1202 
MESSRS. J. B. LA WES, J. H. GILBERT, AND M. T. MASTERS, 
first crop was succeeded by an exceedingly luxuriant aftermath. Among the grasses 
on the highly-manured plots, the large free-growing species were the most favoured, 
and they yielded flower-stems in abundance. On the plots with mineral manure 
and ammonia-salts Dactylis glomerata and Avena elatior were specially prominent; 
and with mineral manure and nitrate of soda many seedlings of Bromus mollis were 
observed. Leguminous and miscellaneous plants were also generally very prolific in 
flower-stems, and in many cases seeded. At the time of cutting the second crops, 
before the middle of September, the unmanured and the mineral-manured plots showed 
great variety of colour owing to the number of species in flower. On the plots heavily 
dressed with mineral manures and ammonia-salts the general herbage ranged from 
9 to 18 inches in height, whilst the flowering stems of the grasses were from 18 inches 
to 3 feet high, according to the quantity of nitrogenous manure employed. The 
mineral manure and nitrate of soda, on the other hand, which had yielded the heaviest 
first crop gave less excessive aftergrowth, and but few flowering stems. Under all 
conditions as to manure the second cuttiijgs were, however, much heavier than the 
average ; indeed, excepting with the nitrate, generally very heavy. 
Owing to the amount of the crops, to the difficulty which had been found in dealing 
with the second crops without removing them, and to the fact that a period of 
20 years had now been completed, during which only the first crops had been removed, 
it was decided henceforward to cut and remove the second crops whenever practicable; 
and, accordingly, the heavy second crops of 1875 were so treated. 
It is obvious that the removal of the second crops materially affects the condition of 
the land, and in the case of the deficiently-manured plots tends to much more rapid 
exhaustion. It is also obvious that, with this change, a new element in the struggle 
among the components of the mixed herbage is brought into play, or at any rate the 
effects of an old one are considerably intensified. 
The late autumn, winter, and early spring of 1875-6 were, excepting in December 
and January, very wet; and the two comparatively dry winter months were notably 
colder than the average. In the middle of April, 1876, there was a very unusually heavy 
snow fall; and, succeeding upon this unseasonable weather, May and June were both 
unusually dry and unusually cold. The result was a backward and generally scanty 
and thin crop, with a deficiency of bottom grass. The leguminous and miscellaneous 
species, as well as the gramineous, were deficient. It was only with the highest 
manuring that the weight of produce was average, or over average ; the result in 
these cases being due to a few of the freer-growing species, with comparatively 
extended root-range, attaining considerable luxuriance under those conditions ; whilst, 
on most of the plots, the amount of produce was much below the average. The first 
crops were not cut until the end of June. July was both warm and dry, August was 
warm and wet, and September cold and very wet. The second crops were for the 
most part patchy; but the wet weather of September brought forward a fair amount of 
leafy bottom growth. The quantity of produce was, however, very much less than in 
