§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state the amount of any Grants made, in the interest of increased food production, towards experiments and research in bacterised peat as a fertiliser; and to what institutions such Grants have been made?
§ Mr. ACLANDGrants have been sanctioned to the University of London (King's College) in respect of Professor Bottomley's researches on bacterised peat. They 1209W amount to £150 in respect of the academic year ending 30th September, 1915, and £75 in respect of the six months ending 31st March, 1916.
§ Mr. GINNELLalso asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is now in a position to state the results of the experiments made by the Department and by private persons during the past season in the utilisation of peat?
§ Mr. RUSSELLIt is not clear to what particular experiments in connection with peat the hon. Member refers. He has been informed, in reply to another question put by him to-day as to the present position of the Department's experiments in regard to bacterised peat. As to the manufacture of peat fuel and producer gas, I would refer him to my previous replies on these matters. The experiments referred to in my reply of 18th May, in connection with the possibility of utilising peat in other directions than those mentioned, are still in progress.