142 



THE SPIRIT OF THE SOIL 



was evident that there was something in the nature 

 of manurial effects in the peat, the root development 

 of the plants being very marked." 



The experiments conducted during the first year 

 at Kew other experiments, as is shown in Ap- 

 pendix B, were in progress elsewhere were very 

 striking, and when in the second year they were con- 

 siderably extended, the beneficial results obtained 

 from the bacterized peat were fully confirmed. 

 During the present year I visited the gardens to 

 see the progress of the experiments now in progress. 

 The final results of this year's work have, of course, 

 not yet been obtained, but the influence of the peat 

 on the plants at present growing there is extremely 

 striking. For the various classes of work there nine 

 different soil mixtures have been used for compara- 

 tive purposes. They are as follows: 



Soil 



Leaf mould 



Sand 



As No. i, but sterilized 



3. Sterilized soil 54-6 

 Leaf mould 18-6 

 Sand . . 8 to 9 

 Lime rubble 8 to 9 

 Sewage sludge 8 to 9 

 Basic slag 0-5 

 Bone meal 0*5 

 Soot ... 0-5 

 Sulphate of potash 0*3 



4. Sterilized soil ^ 80 

 Humogen "* 10 

 Sand . . 10 



5. As No. 2, but newly sterilized soil. 



6. No. 2, plus 0-04 per cent. Gafsa Phosphate. 



7. No. 6, plus 12-5 per cent. Humogen. 



8. No. 2, plus 0-43 per cent. Gafsa Phosphate. 



9. No. 8, plus I2'5 per cent. Humogen. 



soil. 



Per Cent. 

 66 



22 

 12 



