ON THE MIXED HERBAGE OF PERMANENT MEADOW. 
1195 
Lastly, June showed considerable deficiency of rain, was very changeable as to tem¬ 
perature, but upon the whole colder than the average. 
Thus the season of 1866-7 was marked by very great fluctuations. The early winter 
was generally warmer than usual with about the average fall of rain. Then came 
intervals of severe frost, snow, and heavy gales, which were followed by several weeks 
of warm weather, with a good deal of rain—conditions favourable for an early start 
of vegetation. But the early spring was very wintry and stormy, and growth was 
much checked. The remainder of the growing period was very changeable as to 
temperature, and frequently wet and stormy. June, the maturing period, though 
changeable, was upon the whole dry, but not so warm as usual. 
With such extremely varying climatal conditions we could hardly expect other than 
irregularity of result with very different plants, and with very different manuring 
conditions. Without manure especially, and with purely mineral manure in a less 
degree, there was more than the average amount of produce. And, exactly reversing 
the results of 1862, there was with the mineral manure and ammonia-salts a considerable 
deficiency, and with the mineral manure and nitrate of soda a considerable excess, of 
produce, compared with the average of either the four years or the 20. 
Without manure, and with mineral without nitrogenous manure, the excess of 
produce over the average was not proportionally great in the grasses, leguminous 
herbage was deficient, but miscellaneous plants contributed an unusually large pro¬ 
portion of the crops. Without manure by far the most prominent weed was Plantago 
lanceolata. Luzula campestris, Pimpinella Saxifraga, Conopodium denudatum , Ranun¬ 
culus (repens and bulbosus), and Rumex Acetosa were also prominent. With the purely 
mineral manure Conopodium denudatum and Rumex Acetosa each contributed about 
one-third of the miscellaneous herbage ; Achillea Millefolium was also prominent; and, 
as without manure, Luzula campestris, Pimpinella Saxifraga , and Plantago lanceolata, 
were somewhat so, but in a much less degree. 
Owing to the wetness of February and the general inclemency of March, the sowing 
of the ammonia-salts was not commenced until March 11; the process was even then 
interrupted by snow, and the plots here referred to were not sown until March 21. 
With the mineral manure and the smaller quantity of ammonia-salts there was a 
considerable deficiency of total produce compared with the average. This deficiency 
was due to a generally restricted growth of the grasses ; probably accounted for in 
part by the adverse weather of March, and in part by the less effect or even damage 
done by the late sown ammonia-salts, under such conditions. Leguminosse were 
scarcely represented. But, again, miscellaneous herbage was unusually abundant. 
Among the grasses the poor and meagrely yielding, but hardy Festuca ovina contributed 
the most, Agrostis vulgaris, Poa pratensis , and Holcus lanatus a good deal; whilst 
the more freely yielding Dactylis and others were in but small amount. Among the 
miscellaneous plants, Rumex Acetosa and Conopodium denudatum contributed nearly 
nine-tenths of the whole; Achillea Millefolium being next in prominence. 
