§ Mr. Kimballasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what practical results he expects to get from the expenditure of £1,690 by the Nature Conservancy on investigations relating to competition between closely related species.
§ Mr. HareCompetition between closely related species of plants is one of the most important fundamental scientific problems bearing on any attempt to manage natural populations including weeds and pests. The sum in question represents a small grant to Professor G. E. Blackman, Sibthorpian Professor of Rural Economy in the University of Oxford, who is also Director of the Agricultural Research Council's Unit of Experimental Agronomy, and is one of the leading authorities on the practical application of science in relation to crops.