Rothamsted  Experimental  Station. 
213 
contained  approximately  the  same  quantity  of  flour  (if  anything 
the  larger  loaves  contained  slightly  less  flour  than  the  smaller 
ones).  The  term  “ strength  ” is  used  to  indicate  the  capacity 
of  a flour  to  make  a loaf  of  large  size  and  proper  shape,  not 
the  amount  of  water  a flour  will  take  up.  * The  loaves  exhibited 
illustrated  the  great  differences  in  strength  between  the  various 
sorts  of  wheat.  Thus,  a loaf  baked  from  the  best  Manitoba 
wheat,  typically  “ strong  ” wheat,  was  of  large  size  and 
attractive  appearance  ; that  from  hard  Kansas,  the  best 
American  winter  wheat,  showed  a falling  off  in  size,  which  was 
still  more  marked  in  the  case  of  the  English  wheats,  these 
being,  naturally,  comparatively  “ weak  ” ; and  the  reason  for 
the  difference  in  price  between  Manitoba  and  English  wheats, 
which  generally  amounts  to  five  or  six  shillings  a (juarter,  was 
shown  at  once  by  the  size  of  the  loaves.  Again,  the  large  size 
of  the  loaves  from  Canadian  seed  wheat,  grown  for  two  years 
in  England,  showed  that  this  quality  of  strength  is  not  entirely 
dejKuident  on  climate  or  locality.  The  loaf  from  Australian 
wheat  was  only  of  medium  size,  showing  that  sunshine  does  not 
of  itself  produce  high  “ strength.” 
II.  Cambridge  University  Agricuiturai  Department. — The 
exhibits  included  an  important  series  of  wheat  hybrids, 
designed  to  illustrate  the  technical  application  of  IMenders 
Laws  of  Heredity.  A Note  on  this  subject  ap})cars  elsewhere 
in  this  Volume  of  the  Journal  (see  pp.  337-345).  An  exhibit 
of  barleys  consisted  of  about  sixty  little-known  varieties  of  the 
chief  sub-species  of  Hordewn,  many  of  them  showing  characters 
which  may  prove  of  value  if  they  can  be  introduced  into  our 
commonly  cultivated  strains. 
An  interesting  exhibit  of  turfs  from  Abbotsley,  in  Hunt- 
ingdonshire, illustrated  the  effects  of  dilferent  seed  mixtures 
on  the  (juality  of  pastures  sown  down  in  1900.  The  soil  was 
a stiff  clay,  and,  naturally,  difficult  to  lay  down  with  grass. 
Eight  mixtures  were  employed  in  the  experiment,  and  the 
turfs  sent  illustrated  four  of  the  most  instructive. 
Mixture  1. — This  seed  mixture  consisted  of  42  lb.  perennial 
rye  grass  and  5^  lb.  mixed  red,  alsike,  and  white  clovers ; 
47  11),  of  seed  were  sown  at  a cost  of  145.  tSd.  per  acre.  This 
cheap  mixture  has  hitherto  given  good  results,  and  the  herbage 
now  consists  chiefly  of  perennial  rye  grass  and  white  clover. 
The  pasture  is  much  liked  by  stock  and  is  always  eaten  bare. 
Mixture  2. — This  consisted  of  (5  lb.  perennial  rye  grass, 
9 lb.  meadow  fescue,  2 lb.  foxtail,  G lb.  cocksfoot,  3^  lb. 
