The Clover Mystery. 245 



Britain by the Departmental Committee which sat npon the subject 

 in 1900, but the bewildering variety of our national affairs no doubt 

 leaves little time for the Government to notice the needs of the 

 biggest and most important industry in the kingdom. The sixth 

 point requires notice at greater length. 



The usual practice is to conduct mannrial experiments on ordinary 

 British soU, in other words soU that has been run out of humus, is 

 therefore in bad physical and mannrial condition, and which has 

 not been cultivated nearly to the depth that it might and should be. 

 Plot No. I of such land is marked "no manure," and to the other plots 

 are applied various manures, and conclusions drawn therefrom. Now 

 if we assume that the agriculturist can do nothing further by himself 

 to fertilize the soil, over and above what he does at present, no 

 further steps would be required, and in any case nothing is to be 

 said against this system, so far as it goes, but from not being 

 accompanied by similar mannrial experiments on soil which has 

 been tilled and fertilized to the utmost (as the Clifton-on-Bowmont 

 soil has been) through the agency of natural means, the conclusions 

 arrived at by the experimenter must always be incomplete. It is 

 evident then that in every case where ordinary British soil is used for 

 experimeutal purposes, soil of similar character should be raised to 

 the level of the soil on the Clifton-on-Bowmont farm and then 

 experimented on with artificial and other manures similar to those 

 used for our ordinary run-out soils. A similar course should also be 

 be pursued where grass lands are experimentally manured with the 

 view of showing the effects of various manures in providing more 

 and better food for the animals grazed on the pastures. In this way 

 only could it be determined how far artificial and other purchased 

 manures pay the farmer who chooses to use to the utmost, as I have, 

 the resources which nature has placed at his disposal. My own 

 experiments are too limited to enable me to pronounce a confident 

 opinion, but, at present prices of farm produce, they lead to the con- 

 clusion that purchased fertilizers, though giving an increase of crop, 

 do not pay after the laud has been cultivated for a rotation on the 

 system I have adopted. But should the prices of farm produce rise 

 such manures would certainly be required, and after a considerable 

 lapse of time it is probable that, even with my system, certain soil 

 ingredients would become so deficient as to give rise to a demand 

 for purchased fertilizers. Fully to determine those important points 

 ought to be the aim of all who are interested in the progress of 

 British agriculture, for cultivation on the old lines, leading to 

 decreasing humus and increasing manure bills, is no more a remedy 

 for low prices than one-sided free trade is for free imports, and it is 

 only by arriving at the utmost safety and economy of production 

 through the agency of natural resources used to the utmost, that 

 our agriculture can be placed on a sound and enduring basis. When 



