362 
THE  WOBURN  EXPERIMENTAL 
STATION  OF  THE  ROYAL  AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY  OF  ENGLAND. 
FIELD  EXPEEIMENTS,  1909.  page 
CONTINUOUS  WHEAT .S63 
CONTINUOUS  BARLEY 368 
ROTATION  EXPERIMENTS 370 
GREEN-MANURING  EXPERIMENT 375 
VARIETIES  OF  LUCERNE 376 
INOCULATION  EXPERIMENTS  WITH  “ NITRO-BACTERINE  ” . 377 
EXPERIMENT  ON  THE  USE  OF  LIME 378 
EXPERIMENT  WITH  MAGNESIA  ON  WHEAT  . . . . 379 
“potato-spraying”  EXPERIMENT 380 
EXPERIMENTS  WITH  NITROGENOUS  TOP-DRESSINGS  . . 381 
EXPERIMENTS  WITH  MAGNESIA  ON  POTATOES  . . . 387 
RAINFALL  AT  WOBURN,  1909  388 
POT-CULTURE  EXPERIMENTS,  1908  . . . .388 
FIELD  EXPERIMENTS,  1909. 
Before  entering  on  a detailed  description  of  the  several  sets 
of  experiments  conducted,  it  is  necessary  to  preface  this 
by  a brief  statement  as  to  the  exceptional  character  of  the 
harvesting  season  of  1909,  one  which  has  seriously  affected 
the  returns  and  caused  them  to  present  results  in  some 
respects  quite  abnormal.  The  sowing  of  the  corn  crops  was 
satisfactorily  carried  through,  and  at  much  about  the  same 
time  as  usual  ; but  this  was  followed,  as  every  one  knows,  by 
an  exceptionally  sunless  spring  and  summer,  together  with 
rainfall  which,  if  not  heavy,  was  very  continuous.  Under 
such  conditions  weeds  grew  apace,  and  the  keeping  down  of 
them,  especially  on  the  plots  devoted  to  continuous  corn- 
growing, was  a matter  of  great  difficulty.  Cold,  cheerless 
weather  prevented  the  proper  growth  of  the  corn  crops  and 
checked  the  development  of  the  grain.  But  this  was  almost  a 
small  item  when  compared  with  the  weather  experienced 
about  the  harvesting  period. 
August  opened  with  a heavy  rainfall,  ‘59  in.  falling  on  the 
first  day  ; on  August  2 there  were  occasional  rainstorms  also. 
Then  followed,  until  August  16,  the  most  beautiful  weather 
experienced  all  the  year,  a high  temperature  prevailing 
and  no  rain.  It  was  this  period  which  did  so  much  to  save 
the  corn  crop,  and,  but  for  it,  the  harvest  results  would  have 
been  deplorable.  As  it  was,  farmers  were  able  in  some  cases 
to  secure  a fair  sample  of  wheat  though  the  yield  was  short, 
