... By H. Hunter, D.Sc., M.A. ONE of the inevitable, and in most cases wholly desirable, results of the scientific testing of crop plants is the gradual elimination of what are adjudged to be inferior varieties. As a rule, improved varieties replace the older sorts because of superior yielding capacity-- which is a summa- tion of many plant attributes-- at times by reason of nearer adaptation to ...

... One Man Went to Mow A WARTIME version of the old ditty might well read thousands went to mow, for the oldest grass- cutting implement, the scythe, has come back into its own. The petrol- driven lawn-mower must remain idle for the duration, and the scythe is proving its worth wherever lawns are serving the more useful purpose of producing hay. Even though the larger areas may be dealt with by ...

... Island Farmer Factory Methods Applied to 2,000 Acres at Brooke, I.O.W. THE Isle of Wight is 11 miles long and 13 miles broad at its widest point; the total area is 94,146 acres. Incidentally, it is about as far from Cherbourg as London is from Ramsgate, which is a bit near the enemy. One of England's pleasure-grounds, it has in the past slept through the cen- turies, its modest agricultural ...

... Brushed Wool Austerity Coats IT is a simple matter to practise true economy in the salons of Peter Robinson, Oxford Street. Here unprecedented value is given for coupons and money nevertheless the regulations laid down by the Board of Trade are scrupulously adhered to. Illustrated is a brushed wool utility coat of the Austerity character. It is light, warm, and perfectly ventilated, hence it ...

... OUR pictures illustrate a section of the work being done by land girls in Oxfordshire. Since they were taken, W.L.A. gangs have been concentrating on threshing. Bush-pulling, however, is a part of the long-term policy which is essential if new acres are to be cul tivated for the 1942-3 crops, and we have endeavoured to show what has been accomplished already with almost raw material. The ...

... The weather is the farmer's and gardener's greatest profit maker if he can predict it with success. If he cannot, then it can ruin him and lose the country thousands of tons of food. The Air Ministry weather forecast was free to all. With the War we are thrown back on our own resources when we had almost forgotten how to judge the weather for ourselves. A barometer to-day is as necessary ...

... awcf ALL the critics seem satisfied with the recent British raid in the Havre area. It was, of course, a fine piece of work technically, but its great value-- at any rate in this country-- was psychological. Some thing positive had been done. It is this positive policy which the masses are so anxious to see in our Government councils, and it is a pleasure to put on record that, at any rate, ...

... MISS ANNE TAYLOR, for merly a member of the Ballet Joos, was going with the company to America when the war broke out. She decided, however, that there was more important work to be done, and joined the W.L.A. Posted to Mr. J. Allen's farm, South Tre- viddo, near Lis- keard in Cornwall, Miss Taylor quick ly became accus tomed to country life. South Tre- viddo is mainly a dairy farm, but the ...

... The Answer to Goebbels Keep Sport Going THAT part of the debate in the House on Wednesday, February 25, relating to sport was so seriously misquoted in several journals that I for one am grateful to the Daily Telegraph of the following day for putting the matter right. This is how their reporter explained the statement: Cheers stopped Sir Stafford in the middle of a sentence in which he said ...

... By A. Croxton Smith ARE show dogs delicate? Perhaps this may seem to be a foolish question to ask when the only fair answer that can be given has to be hedged about by qualifications and interlarded with ifs and buts. The most one can say is that some are and some are not, a reply that would apply equally to working dogs or mongrels. When canine hysteria began to run through the country, a few ...

... Agriculture's General Staff Who They Are and Why THE Ministry of Agriculture has been for some time engaged in forming and completing what is in effect a General Staff, although, with appropriate modesty, it has preferred to style the members of the staff as its Liaison Officers. Agriculture, happily, has not felt itseli obliged to prop itself up with anything so grand as a Brains Trust. There ...

... THE SEASON OF STOCK SHOWS AND SALES Romney Marsh Sheep WITH the great increase in our arable acreage comes a new demand for sheep, so all important in balanced farming. At Maidstone's famous Michaelmas store stock sale, 11,000 head of sheep were sold, and 65 guineas was paid for the Champion Romney Marsh shorn yearling ram. It has been said that Romney Marsh sheep will thrive where others will ...