Abstract
THE Welsh Plant Breeding Station, Aberystwyth, has issued two further War Food Production Advisory Bulletins, No. 2, “Ley Farming” by Sir George Stapledon, and No. 3, “Herbage Seed Production” by G. Evans (price 1s. each). These publications are complementary one to the other, the first being an extension of the first bulletin of the series, while the second shows the farmer how he can raise the necessary seeds himself. After a general description of the nature of ley farming and how it differs from the permanent grass or the grass–arable systems, six methods of dealing with permanent grass are suggested which show how the change over to ley–farming can be effected from all grades of land. Care is taken to indicate where manures, particularly phosphates, can be most profitably applied. As regards seed production, the directions are based on the author's experiences in inspecting farms and conducting experiments in various parts of Great Britain, and there seems no reason why more farmers should not successfully raise their own seed than have done so in the past. A full knowledge of the recent history of the fields and adequate provision for their isolation are two essentials for the production of pure strains; climate and soil are also important, the former especially in the case of the clovers, while grasses make larger demands on the soil. Practical recommendations are given as regards sowing, manuring, times of harvesting, threshing, cleaning and storing, together with the yields likely to be obtained. The bulletin concludes with a list of the herbage strains bred by the station at Aberystwyth and a description of their special characteristics.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
War Food Production Advisory Bulletins. Nature 148, 20 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/148020c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/148020c0