250 Report of Experiments with different Manures 
deal of leafy feed in the spring. It is said to rejiroduce rapidly 
after cutting. Its taste is rather bitter, but it is not disliked by 
cattle. It does not grow abundantly except upon poor soils, and 
is upon the whole of somewhat questionable value; it is, how- 
ever, much grown in France. Its time of flowering is May. 
Tliis grass (in culm, &c.) stood third in amount on the un- 
manured land ; it there constituted, however, only 6 per cent, of 
the total produce. Purely mineral manures raised its proportion 
to 9 per cent. Ammoniacal salts, on the other hand, whether 
alone or in admixture with the mineral manures, seemed adverse 
to its predominance. Its proportion with such manures (see 
Plots 4, 10, and 13) Avas less than on the unmanured land. With 
farmyard manure, as with mineral manures, the proportion of 
the Oat-like grass was, as already alluded to, considerably in- 
creased. In fact, when the farmyard manure was used alone, 
the proportion of this grass in the total produce was more than 
double ; and when with the addition of ammoniacal salts, about 
three times as great as It was on the unmanured plot. 
The general conclusion to be drawn regarding the relative 
development of this grass, when grown in a mixed herbage, would 
seem to be, that, with high artificial manuring of the kind 
that meadow-land is most likely to receive, it would not by 
such means alone be increased, but more probably diminished 
in its proportion in the total produce. But when farmyard 
manure is liberally used, or the soil is comparatively rich in 
mineral constituents, its development would appear to be en- 
couraged. The result may be due, either to the special adapta- 
tion of rich mineral manuring to the luxuriant development of 
this grass, or to the fact that, with highly nitrogenous manures, 
its growtli Is somewhat checked by the greater luxuriance of the 
freer-growing grasses. 
4. — Antlioxanthum odoratum — Stceet-scented Vernal Grass. 
It Is to the presence of this grass that the peculiar fragrance 
of newly-made hay is due. Its foliage Is broad and coarse, but 
the plant Is a scanty grower, though most luxuriant on wet soils. 
It is not relished by cattle, but is not objected to In small pro- 
portion ; it is said to be best adapted for sheep. Upon the 
whole this grass takes rank somewhat low in the scale of the 
l)etter grasses for permanent purposes. It flowers early, namely, 
in April and May. 
Our separations showed 5i per cent, of the Sweet-scented Vernal- 
grass (in culm), in the produce of the unmanured land. There 
was only one other instance — namely, that where mineral manures 
were used alone — In which the proportion amounted to 1 per 
