FIELD EXPERIMENTS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18723, 21 June 1926, Page 3

FIELD EXPERIMENTS.

LECTURE BY AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTOR. f ■Mr A. W: Hudson, Instructor in Agriculture for Canterbury, addressed the members of tho Agricultural Science Club on Saturday night on "Field Experiment Work." Mr L : . P. Symes occupied the chair. The address was dlustrated with lantern slide's of operations on the Government Experimental Farm at Ashburton, of which Air Hudson has control, and he dealt with various phases of experimental work there. Mr Hudson took his subject undci tho headings of soil variation, tlie probable differences to be measured, the number of plots and their size, and the P r0 *" irnity plots.' no emphasised tho fact that areas planted alongside each other might vary considerably, and the main thing from the Department's point of view was to tind that which "was mos't'.benelicial as a whole, over a large 'number, of plots removed some distance from one another if necessary. To obtain-the-reallv best results, and to give the farmers tho best possible advice, it- was necessary to carry on the experimental 'work over a considerable number of years, and in a largo number of piaccs. . At the .conclusion of the address a discussion took, place on certain phases ot tho work at Ashburton, after which Mr Symes thanked Mr Hudson for his interesting talk. It was most satisfying, he said, to know that such excellent work was being carried out, and in such an able manner. Dr. F. AY.' Hilgcudorf said that it must be recognised that the results of such work were not of the greatest importance. It was the methods employed that counted most. If all experimental work in the past had been carried on like that being done by Mr Hudson, more progress would have been. made. ■ , A vote of thanks to Mr Hudson was carried by acclamation.