ON THE MIXED HERBAGE OE PERMANENT MEADOW. 
1319 
ammonia, nearly as much as with the double nitrate, and even more of lime, potass, 
and silica, which were, of course, derived from the soil itself. 
This brief enumeration of general characters of produce is sufficient to indicate that 
there was a difference in the flora also, as Table LXVII., pp. 1320-21, clearly illustrates. 
An examination of the figures in the table shows that, as compared with double the 
quantity of nitrogen as ammonia-salts, the increase obtained by the smaller quantity 
of nitrate of soda was chiefly in the Graminese, but considerable also in the Legu- 
minosse and in the miscellaneous herbage. As compared with the results obtained 
with the double quantity of nitrate, the small total deficiency was chiefly in the 
grasses, whilst there was, on the average, an increase in the amount of both the 
leguminous and the miscellaneous species. 
The columns of percentage of the individual species show at a glance much less 
excess of any single plant—in fact, a much more generally mixed herbage than with 
the double amount of nitrogen, whether as ammonia-salts or as nitrate of soda. Now, 
neither Festuca ovina nor Agrostis vulgaris takes the first place over the average 
of the four separation-years; Alopecurus pratensis is here, on the average, the most 
prominent plant, though, it is true, declining from the first to the fourth separation- 
year. Agrostis vulgaris and Festuca ovina come next in average proportion, each 
varying considerably in prominence, but the two somewhat in opposite directions, from 
year to year. An examination of the climatal characters of the seasons of separation, 
and of the intervening ones, will show that the fluctuations in the relative prevalence 
of these two plants were such as might be expected, the freer-growing, creeping, and 
moisture-loving Agrostis being the more prominent in the years of comparatively 
luxuriant growth, and Festuca ovina in those of generally more restricted gramineous 
luxuriance. Next in order to these, the three most prominent of the grasses on plot 17, 
come IIolcus lanatus, Lolium perenne , Anthoxanthum odoratum. and Arena pubescens t 
each of which contributed a fair proportion. Arena flavescens was, upon the whole, 
less prominent than A. pubescens; and Poa trivialis, which was prominent in the 
earlier, greatly declined in the later years. Upon the whole, however, the gramineous 
herbage was, as has been said, of a mixed character. 
Although Leguminosse were much less discouraged with the smaller than with the 
larger quantity of nitrate, and especially less than with the ammonia-salts, no species 
of this Order gained any degree of prominence, all being in considerably less propor¬ 
tion, and amount, than even without manure. But the leguminous plant which best 
maintained its position was the deeply-rooting Lotus corniculatus , which is also the most 
prominent of the Leguminosae on the unmanured plots. 
The miscellaneous herbage was not only more in quantity than either without 
manure, with the ammonia-salts, or even than with the double quantity of nitrate, 
but different plants became prominent. For example, as will be remembered, with the 
double nitrate Cerastium triviale increased in an extraordinary degree, whereas, with the 
smaller quantity, in neither corresponding year did it yield one-third as much. With 
8 F 2 
