition of grass land 
:s most improved by farmyard-manure and the consumption of 
irtificial food on the ground. Although, however, the continual 
ise of nitrogenous and phosphatic manures is likely to diminish 
argely the available alkalies, alkaline earths, and silica in the 
soil when the grass is annually mown, the same amount of loss 
loes not accrue when it is grazed^ The more active and forcing 
nanures, creating a more luxuriant growth, will enable a larger 
quantity of stock to be kept upon it ; and if these, at the same 
ime, are properly supplied with artificial food, there will be 
I rapid direct improvement of the pasture. The interesting 
Rothamsted experiments showed that nitrogenous manures in- 
creased largely the graminaceous plants (natural grasses), and 
nineral manures the leguminous (perennial red clover, &c.) ; 
vhilst farmyard-manure gave " a more complex and generally 
superior character of herbage." And the conclusions drawn 
* Vols. xix. and xxiv. 
VOL. XI.— S. S. 
