THE COMPOSITION AND MAINTENANCE OF GRASS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 270, 6 June 1888, Page 3

THE COMPOSITION AND MAINTENANCE OF GRASS.

At a rcconb meeting of tho Oorwont Agricultural Club, Mr Hodgson, of Malton, road a paper on "Jra«a, Its Composition and Maintenance.' Ho said that perhaps Lhcro was no crop lhat responded nioro leadily to judicious ticatment than grass. Tliore was in hay ftoin grasses and in pa^turo gr.uw generally an excels of carbohydiat.es. Clovor.s wore, therefore, a mo.st valuable addition topastum and hay. Ah to tho maintenance of glass lands of all kinds, ho diow thoir al ten) ion to the piineiplos upon which their practice must depetiil. lie had previously laid it down as .in axiom that all huid.s in order to yield the best iosuUp, all other conditions being eijual, luusO bo in a<v alkaline state. The only cheap means of doing lhat was by liming, (.irass giow nowhcio so well as in a c iiitamino plenty ot lime, \\ ldeh en oouraged the growth of thu better and liner qualities ot herbage. Clay .soils that v\oio j»oor in lime should be abundantly limed, and a liberal application of it was still moie neeo-niy on pent soiN. On a many clay soils (he application o\ pot.i^h mai\ure« ■»va*» found to be of little benefit, as there was plenty of availablo puta«h in tho land. On inu.M lin;ht lands it. was not only dcsiiablo but necesv-.uy. Tho cheapest .species was kainit, containing about 23 per cent, of sulphate of potash and soda ami ma^ncMa. A.s a rule it w.i.s rather on old pastures than now that Uainit , was likely to bo needed. Done meal was t/cnorally used for moie esj)ecially in ( hesliiie, l^ut he was of opinion that a dissohed bone manure applied at the rato ot about 3c wt. por acio would j^ivo the best resuli/ and piofit.s Snpoi phosphatu v.as also a very j^ood manuie on some land-, but a certain amount of sul[)hale ol ammonia or nitiato of Mjda ought to bo used wit.h it, although the latter \\a- be.-t appliul a- M)on as acti\e giowth set in. No crop better repaid an outlay in mamuc than gia-» in .i good season.