EXPERIMENTS OX THE MIXED HERBAGE OE PERMANENT MEADOW. 361 
same amount of nitric acid, but a fuller mineral manure, and was under experiment 
14 years before plots 19 and 20, yielded over those 14 years more produce of bay, 
containing more nitrogen, and more mineral matter, than the first crops of the succeed¬ 
ing seven years, but less than when both the first and second crops of the later period 
are taken together. Again, whichever basis of comparison be taken, plot 16 yielded, 
over the seven years, more hay, containing more of both nitrogen and mineral matter, 
than either plot 19 or 20. Plot 19 again, with the nitrate of soda and sulphate of 
potass, which, besides the difference of condition, supplied soda, and more sulphuric 
acid, yielded rather more in each particular, especially of mineral matter, than plot 20 
with the nitrate of potass. 
As on plot 16, so on plots 19 and 20, a fairly mixed herbage has been maintained. 
With only a moderate supply of nitrogen, and this in the form of nitrate, and with a 
liberal supply of potass, leguminous herbage increased on all three. The increase was, 
in each case, mainly due to the greatly increased growth of Lathyrus pratensis ; but 
on plots 19 and 20 to some increase in Trifolium repens also. The percentage of 
miscellaneous species has gone down considerably since the commencement, on plot 16 ; 
but, as yet, it has not done so on plots 19 and 20 ; and with the greatly increased 
amount of total produce since the application of the manures, there is an increase in 
the actual amount of such herbage grown per acre. On all three plots, the bulk of 
the gramineous herbage is made up of a good many species ; and on plot 16, which has 
been the longest under treatment, the mixture is greater—that is, there is less pre¬ 
dominance of individual species than on either of the other plots ; Festuca ovina, 
Agrostis vulgaris, Alopecurus pratensis, Arena favcscens, and Holcus lanatus, are 
somewhat equally represented; whilst, Poa trivialis, JDactylis glomerata, and Lolium 
perenne, each show moderate growth. On both plots, 19 and 20, Festuca ovina is 
more prominent, as also, and increasing, is Holcus lanatus. On both, Agrostis vulgaris, 
though much decreasing, is still in considerable quantity ; whilst Alopecurus pratensis, 
Arena Jlavescens and pubescens, and Poa trivialis, are each fairly represented, and 
increasing. There is, on all three plots, a pretty normal character of growth, fair 
proportion of stem, and tendency to maturation of the grasses. 
Although there is a notably smaller yield per acre of dry matter, of nitrogen, and 
of mineral matter, on plots 19 and 20 than on plot 16, the percentages in the dry 
substance, of both nitrogen and mineral matter, are very similar in the produce of 
plots 19 and 16, but in that of plot 20 they are rather lower, whilst the percentage 
of the dry substance itself in the air-dried hay was rather higher. These conditions 
would, with the comparatively similar botanical composition of the produce, indicate 
greater maturation, or ripeness, on plot 20 with the nitrate of potass, than on plot 19 
with the nitrate of soda and sulphate of potass. 
The analyses of the ash of the produce of the first crops for the seven years, and of 
the second crops for the three years, show that that of plot 16, with the fuller mineral 
manure and the longer continuance of the experiment, contained, both per acre and 
MDCCCLXXX. 3 A 
