386 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—M. 
provide for the actual elimination of inferior sires. This is a considerable interference 
with the liberty of a stock-owner to do as he likes, but it is justified by the economic 
importance of the benefit to the community as a whole. mokeitia 
The question of obtaining legislation in Great Britain to procure the elimination 
of the scrub bull is now prominent, and an increasing body of opinion is in favour of it. 
Tuesday, September 1. 
Mornine. 
12. Sir Dante Hatt, K.C.B., F.R.S.—The Future of Arable land Sheep 
Farming. 
Other speakers: Mr. L. G. Troup, Mr. H. C. Stiteor. 
13. Mr. C. T. GovincHam and Mr. F. Tarrersrirtp. — The Towicity of 
some Aromatic Nitro Compounds to Insect Eggs. 
Data are presented indicating the high penetrating power and toxicity of 
3 : 5-dinitro-o-cresol and other nitro compounds to the eggs of several species of 
insects. The results of experiments with these substances on a field scale are also 
discussed. 
14. Mr. C. J. Guerp.—The Importance of ‘Stra’ in Varieties of 
Strawberry. 
For some few years a number of strawberry growers in South Hants, where this 
occupation forms an important branch of agriculture, have complained that ‘ Royal 
Sovereign,’ which has been the most popular market variety in the district for many 
years, had lost much of its former vigour and cropping power, with the result that — 
returns were seriously reduced, and many tests were made with other varieties in the 
hope of finding one to replace the old favourite. 
So far no variety tried has proved equal to Royal Sovereign in this district, and 
several reasons were advanced by growers as to the cause of the falling-off, including 
‘comparative shortage of London and similar manure,’ ‘ degeneration as the result 
of the age of the variety,’ ‘ poor methods of propagation,’ and so on. 
Probably the trouble is due to a number of causes, but when visiting holdings 
about 1920 to obtain information about so-called ‘ blindness’ in strawberries, I was 
struck by the great difference in vigour and cropping of some beds of Royal Sovereign 
as compared with others, differences which could not, in many cases, be explained 
by different cultural or manurial treatment. 
I found, however, that most of the good patches belonged to growers who took 
more than usual care in the selection of their young stock. 
When the county fruit station was started at Botley the most insistent demand 
was for information as to how to bring the strawberry crop again up to the yield of 
some years ago, and, among other trials, a trial of varieties, including Royal Sovereign 
from five.different sources, was laid down, the beds being planted in October, 1923. 
The results as maidens were so striking that Sovereigns from several other more 
distant sources were planted in October, 1924, and these also show considerable 
variations already, while the crop weights from the two-year-old beds are far more 
striking than last year; and though the experiment is young one feels that a partial 
solution of the problem may be looked for in the planting of better strains or stocks 
of Royal Sovereign rather than in planting newer but untried varieties commercially, 
15. Mr. C. H. Hooprr.—The Order of Blossoming and the Fertilisation 
of our Hardy Fruits. 
1. The relative order of flowering of the different varieties of apples, pears, plums 
and cherries is nearly the same year by year, and is similar in different parts of th 
country. 
2. Most of the varieties mature little or no fruit with their own pollen, so it i 
desirable to know which are self-sterile and the relative degree of self-fruitfulness 
those which are not, also to know which varieties are inter-sterile. 
