INFLUENCE OF MANURES ON MUTTON. 225) 

It will be noticed that although approximateiy the same 
totals have been attained by several of the plots, the totals 
have been reached by quite different stages. On Plots 3 anda, 
for example, the larger half of the gain was made in the first 
two months, while on Plots 4 and 5 the last three months 
contributed the larger share. Plots 4, 5,7, and 10 kept close 
together all through the season, and Plot 8, which was dis- 
appointing in the first month, afterwards made, not only the 
largest, but, what is quite as important, the most uniform 
gain, thus showing that the stock were on sound, healthy 
food. 
There may be a disposition to undervalue these minor 
variations, and to attribute them to accidental circumstances, 
but a careful examination of the pastures from month to 
month, and of the gains made by the individual sheep, leads 
us to consider them of importance. The gains made by 
sheep at grass are very regular and follow closely the actual 
condition of the pasture, and it may safely be asserted that 
marked differences—as, for exaniple, between Plots 7 and 8 in 
the second month—were due to some specific cause. 
Liffects of Manures on Season of Growth. 
The results obtained on several of the plots, both this year 
and last, indicate that manures may affect the value of a 
pasture, not only by increasing the total quantity of grass, 
but by altering the time of growth. Al] the plots that have 
5) 
had phosphates “come” earlier in the spring and continue 
to grow later in the autumn than the unmanured plot. Such 
a change in the season of growth necessarily follows any 
marked improvement such as that which has been produced 
by the application of phosphates to Tree Field. But further 
than this, between Plot 5, which has had superphosphate, 
and Plots 7, 8, and 9, which have had sulphate of potash, 
lime, and sulphate of ammonia respectively, in addition to 
superphosphate, there are noticeable differences in the season 
of growth, which are apparently due to the manuring. 
This will be seen from the following tabular statement, 
which gives the average live weight yield per acre, and also 
the percentage of the yield, obtained in (a) the first month, 
