Miscellaneous. 



470 



[May, 1909. 



November just to cover the dung ; deep 

 ploughed two months later, ridges drawn 

 and artificials sown, boxed sets planted, 

 ridges split to cover seed ; saddle-har- 

 rowed down three weeks later ; ploughed 

 with chilled plough between ridges, 

 immediately harrowed down ; hand-hoed 

 and earthed up The artificials sown 

 comprised 3 cwt, superphosphate of lime, 

 1\ cwt. sulphate of potash and l\ cwt. 

 sulphate of ammonia. The cost of these 

 operations, including rent, manure, seed, 

 digging, and carrying to station is cal- 

 culated at £16 5s. per acre. The crop, 

 which averaged 9 to 11 tons per acre, 

 was sold f .o.r. at prices from 70s. to 90s. 

 per ton, commencing July 7, in a not 

 over-favourable market. The gross re- 

 turn per acre was £37 Is, id., and as 

 some of the crop was charged with 

 some railway expenses the net return 

 was £35 lis, per acre. Directly after 

 digging, the land was ploughed (this 

 ploughing perhaps might have been 

 omitted), and cauliflower plants were 

 put in ; the season was very dry, and a 

 day or two might have been gained 

 under more favourable conditions. As 

 it was, the plants were watered in, with 

 the result that there was no flagging, 

 and they got a good start. The plants 

 were put in at the rate of 10,000 per 

 acre at a cost of 4s. per 1,000 for plants. 

 A hundredweight of nitrate of soda was 

 given them, and they were hand-hoed 

 once and horse-hoed twice. Selling be- 

 gan on October 28, when consignments 

 were sent to the Borough Market, Bex- 

 hill, and some few were sold locally in 

 Wye and Ashford. In all, 7,770 heads 

 Avere marketed at an average price of 

 l'135d. per head, realising per acre £40 

 lis. id. The cost of plants, labour, 

 manure, cutting, packing, delivery, rail 

 charges, commission, and returns of 

 empties (they were packed in nets and 

 potato "pads") amounted to £10 per 

 acre, so that there was a net return 

 of over £30 per acre, which, with the 

 net return of the early potatoes, makes 

 a total of over £49 per acre from the 

 two crops. It will be noticed that the 

 whole of the manure applied is debited 

 to the crops, but it is intended to take a 

 crop of oats on the ground this year 

 (1909) without further manuring. 



It is not argued that such a result can 

 be obtained always, or that by a great 

 increase of the area a proportionate 

 increase in the returns may be expected, 

 but as it has been done under not the 

 most favourable conditions it may be 

 done again. The estimated labour re- 

 presents one-fourth of a man's time, so 

 that it would appear that such a venture 

 might prove remunerative for small 



holders under certain conditions. In 

 the event of the cauliflowers failing to 

 head, or the crop not being marketable 

 from any other cause, they will prove 

 suitable sheep feed, so that the value 

 need not be entirely lost. The capital 

 required is that for the first crop 

 only, since the returns from the potatoes 

 are available for the expenses of the 

 cauliflower crop. Other catch cropping 

 demonstrations are in progress, and the 

 results of these, if they prove of suffi- 

 cient interest, will be made known this 

 year ; but to the clever cultivator there 

 are many crops which would lend them- 

 selves to such intensive cultivation 

 with good results. The success of this 

 trial is mainly due to the management 

 of Mr. James Morison, the Superinten- 

 dent of the College farm, who with the 

 writer will be glad to give any further 

 information with regard to details. — 

 Journal of the Board of Agriculture, 

 Vol, XV., No. 11, February, 1909. 



CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT. 

 Interesting Address by Mr. W. R. 



GOURLAY. 



On Saturday night (November 28) Mr. 

 W. R. Gourlay, Director-General of Agri- 

 culture for Bengal, delivered a most 

 interesting address on co-operative cre- 

 dit at the Y.M.C.A. Hall, Chowringhee. 



Mr. Gourlay dealt first with the 

 hoarded wealth of India which, he said, 

 had to be looked for among the smaller 

 landholders and more well-to-do traders, 

 and then told his hearers what the 

 Government was doing to attract this 

 wealth for the development of the 

 country, first, however, pointing out 

 that the agricultural indebtedness of 

 India is to-day probably not less than 

 five hundred or six hundred millions of 

 pounds sterling, and that the interest 

 paid upon this capital averages 25 per 

 cent, per annum. 



" The problem of saving the agricul- 

 turist from the results of this indebted- 

 ness," he proceeded, has occupied the 

 minds of administrators for many years 

 It is not merely a question of the supply 

 of cheap capital. The real difficulty lies 

 in supplying the capital in such a way 

 that it will not be improperly used. 

 The true aim is to establish some organi- 

 sation or methods whereby cultivators 

 can obtain, without paying usurious 

 rates of interest and without being 

 given undue facilities for incurring debt, 

 the advances necessary for carrying on 

 their business. The same problem had 

 to be faced in Europe, and it was the 



