Management of Grass Land. 
177 
Having arrived at the point that neither nitrogen nor phos- 
phoric acid alone was to be recommended, I tried them in 
combination with good results ; but there was still something 
wanting to give the agriculturist complete command over the 
growth of herbage suited to his wants, and the next substance I 
thought likely to be of u e was potash. It was suggested by the 
luxuriance of the vegetation produced wherever vegetable matters 
had been burnt, and the strength of the clover-plant where kelp, 
wood-ashes, or other manure containing potash had been applied. 
After several minor experiments with encouraging results, in 
1867 1 took in hand a field which was notoriously clover-sick, 
and where it was important to have a good plant of young seeds 
for sheep-feed, and the top-dressing specified above was specially 
compounded to meet the case. The result was a magnificent 
crop of clovers and trefoil, which carried ten head of ewes and 
lambs per acre through the very dry season 1868. This success 
encouraged me to try it largely the following year, and after five 
years' trial, on strong clay as well as on light land, on newly-laid 
grass and on old inferior pasture, I have had no instance of even 
partial failure. In the extraordinarily dry season of 1 870, my 
seeds carried a full stock of sheep without the slightest appear- 
ance of giving way, and some old pastures so treated were full 
of clover and vetches, although previously conspicuous for ihe 
absence of the whole trifolium family. I will give one more 
instance, which was striking in its way. In the autumn of 1868 
I applied the top-dressing to 40 acres of very bad old grass on 
strong clay. It had been mown frequently, but rarely manured, 
and the herbage was dry and coarse. The effect was remarkable. 
White clover, trefoil, and vetches, sprang up in abundance in the 
following spring, and both hay and aftermath were greedily eaten 
by all kinds of stock. In 1871 I gave this land a dressing of 
40 bushels of soot per acre. Within three months the clover 
and trefoil had disappeared as if by magic. The crop of grass 
was a heavy one but coarse, and the hay, thougb well got, 
met with a very doubtful reception even from the milch cows, 
although, as is well known, milking cattle accept gratefully any 
amount of hay of any kind, unless mouldy or mow-burnt. 
In 1858 I recommended that newly-laid grass should be mown 
the first season. I was well aware that, by so doing, not only 
was the condition of the land much reduced, but by allowing the 
stronger grasses to attain their full growth the first year, a tufty, 
irregular surface was given to the pasture, and the formation of 
the close even turf, which is so great a desideratum, was much 
retarded. Grazing with sheep was, however, so injurious to the 
clovers and finer grasses, that I considered mowing the lesser evil 
of the two. When, in 1858, I found that I had obtained the clue 
VOL. VIII.— S. S. N 
