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XXII. — On the Growth of Wheat hy the Lois JVeedon System, on 

 the Rothajyisted Soil. By J. B. Lawes, F.E.S., F.C.S., and Dr. 

 J. H. Gilbert, F.C.S. 



Ix the year 1849, when wheat was selling' at 55. per bushel, and 

 the " Stout British Farmer " was complaining of the badness of 

 the times, and felt somewhat perplexed how to pay his rent and 

 retain a little surplus, there appeared a pamphlet entitled ' A 

 Word in Season,' in which the author explained his method of 

 growing wheat year after year without manure ; and he promised 

 to those who would adopt his system and follow his directions, a 

 profit of 4/., 5/., or 6/. per acre. Of the numerous essays which 

 have been published on agricultural subjects of late years, few 

 have attracted more attention than this. Commencing its career 

 in 1849 as a pamphlet of less than twenty pages, it has since 

 gone through edition after edition, until now, in 1856, we find the 

 suljject much extended, and presented as a book of 120 pages. 



In this little book, entitled ' Lois Weedon Husbandry,' the 

 author, the Rev. S. Smith, goes into considerable detail not befoi'e 

 given, as to his mode of growing root and other green crops. 

 But confining attention for the present to wheat, it may be ob- 

 served, that although Mr. Smith has from time to time made 

 various important alterations in the detail of the operations by 

 Avhich his system is to be carried out, he has in no way deviated 

 from his original principle of growing this crop year after year in 

 the same field ; the land being subdivided into alternate strips of 

 crop and fallow, the portion cropped one year being fallowed the 

 next, and so on. A great number of intelligent agriculturists 

 have visited the Lois Weedon farm, and, after an inspection of the 

 crops growing on the plans there adopted, have generally been 

 satisfied that the produce has been what the published accounts 

 had stated it to be. Yet it is somewhat singular that those who 

 have endeavoured to, follow the directions given, on other soils, 

 have generally been unsuccessful. 



The object of the present paper is to give an account of some 

 experiments which have been in progress lor several seasons past, 

 "with a view of testing the applicability to the Rothamsted soil of 

 the system described in ' A Word in Season.' And besides dis- 

 cussing the experiments themselves, we propose to consider some 

 points of interest which the principle of the Lois Weedon system 

 involves ; for although doubts may be entertained by practical 

 men as to the possibility of cultivating large farms on such a plan, 

 it must still be admitted that the results which have been obtained 

 by the Rev. Mr. Smith himself, are calculated to impress upon us 

 most important lessons regarding the rationale of admitted agri- 



