The Eradication of Wild Onion. 407 



extent, running right across the fiehl and embracing the olJ 

 plots. On two of these strips the " chemicals " mentioned 

 above were used, on a third strip road-drift at the rate of 25 

 tons per acre was spread, and it was resolved to sow the 

 remaining two plots respectively with lucerne and with a grass- 

 seed mixture. The object in these last two plots was to see 

 whether, by introducing plants of deep-rooting nature, the soil 

 could be opened out and, so to say, " tilled," so as to obtain a 

 more open soil and get the water away. In this connection 

 attention has been of late much directed to the " Clifton Park " 

 system introduced by Mr. R. H. Elliot, of Kelso, in which it is 

 maintained that by the inclusion of strong-growing and deep- 

 rooted plants such as chicory, burnet, kidney vetch, &c., these 

 would act as " soil tillers " and open and aerate the land. The 

 experiment was one considered well worth trying here, and 

 this, it may at once be said, was the one method that was found 

 to be pre-eminently successful, while the growing of lucerne, 

 though not so thoroughly effective, was attended with great 

 benefit also. 



The land was ploughed three inches deep in October, 1904, 

 and cultivated during the spring of 1905. In May 1905 the 

 road-drift was put on, lucerne was sown and also Elliot's seeds, 

 the particular mixture being that known as the "Bankfield 

 mixture." ' The seeds were supplied by Mr. James Hunter, of 

 Chester. Both lucerne and grass mixture came up well, and soon 

 chicory and burnet were strongly in evidence on the grass plot. 



From 1905 until 1911 the work was carried on under 

 regular observation. Of the " chemical " applications it is not 

 necessary to say more than that they were not successful, and, 

 while some benefit accrued from the use of road-drift, this was 

 so small, com})art:'d with the good results from lucerne and the 

 grass mixture, that further reference to it is not called for. In 

 the case of the lucerne plot and that sown with " Elliot's 

 mixture " the results have, however, been most successful. 

 Each year, from 1905 to 1910, a good crop of hay has lieen 

 secured, and, on the ploughing up of the plots in the autumn 

 of 1910, the observations made of the ground where these plots 

 had l)een were of the highest interest. Already in October, 

 1906, Mr. Reed wrote : " You will be interested to know that 

 not a single onion came to perfection on any of the grass plots 

 this year ; in fact, not one seed-head was to be seen. Every 

 plot was thick (with onion) in May, but all went off with the 

 hot weather. I never saw it like this before." 



' Consisting of cocksfoot 14 lb., tall fescue 7 lb., tall oat-grass 7 lb., 

 rough-stalked meailow grass 1 lb., chicory .3 lb., burnet 8 lb., yarrow 1 lb., 

 kidney vetch .3 lb., alsike 1 lb., late -flowering red clover 2 lb., white clover 

 2 lb. — 49 lb. per acre in all. 



