320 INFLUENCE OF MANURES ON MUTTON. 
being now 105s. 6d. on Plot 3, as compared with 48s. 11d. on 
Plot 4. 
When submitted to the valuer the sheep from Plot 4 were 
pronounced to be in very much better ‘“‘bloom” than those 
from Plot 3, the values affixed being 38s. and 36s. respectively. 
The former were more uniform, were in higher condition, and 
eight were selected as fat, whereas only three of the twelve 
from Plot 3 were fit to kill. 
The difference already noted in the herbage was marked 
in the hay sub-plots. There was little clover and an abun- 
dance of grass on Plot 3; while on Plot 4 clovers were 
numerous, and grasses relatively fewer. The comparative 
luxuriance of the clovers on Plot 4 must not be entirely 
attributed to the action of the basic siag applied in November, 
1899. The manure may have helped to maintain the vigour 
of the Leguminos@, more especially in the. later part of the 
season, but even without this supplementary dressing it was 
plain from the appearance of the grass land in spring that 
Piot 4 would, later in the season, contain much more clover 
than Piot 3. The striking difference must be attributed to 
the disappearance of clover from 3, rather than to the fresh 
appearance of clover in 4. The result of the heavy phos- 
phatic manuring of Plot 3 was to stimulate a more luxurious 
crop of clover that the soil could long support, and the 
fourth season has witnessed a reaction. The clover has 
dwindled away, but the soil, opened up by the clover roots 
and enriched by the clover residues, has yielded an abundant 
crop of grass. Should this fresh crop be permanent the 
slag will have worked a lasting improvement on the field. 
a 
Plot 5.—7 cwt. superphosphate of lime (100 lbs. soluble phosphoric 
acid) tn the spring of 1897, and again tn the spring of 
1900. | 
Vhroughout the experiment the live-weight ga:ns recorded 
on this plot have approximated to those obtained on Plot 4, 
so that phosphate in the form of slag or of super. appears to 
be equally effective. On the whole the slag has done 
slightly better than its rival, the total gains for the four 
years being 409 lbs. on Plot 4 and 400 Ibs. on Plot 5. 
