650 
Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 
These experiments of Mr, Lawes's appeared therefore, to him fully 
to bear out the fact that in order to ameliorate poor grasses and place 
the richer grasses in a majority, the best and cheapest course was to 
apply to the land different kinds of manure. 
He left it to the chemist to saj^ what kinds of manure were re- 
quired in each particular case ; but he would assume it to be a posi- 
tive fact that, aided by a combination of chemical with botanical 
loiowledgc, they would be enabled within a very short time to predi- 
cate fi'om the appearance of pastures not only in what grass lands 
were deficient, but also what kinds of substances were required in 
order to remedy that deficiency. He had some floating notions in liis 
mind that such would be the case before the preceding day, but what 
he then saw had completely convinced him. Perhaps the whole of 
the land umnanured would yield a ton per acre ; but on some of 
manured plots, and' they were placed side by side, so that there 
was no difficulty in judging, the produce was as much as three tons 
per acre. The change which had taken place as the result of the 
manuring, both in the quantity and the quality of the herbage, was 
enormous during his visit. 
The question arose in his mind whether such an enormous amount 
of j'-roduce could be got for the hay-rick, the feeding qualities of the 
grass being undoubted. From M'hat he saw of the plots which were 
so highly manm-ed, he concluded that they afforded what he should call 
an exceedingly strong hay ; hay which had, to use an expression 
common to ' farmers, a very great amoimt of proof in it — hay which, 
while it would support growing stock and assist them to grow, would 
add rapidly to the muscle, and so forth. He should state, however, that 
there appeared to be an absence in these grasses of what would be 
termed fettening materials. It was posKiblc, he thought, so to manage 
manures as to make a great change, not -only in the species and quality 
of grasses, but also in the quantity of the produce. So also they might 
be enabled to decide the question whether it were well to employ 
grass land always for grazing or always for making hay. Probably Pro- 
fessor Voelcker would some day be enabled to show that the plan 
which would yield the greatest amount of produce was sometimes to 
take hay, but not to take it so constantly as had been done in the. 
experimental meadow. He could almost wish that for the i)urpose of 
the experiments part of the meadow had been mown, and tlie^ rest 
depastured occasionally, in order that they might see what change 
would take place through the depastm-ing, and what difference of 
quality resulted from a mixed course of hay aiid pasture. 
Mr. WiiEX HosKYNS said. That Avith regard to grass it should be 
always borne in mind that it was a crop which was perpetually 
growing in the same soil ; that there was only one layer of earth 
below it ; and that that had to furnish every year, either for the 
scythe or for the pastm-iug of cattle, a crop which never received any 
cliango like that which arable crops received from the use of the. 
plough, the inversion of the soil, or the addition of fresh soil from 
below. Consequently, in applying manure to grass laud, he had 
always derived the greatest benefit from mixing manure with a large 
