Improvement  of  Old  Pasture. 
323 
to  try  and  find  a reason  why  in  that  case  lime  proved  the  one 
remedy,  while  basic  slag  or  kainit  failed  to  tell  except  when 
lime  was  applied;  whereas  here,  at  Latimer,  though  liming 
undoubtedly  told,  yet  basic'  slag  and  kainit  proved  quite 
effecUaal  without  it.  The  soil  at  Limber  was  decidedly  the 
lighter  in  character,  being  a light  loam,  whereas  at  Latimer  it 
was  clay  loam ; it  had  less  lime  (0T7  per  cent,  only  as  against 
0'30  per  cent,  at  Latimer),  but  it  had  more  phosphoric  acid 
(0'20  per  cent,  as  against  0'12  per  cent,  at  Latimer).  From 
such  considerations  one  might  conclude  that  the  Limber  soil 
would  require  lime  the  more,  but  be  less  dependent  than  the 
Latimer  soil  on  phosphoric  acid.  Also,  the  heavier  character 
of  the  Latimer  soil  would  tell  in  favour  of  l)asic  slag.  As 
regards  the  benefit  of  kainit,  the  experiments  were  not  con- 
clusive on  this  point,  for  neither  soil  showed  on  analysis  a 
deficiency  of  potash,  and  it  was  not  clear  to  us  that  kainit 
was  required  at  either  site.  Basic  slag  was  used  alone  at 
Latimer  at  first,  and  did  practically  as  well  as  superphosphate 
with  2 cwt.  kainit  per  acre.  The  occupier,  however,  gave  a 
dressing  of  4 cwt.  of  kainit  per  acre  all  over  the  field,  as  the 
outcome  of  what  he  had  noticed  elsewhere. 
County  Locality  Formation 
10.  Bucks  Latimer  (Field  No.  20.58)  Clay  loam  on  chalk 
This  field  has  been  down  thirty-seven  years  in  grass  ; the 
herbage  was  poorer  than  in  Broadfield,  and  clover  was  almost 
absent.  Hard  fescue,  bent  grass,  brome  grass,  and  quaking 
grass  were  abundant.  The  soil  differs  from  that  of  Broadfield 
by  being  much  richer  in  lime  (O'lU  per  cent.),  the  chalk  here 
coming  much  nearer  the  surface ; consequently  it  was  not 
expected  that  lime  would  tlo  much  good.  It  had,  however,  the 
effect  of  encouraging  a more  palatable  herbage,  but  did  not 
largely  increase  the  amount  of  clover.  Pond  mud,  as  also 
farmj'ard  manure,  failed,  as  on  Broadfield,  to  do  any  good, 
but  basic  slag  again  was  decidedly  beneficial.  Kainit  was 
tried  here,  both  with  basic  slag  and  with  superphosphate,  but 
its  influence  was  not  clearly  marked,  the  i)lot  with  basic  slag 
alone  (6  cwt.  per  acre)  being  quite  as  good.  The  soil  here,  as 
on  Broadfield,  has  a fail’  pi-oportion  of  potash  (0’3‘.l  per  cent.). 
County  Locality  Formation 
11.  Hampshire  Basingstoke  (VVooclgarston)  Clay  loam  on  chalk 
The  site  is.  a field  that  has  been  now  nearly  twenty  years 
under  grass.  The  soil  is  a heavy  clay  loam  with  interspersed 
flints,  the  subsoil  a heavy  reddish-yellow  clay.  It  has  abundant 
lime,  but  is  deficient  in  phosphoric  acid  (O’lO  per  cent.).  The 
herbage  was  cocksfoot  and  dogstail  principally,  with  some 
clover,  and  patches  of  brome  grass.  Farmyard  manure,  basic 
slag  (8  cwt.  per  acre),  dissolved  bones,  superphosphate  with 
Y 2 
