142 Agriculture and the House of Russell. 
The experiments commenced in 1876, and up to November 16, 
1877, the Duke had advanced 4,500Z. on their account. Since 
then they have involved his Grace in an expenditure of not 
far short of lOOOL a year. 
Although the heavy cost of these experiments was borne 
entirely by the Duke, and although he took the greatest interest 
in their establishment and progress — for he seldom or never 
went to Woburn without paying one or more visits, unannounced 
and unattended, to the experimental plots — he scrupulously 
abstained from interference. At the same time, he was always 
more ready to extend than to curtail the investigations, and 
frequently desired to be informed of anything required in con- 
nection with them, in order that it might be at once provided. 
While thus open-handed and generous, it was only in a most 
quiet and retiring way that he allowed himself to appear as con- 
nected with the experiments; and, indeed, he objected to men- 
tion being made of the Society's indebtedness to him. 
The field experiments have now reached a stage at which 
their future progress will be of even greater interest and im- 
portance than before, both in a scientific and a practical direc- 
tion'. The land, which at one time it seemed impossible to 
exhaust by continuous crop-growing, now shows signs of that 
exhaustion, and of an approach to the limit of the efficacy of 
manure applied in- the past. Valuable confirmation — but on 
different soil — of the Rothamsted inquiries respecting the con- 
tinuous growth of wheat and barley is, however, forthcoming; 
and experiments on the laying down of land to permanent 
pasture are approaching a point at which the results of com- 
parative treatment will become manifest. In the clover experi- 
ments, however, there is much still to learn in connection with 
the problem of " clover-sickness." The Duke's grant of the land 
and farm has also enabled the Society to carry out a yearly series * 
of feeding experiments on both bullocks and sheep, the results 
of which, in view of the increasing importance of stock-rearing, 
will be of particular value. 
The late Duke was a firm believer in silage as food for all 
kinds of stock, and at considerable expense instituted a series of 
experiments in relation thereto at the Heath Farm, AVoburn. 
He took s])ecial interest in these experiments, and on four, or 
five days after the opening of the silos, at which he was present, 
he visited the farm, carefully inspecting the cattle under experi- 
ment, and keenly examining their general condition. The system 
resolved upon by his (jraco is now regularly carried out, and 
only last year ho had a number of silage stacks made from the 
grass in the park. During the jiast winter the deer have been 
