48 TEE DIRECTOR, EXrEEIMEyTAL FARMS 



one of those plants which can take in nitrogen from the air, and >tore it up in its 

 tissues, a power that is limited as far as we know- to leguminous plants, to which tlie 

 clover belong. Another important element which clover contributes to the soil is 

 humus, or vegetable matter. The proportion of vegetable matter in the soil bears a 

 very important relation to the power of that soil to hold moisture. If you take a 

 sponge and dip it in water and lift it out of the water, it will drip to a certain extent, 

 but after the dripping has ceased, the sponge still holds a certain quantity of water 

 which can be got out of it by scjueezing. In a similar way the soil has the power of hold- 

 ing moisture to a certain extent, and the more vegetable matter in the soil, the greater its 

 power of holding water, and as the plant must take all its nourishment through its 

 roots by means of water, the amount of water the soil can hold is an important item in 

 reference to its crop-producing power. I have reported on several occasions to this com- 

 mittee the results we have had on a series of plots, treated with difFerent sorts of fer- 

 tilizers. In each of these series of plots there has always been two that were left with- 

 out treatment with fertilizers, and these two plots have had a suce-cssion of crops 

 grown on them for 12 or 13 years, without any fertilizing. By that means the humus 

 in the soil has been greatly redueed. During the last two years clover lias been grown 

 on these two plots and turn.ed under, and it has been a surprise to witness the increase 

 in the yield of these cheek plot^, the first crop of clover materially increased the yield 

 of grain, and the second crop has had a still more marked effect. 



By Mr. 'Wilson: 



Q. Have you had the pereontages of increase worked out ? 



A. Yes. The two check plots in the series of wheat plots have given an average 

 yield for the 12 years ending with IS'JO, of 10 bushels 17 pounds in the one case, and in 

 the other of 9 bushels 40 pounds to the acre. 



In 1900 after the ploughing under of the first crop of clover the crops of wheat on 

 these plots were increased from 10 bushels 17 pounds to 13 bushels 45 pounds on the 

 one plot, and from' 9 bushels 40 pounds to 11 bushels 10 pounds on the other. Last 

 year (1901), when no additional fertilizer was used whatever, except the ploughing 

 Dnder of the crop of clover, the plot which had given an average of 10 tons 17 pounds 

 for tweh'c years was increased to 17 bushels 20 pounds to the acre. The other which 

 had given as a twelve years' average 9 bushels 40 pounds, gave 15 bushels 5 pounds per 

 acre. Putting the two plots together, the average increase in two years has been 

 (■ bushels 14 pounds, which is more than GO per cent, all apparently resulting from the 

 ploughing under of green clover. 



Q. What is the area of the plots ? 



A. They are one-tenth of an acre. In barley there was a decrease in yield on 

 plots similarly treated for both years, for which I am unable to assign any reason. 

 The increase in oats under like conditions was very striking. After eleven crops of 

 oats, averaging 30 bushels 20 pounds per acre, on these unfertilized plots, the yield 

 has been incnased to 48 bushels 3 pounds in the one case, and in the other from 21 

 bushels 9 pounds to 30 bushels 15 pounds, an average increase for the two plots of oats 

 of 13 bushels 23 pounds of grain per acre. This, I think, is most conclusive evidence, 

 in favour of the use of green clo\er ploughed under as a fertilizer. I want to em- 

 phasize this one point, that there perhaps is as much due to the action of the additional 

 humus which is put into the soil by the decay of the clover as there is in the actual 

 plant food which is added to the soil. Plants grown in a soil which has a low power 

 of holding moisture, are placed at a great disadvantage and cannot make free use of 

 the plant food existing in the soil. Further evidence as to the usefulness of green 

 clover on other croiis will be found in the annual report of the experimental farms 

 lor 1901. 



By Mr. Charlton : 



Q. There are one or two questions I would like to get information on. I have 



