168 AGRICULTURE 



easily be done, and, it may be added, only 

 be done through the agency of properly con- 

 ducted field experiments. Such experiments 

 are not difficult to arrange, nor do they 

 involve a great deal of outlay, but to secure 

 the greatest amount of information, with the 

 minimum amount of trouble and expense, 

 they must be laid down on a well-thought-out 

 scheme. Land of approximately equal char- 

 acter must be made use of, and the plots 

 should be laid down at a sufficient distance 

 from such disturbing agencies as hedgerows, 

 plantations, or isolated trees. They must 

 also be accurately measured, and, later on, 

 the crop should be carefully weighed. In the 

 case of permanent grass land the shape of 

 the plot is not a matter of much importance, 

 but where one is dealing with root crops it 

 is convenient that each plot shall be oblong 

 in shape, say 60 yards in length and 4, or 

 more, in width, the total area of each plot 

 being not less than -^th acre. 



By proceeding upon a well-considered plan, 

 one will get the maximum amount of informa- 

 tion from the minimum number of plots. If, 

 for instance, it is desired to ascertain whether, 

 on some particular type of soil, nitrogen, 

 phosphates and potash are all required for 

 the treatment of the turnip crop, and, further- 



