70 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND THE FARMER : 



In practice the scheme is not quite so clear-cut as might be 

 inferred from the above outhne. The Research Institute has 

 only been recently established, and fundamental problems such 

 as fungicides, insecticides, sulphur washes, &c., have been 

 attacked at several, centres. Further, owing partly to the 

 scarcity of plant pathologists and partly to shortage of funds, 

 the scheme towards which the Ministry is working, under which 

 Advisers in both insect and fungus pests would be stationed 

 at each of the provincial Agricultural Colleges, is at present only 

 partly in operation. In due course there is no doubt that men 

 with the requisite agricultural and scientific qualifications for 

 competent plant-disease investigation will be available, and it 

 is to be hoped that funds will be forthcoming to enable the 

 scheme to be completed, for insect and fungus pests cause such 

 serious damage, and often spread so quickly from district to 

 district, that no scheme of control can be said to be efficient 

 which does not provide for a network of research workers spread 

 over the country. 



I. Diseases caused by Fungi or Bacteria. 

 Rothamsted Experimental Station. 



Fungi and AlgcB in the Soil. — An important investigation in 

 progress at this Institute consists in an intensive study of the 

 microscopic fungi and algee present in the soil. The soil teems 

 with living organisms, and our knowledge of it will not be 

 complete until we have accurate information regarding these 

 organisms — what they are, what is their relation one to another, 

 what is their effect upon the soil and upon plants growing in 

 the soil, how they are affected by the cultivation of the soil, 

 and the application of manures, and so on. This has already 

 been noticed in the discussion of the enquiry into the micro- 

 organisms, bacteria and protozoa, present in the soil, described 

 in the first chapter {see page 9). In addition to bacteria and 

 protozoa the soil contains numerous species of fungi and algae, 

 and many higher forms of life such as insects and earthwonns. 

 The last-named group is being studied by the Entomological 

 Department and will be referred to later. The fungi and algae 

 — with which this section of the chapter is concerned — are 

 studied in the Mycological Department. 



The first stage in the work consists in taking soil samples 

 at varying depths from fields which have been subjected to 

 known manurial treatment. The minute algas and fungi which 

 exist in enormous numbers in the soil are then separated out and 

 grown in suitable food solutions, so that each type may be 



