Agricultural Education Exhibition, Norwich, 1911. 281 



against coaiitared to more favoureil institutions in America and 

 oui- colonies. Such an exhibition as this of the R.A.S.E. must 

 hcl]» the farming public to understand and appreciate the value 

 of a "College Training." 



The Royal Agricultural Society of England had, as in former 

 years, two bays, one of which was devoted to a collection of the 

 Society's pamphlets and other publications, and the other illus- 

 trated the work of the Woburn Experimental Station. This 

 being fully explained in the Report of the station it suffices to 

 notice some of the experiments illustrated at the exhibition. 

 The experiments on the effect of increasing amounts of 

 magnesia were shown by wheat plants grown in pots and by 

 the roots and grain of the wheat grown in the 1909 experiments. 



The striking effect of lime and chalk on the acid Woburn 

 soil was well shown by plots planted with barley, showing also 

 how the use of lime checks the obnoxious weed spurrey, so 

 common on acid soils. 



Pots containing a Fen soil in one case untreated, the other 

 heated to lOO'^C. and sown with barley, showed the character- 

 istic rankness of growth, which is noticed where plants grow 

 on the site of an old heap of couch ashes. This question of soil 

 sterilisation is one which calls for extended investigation. 



Other exhibits showed by diagrams the results of the 

 continuous growth of wheat and barley, and specimens giving 

 the effect on root growth of differences in the mechanical 

 condition of the soil and of the effects of magnesia, lithium and 

 zinc. A good series of turves from grass land, variously 

 manured, showed the excellent herbage produced by phosphatic 

 manures with potash, compared with the coarser growth 

 produced by dung. 



Cambridge University School of Agriculture. — The show was 

 situated within the University's sphere of activity in agri- 

 culture, and a most interesting exhibit was arranged. The 

 main feature was that of the hybridisation on Mendelian lines 

 both of plants and animals. A series of the original parents 

 and early crosses of wheat, ending in the production of the new 

 hybrids gave some idea of the enormous amount of labour 

 which this work entails, the importance of which cannot be 

 over-estimated. A striking example of Mendel's law was 

 afforded l)y rabbits. Skins of the original parents, Himalayan 

 (white, black points), and Dutch (j^ellow and white) were 

 shown, and a skin of one of the offspring of this cross, which 

 showed complete reversion to the original form, being to all 

 appearance an ordinary wild rabbit. Then followed the skins 

 of the litter produced from the first cross grey rabbits, showing 

 the characteristic points of each first parent recurring again 

 separately. 



