VISITING SCIENTISTS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2246, 4 September 1914, Page 3

VISITING SCIENTISTS

LECTURE BY MR. H. D. FERRER, M.A. In the Dominion Museum yesterday afternoon, Mr. H D. Ferrer, M.A., one of the visiting English scientists, lectured on tho subject of his soil survey in Egypt. Mr. Ferrer was in New Zealand about ten years ago, when ho came out from England as geologist to the late Captain Sir Robert Scott's first Antarctic ■ expedition. Later he was appointed by the British Govern.ment to, undertake certain work in Egfpt as a geologist and an agricultural chemist. Mr. l'errer has had a distinguished career, and was invited to accompany the' British Aesociation scientists to Australasia and give lectures on the work which he had made hie own particular study in Egypt. I.ately_ he has been concerned with analysis of soils'in Lower Egypt, with a view t-o growing, cotton. Mr. •G. M. Thomson, M.P., presided during'the lecture, which 'was attendod by between 30 and 40 people. • / ' _Mr. Ferrer said that the want of the highlands of Egypt' was water, and the want of the lower lands was drainage.' It was a falling off in the cotton crop which had ltd to his investigations. In Egypt fertility did not depend on tbe constituents of the soil. Drainage ranked next in importance to water supply. A fifth of tne country was, prior to tho British occupation, owned by relatives of the Khedive. The average holding of the fellah (or peasant) . ivas two acres; and a family could live on half an. acre. This evening the Mayor will officially receive visiting scientists at the Town Hall.