4:; 



of the crops, and of the soils, arid in the treatment of 

 the samples, can be recommended. It is possible that 

 some curtailment may be at once admissible ; or it may 

 be considered desirable to continue the work on pre- 

 sent lines, at any rate until after the conclusion of the 

 second period of 20 years of the experiments, in 1895. 

 It will certainly then be desirable to re-sample the 

 soils of most, if not all, the plots ; to a limited depth 

 for tha determination of nitrogen by soda-lime, and in 

 selected cases of carbon; also in selected cases, to a 

 considerable depth for the determination of nitric acid, 

 and perhaps of chlorine, and some other constituents. 

 If not before, the system of sampling the crops, both 

 for chemical and for botanical investigation, might at 

 any rate then be fully reconsidered. 



Thus far I have given an account of the history and 

 present position, of all those of the Eothamsted Field 

 Experiments which are conducted on the areas of land 

 conveyed to the Trustees ; both in regard to the crop 

 results, and to the Laboratory investigations connected 

 with them. I have also described some conducted 

 with Leguminous crops in Geescroft Field, which is 

 not included in the areas set apart for the continuance 

 of the experiments. I should, however, briefly refer to 

 some other experiments that have been made in that 

 field, and also to some conducted in other fields which 

 are not set apart for future experiments. 



IX. EXPERIMENTS ON OATS, IN GEESCROFT FIELD. 



The whole of Geescroft Field was devoted to experi- 

 ments with various Leguminous crops in 1847. The 

 portion on which those with oats were afterwards 

 made, grew clover in 1847 and 1848, beans for 11 

 years, 1849-59, and then, during 9 years, 1860-68, the 

 land was twice left fallow, grew five crops of wheat 

 without manure, one crop of beans with farmyard 

 manure, and one without manure. The first experi- 



