THE TESTING OF HUMOGEN 141 



In the first year the effect of using the peat in 

 various quantities on plants grown in ordinary soil 

 was tested, and plants were grown in ordinary soil 

 and other media as a control. Commenting early in 

 1914 on the results obtained, Mr. J. Coutts, of Kew 

 Gardens, said (Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 

 March 15, 1914) that " the plants, beyond ordinary 

 details, had no special attention during growth other 

 than that devoted to starting them ; after a fortnight 

 or so they were left to themselves. The results in 

 some cases were extraordinary, and not comparable 

 with those obtained from ordinary nitrogenous 

 manure. Experiments had been made to determine 

 whether peat afforded plants a greater power of 

 resisting the eel-worm, and in this connection the 

 carnations showed the most striking results. In the 

 case of the peat -treated plants there was little trace 

 of eel-worm after two months' growth, whereas the 

 nitrated plants were badly affected within a fort- 

 night. Another experiment was made with chrys- 

 anthemum plants in the open, planted at the same 

 time and under the same conditions. One section 

 of this planting was treated with 2 ounces of peat 

 to the square yard, a second with 4 ounces, while 

 a third section was treated with dried sewage 

 sludge, and a fourth with nitrates. The differences 

 in results were marked. The section treated with 

 the smaller quantity of peat seemed as good as that 

 which had received a larger allowance. Again the 

 sludge section was considerably superior to that 

 which was nitrated, although much inferior to the 

 peat-treated sections, the action being slower. It 



