An Important Discovery.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 353, 13 March 1908, Page 2

An Important Discovery.

WILDERNESS MADE FRUITFUL FOR SIXPENCE AN ACRE.

In the Grand Magazine for January, 1908, appeara the following very interesting clipping from a book entitled “Seed and Soil Innoculatiou,” by Professor Bottomley : For a few thousand pounds tbe twenty-one million acres of poor, barren land in Great Britain could be made productive and rendered capable of finding work for and supporting such a population that both tho food problem and the unemployed problem would be easy of solation. That this is no wild dream of on enthasiaat is shown by recent inoculation results reported from Ireland, on reclamation of waste, cut-awav boglaud in County Mayo. By December last there was a thick aole of rich herbage, which has this year produced a fine crop of hay. “The crops have more than paid for all,” tbe farmer reports, “and the land is reclaimed in addition, without a shilling spent in tillage.” Oue gallon of culture solation will innoculate seed for twelve to fifteen a ere a of land, or, when dilated, if sprayed or watered on the soil suffice for an acre or more. Waste land reclaimed ard made fertile for sixpence oer acre ? Medium soil when innocalated at a cost of three shillings an acre, yielded three tons more produce per acre than when treated with nitrate of soda, at a cost of twenty-five shillings.

In America, tbe Agricultural Department is so assured of the national importance of soil inuoculatioD in rendering barren tracts fertile and adding to the wealth of the community, that it distributes the innocnlating material free. But tbe demand for material is so much greater than tbe Government can supply that tbe shrewd Yankee business man, seeing the demand, has formed what he calls a “Nitro Culture” Company, and supplies packages *>f culture material at 10s, which find a ready sale with agents in Great Britain also, who supply “quart” packages for 7s 6d. It would be a thousand pities if the manufacture and distribution got into the hands of the company financiers, whose sole object would be to exploit agriculture in tbe interests of large diyidouds. Even run <»n commercial lines, and paying a good percentage on 'he capital necessary to ran the business, the “gallon” packages could be so’d for about 3s each, whereas the American material now sold in Graat Britain costs 30s a “gallon”. The B »ird of Agriculture says that jt h»s neither the machinery nor the money to underrake the work la it quite impossible for those to be found ?