§ COLONEL SADLER (Middlesbrough)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture if his attention has been directed to the success attending the inoculation of soil with nitrogen bacteria in the United States and in other countries; and whether the experiments and investigations of the Board have been alike encouraging; and, if so, is it intended to distribute the inoculating material among agriculturists of this country as is being done abroad.
§ *THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. AILWYN FELLOWES, Huntingdonshire, Ramsey)Yes, as I stated recently in reply to a Question by the hon. Baronet the Member for Salisbury, we are closely watching the experiments now being made in connection with the use of nitrogen-producing bacteria in the United States and elsewhere, and the value of such bacteria is now being tested at several of the agricultural colleges in this country. No results of value can, however, be obtained until the crops under treatment are mature. I may add that both the American and the German preparations are now being manufactured by private firms in those countries and can be purchased by any farmers here who may desire to obtain them.