a very large area — some people might understand a large area 
to mean about 50,000 acres, but I think 10,000 acres is a very large 
area indeed. The experiments that Mr. Vesterdal has told us of 
have been carried out over a large area which Mr. Vesterdal 
controls, and 1 think, therefore, that we can rely on the information 
given to us as being of extraordinary value. But I do not think 
that Mr. Vesterdal, or anybody else for that matter, would like to 
lay down any hard and fast rule, because I think that you will all 
admit that cultivation of soil in this country is yet very much 
in its infancy. 1 think that you will agree in reading through 
the paper — which you will have an opportunity of doing, as all 
of these papers are to be printed in book form — that it contains 
a greater deal of information than you can possibly grasp in the 
course of half an hour as this Conference will not be able to take 
them up for discussion now. I had the opportunity of reading 
through Mr. Vesterdal 1 s paper this morning before this meeting 
and I have no doubt that it is a very important one. 
As to artificial manuring, it is a matter that varies a great deal 
with the soil, and we know that Mr. Vesterdal’s experiments were 
made on poor soil which would necessarily show greater progress 
than on soils that it is not necessary to treat in that way, Now, 
we have not very much time to dwell on these questions long, but 
1 must thank Mr. Vesterdal for coining from so far as Johore 
to read this paper to ns, which 1 have no doubt will be extremely 
valuable to us. (Applause.) 1 will now call upon Mr. Spring 
to read bis paper. 
