144 THE SPIRIT OF THE SOIL 



of an invitation from Mr. Robert Holmes, of Tucks- 

 wood Farm, Norwich, to visit some experiments he 

 has been conducting with the bacterized peat. His 

 gardens cover a large area of ground, and are devoted 

 chiefly to the growing of sweet peas and tomatoes, 

 but this year, particularly as a consequence of the 

 war, potatoes have also been grown on a considerable 

 scale, and a fair number of small parcels of ground 

 have been laid down for the experimental raising of 

 beet, mangel-wurzels, sugar-beet, etc. 



Unfortunately, a single factor, the persistent dry 

 weather of the spring, has so far made several of the 

 results obtained of little value, as will be realized 

 when it is stated generally that in several of the 

 fields it was not possible to detect the slightest differ- 

 ence between crops that had been grown in ordinary 

 soil and those grown beside them, which had received 

 extra treatment with farmyard manure. 



In the glass houses devoted to tomato-growing, 

 where the plants have been treated under the best 

 known conditions, the effect of humogen has been 

 so striking that even the amateur can tell at a glance 

 which of the pots have received dosage with humogen 

 and which have been grown under strictly com- 

 parable conditions, except for the non-addition of 

 the humogen. Four groups of experiments in all 

 were tried. Five pots received ordinary soil alone, 

 five received soil and manure, five received soil and 

 humogen, and five soil, manure, and humogen. In 

 all cases the plants were strong and healthy, and 

 had fruited well, but those treated with humogen 

 were taller plants than the others ; their leaves, which 



