Mr. Rostron Duckworthasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, for public guidance, he will state the amount of fertilisers of all sorts and the cost, employed on the show allotments in Hyde Park, near Grosvenor Gate; and what is the aggregate acreage of allotments?
Mr. HudsonOwing to unsuitable conditions of site and soil, special treatment has been necessary to render the land in Hyde Park fit for the purpose of demonstration allotments. Such conditions and treatment would not be likely to apply to land provided for allotments in the ordinary way. The demonstration allotments have otherwise been cultivated and cropped in accordance with the advice given in the Department's "Dig for Victory" Leaflet No. 1, of which 5¼million copies were distributed in England and Wales earlier this year. The leaflet recommended an annual dressing for 10 rods of 30 lb. superphosphate and 20 lb. sulphate of potash applied to land free of crops, and 15 lb. sulphate of ammonia applied to the growing crops. The cost of these fertilisers is about 12s. to 13s. Sulphate of potash is not now generally available to the small grower, who, in case of difficulty, was advised by the leaflet to use increased quantities of compost material or farmyard manure or wood ashes, which contain potash. The aggregate acreage of allotments (excluding railway allotments) in England and Wales is estimated at 160,000.