The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-01-15 00:00:00

EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE.

With the view of endeavouring to promote an im-
provement in the agricultural prospects of the county
of Sussex, a number of gentlemen of influence, tenant
farmers, and others interested in the cultivation of
the soil, attended a meeting in the Town-hall,
Brighton, on Tuesday afternoon, for the purpose of
establishing an association by: means of winch ex-
periments might be conducted likely to show the best
means of dealing with the soils peculiar to the
country.
The chair was taken by Mr. Goring, of Wiston,
who explained that similar experiments had already
been carried out with some success in the North, and
as their object was simply to endeavour to increase
the practical knowledge which they already had as
farmers, the experiments could only be regarded as
extremely useful. The idea had been taken up with
so much interest by noblemen and others in the
county that they had already a guarantee fund of
£6OO a year, and it was calculated that experiments
might be made at four different stations, so as to de-
termine how the different soils in the county might
be employed to the utmost advantage.
It was further explained by Mr. Jameson, who had
conducted some experiments in Aberdeenshire, that
each station would consist of four acres, and the sug-
gestion was that in three cases the inquiries should
be directed to ascertain the most economical way of
developing the soil according to the methods now in
vogue amongst the agriculturists of the county, and
that in the fourth case the mode adopted should
be of a scientific character, that was, so as to
elucidate facts which might be applied afterwards.
The general scheme for instance might be ex-
plained in connection with manures. These ought to
contain at least seven ingredients, but often the soil
itself contained one, two, three, or more of these in-
gredients. The real work of the farmer was to supply
those which were wanting, and to supply them in the
most economical manner; and it was to solve these
questions that the experiment would in the main be
directed, the "stations" being selected so as to repre-
sent the average character of the soil in different
quarters of the county, taking none which was too
rich, too poor, too stiff, or too free. Further, it was
desirable that, the facts being ascertained, they should
be easily accessible to farmers to put them into prac-
tice.
Some further details baying been discovered, it was
decided to form an association, and the Earl of
Chichester (as Lord Lieutenant of the county) was
invited to become its president; the Duke of Norfolk
and
.Lord Leconfield, both of whom, it was stated,
had shown great interest in the project and had been
liberal subscribers, being appointed vice-presidents;
and Captain Sergison, of Cuckfield, hon. sec., a
committee of representative gentlemen being also
appointed.
A report as to the results of the experiments will
be presented to a meeting of the members of the asso-
ciation (to be known as the "Sussex Association for
the Improvement of Agriculture ") as soon as the first
crops cultivated under the new system have been
gathered in.