lectures to teachers, or classes for teachers held in the vacation months, are of the greatest use if good men can be secured as instructors.

We must now speak of the relations of County Councils to agricultural investigation. This kind of work has been undertaken at present by only a few counties, and by them to a very limited extent: public opinion is, indeed, not nearly so developed upon the subject of investigation as it is on that of education. Practical investigations are, however, urgently required if the operations of agriculture are to be carried out in a scientific manner. The science of agriculture is, in fact, as yet in its infancy, and can be perfected only by well-arranged experiment. There is room for an immense variety of work. Every substance which the farmer uses, every living organism (plant or animal) with which he is concerned, every operation he conducts, must be thoroughly understood if it is to be employed to the best advantage. Great Britain is singularly behind other civilised countries in the work of agricultural investigation. The reason has apparently been very simple. In most European countries, and in the United States and Canada, the initiative has been taken by the Government. Ministers, having a just idea of the conditions on which national prosperity depends, have succeeded in obtaining public funds for the support of experiment stations, institutions provided with laboratories and skilled workers, and devoted to the elucidation of agricultural problems. The German Empire alone has about fifty-four VersuchsStationen, without reckoning the public laboratories occupied chiefly with the analysis of manures and seed-testing. In England agricultural investigation has been left to private enterprise, which during the present century has produced one first-class experiment station-that of Rothamsted of which we are all rightly proud, but which is wholly inadequate for the growing needs of the country.

I am not at this moment advocating the immediate creation of many first-class experiment stations, though there is ample scope for such in the hands of competent workers. One first-class station should certainly be at once started under the immediate control of a reorganised Department of Agriculture, as without this the national investigations, which would become one of the functions of this department, could not be carried out. The great need at the present time is the creation of numerous local stations, to work upon the practical problems of each locality, and so become centres of scientific teaching and scientific demonstration. If Parliament were to offer to give 1,0007. a year' towards the support of a county experiment station, erected and maintained by the County Council, and subject to the inspection and approval of the Department of Agriculture, a great start would be at once made in the right direction.

A few words may be said as to the kind of investigations to be undertaken by a local experiment station. The subjects taken up will of course depend upon the style of farming in the neighbourhood, the object being in every case to bring scientific knowledge and methods into actual touch with the farmer's work. Some of the experiments would be carried out on selected farms, possessing soils and climates typical of considerable areas in the county. Comparative trials of different

This should be regarded as a minimum sum. In the United States each State receives 3,000l. annually from the National Exchequer towards the maintenance of its experiment station.

varieties of grain, root, or fodder crops upon the various soils of the locality would be most useful.1 Farmers usually go on sowing the same kind of seed, or make a change only to something that is well advertised, without ever ascertaining by actual experiment which of the manifold varieties in the market is best fitted for the conditions of their own soil and climate. Other experiments could only be conducted at the experiment station. It is to be hoped that comparative trials of the nutritive value of different foods would in all cases be undertaken on this point our knowledge is sadly deficient." The chemical analysis of foods, as conducted at the present day, is no sufficient guide to their feeding value. We need facts as to the actual effect of different foods upon the animal, and we must then seek to bring our methods of analysis into consonance with these facts.

Besides actual investigations these local agricultural stations might be made to supply demonstrations which would be invaluable for teaching purposes. If, however, agricultural secondary schools are established, such demonstrations would find their most suitable home in these establishments. It will probably be desired in some cases to make the experiment station a place for the analysis of manures and feeding stuffs for the farmers round. If a special assistant is allotted to this kind of work there can be no objection to it; but it would be folly to allow investigations to be interrupted by attention to such matters.

At the present time the majority of the County Councils have not made any commencement in agricultural investigations. Those councils which have taken up the subject appear generally to have avoided any responsibility of their own in the matter. The usual course has been to make a grant to some agricultural college, or to some local Chamber of Agriculture, on the understanding that they will carry on experiments in the county. There is surely, however, no reason why a strong agricultural committee should not be formed in every county by the addition to their number of experts residing in the county. The experiments at present carried on through the medium of agricultural colleges and Chambers of Agriculture are almost all of one type they consist of the comparative trials of manures. This style of experiment is indeed the only one which has found general favour in this country. The fact is certainly regrettable, as it exhibits a poverty of idea on the part of the experimenter, and a lack of apprehension of the many serious problems which are awaiting solution.

Many important topics have been left unmentioned which will doubtless be taken up during the discussion which is to follow. My object has been merely to give a brief sketch of the kind of national and local work required if a real effort is to be made to give agriculture the aid of science.

In Essex and Nottinghamshire a commencement has been made of work of this kind.

2 In Norfolk valuable experiments have been made on the feeding value of oilcake containing different percentages of oil.

High-level Flint-drift of the Chalk.-Report of the Committee, consisting of Sir JOHN EVANS (Chairman), Mr. B. HARRISON (Secretary), Professor J. PRESTWICH, and Professor H. G. SEELEY. Drawn up by Mr. B. HARRISON.

THE Committee were appointed to investigate the nature and probable age of the High-level Flint-drift in the face of the chalk escarpment near Ightham, which appears to be productive of flakes and other forms of flint probably wrought by the hand of man.

This patch of gravel has been preserved upon a promontory of the chalk escarpment, at an altitude of 658 feet. It extends for some 70 yards, and attains a maximum thickness of 5 feet.

It is composed chiefly of sharp angular flint, varying in colour from bluish-white to bleached-white. Accompanying this is a quantity of deeply-stained ochreous flints, with here and there pieces of chert, Oldbury stone, and rag.

Flakes made by man exist in thousands, and they preponderate over the more elaborately worked specimens. Numerous scrapers, hollownotched and of horse-shoe shape, were obtained, as well as partially finished implements; but no perfect large tools, and none with any sign of polishing.

The worked-flint material is similar to that spread out in the Holmesdale valley, where it is accompanied by large somewhat rude implements. Amongst the deep ochreous flints some bear the look characteristic of the plateau specimens. The matrix is usually clayey, of a dark red colour, but in places it is quite chalky, and unstratified. A large quantity of the flints are encrusted with carbonate of lime. With the view of tracing the origin of this bed attention was directed to the ground above, in hope of finding either a Neolithic settlement, or plateau implements in sitú. The latter having been traced to a position where an excavation had brought them from a depth of six or seven feet (Pit A), it was decided to dig a pit to obtain a section upon Parsonage Farm, Stanstead, by the kind permission of the owner, Mr. Pink.

The excavation was closely watched by Mr. W. J. Lewis Abbott, F.G.S., and myself, and occasional visits were made by the Rev. R. Ashington Bullen, F.G.S, acting under direction of Professor Prestwich, Mr. F. J. C. Spurrel, Mr. Corner, F.G.S., and others interested in the subject.

The following is the section (see p. 350).

Work was commenced on October 19, 1894, by digging a pit 12 feet by 6 across. At the top, 2 feet consisted of a stony loam, with a large percentage of ochreous flint, much worn, angular white flint, Tertiary pebbles, and some evidence of southern drift. With a fairly even line of demarcation came a grey loam containing some small fragments of flint, a few small Tertiary pebbles, and small rudely worked stones scattered throughout at places. At about 5 feet this loam became more clayey, and of a deep rich ochreous colour, overlying a gravel, about 12 inches in thickness, composed of much-worn ochreous flints, some very large, and many Tertiary pebbles. This gravel was hard and compact. From it I secured very many worked implements. Heavy rain now hindered work by filling the pit. Measuring off 12 feet in line we began to dig another

A. Pit dug by the owner in the spring of 1894, to about
10 ft. [Worked flints were found, an Pit B was sunk
immediately adjoining it.]

B. Pit 1. Sunk to the level of the gravel, about 7 ft.; work
interrupted by heavy rain.

C. Pit 2. Sunk at 12 ft. off to S.W. Gravel found at the
same level, 6 to 7 ft. Tertiary loams and sands, sunk
through to a depth of 26 ft.

Pit No. 2 presented precisely similar conditions, 2 feet of surface. drift, the grey loam, with its weathered pebbles and few small worked stones, continuing until the ochreous clayey deposit was reached which. overlay a continuation of the gravel.

In this pit, however, the gravel was much stained at places and hardened throughout by manganese. The seam of gravel proved to be about 12 inches in thickness, varying at places. At one spot in this pit, at a depth of 8 feet, a few worked stones were found lying in a sandy matrix; but below this, although a depth of 26 feet was pierced, no further evidence of worked tools was found.

As the object was to investigate the nature of the deposits and to reach the Chalk if possible, the work was continued until a depth of 26 feet was reached when, owing to the men working in danger of a slip, and being so well in the Tertiaries, orders were given to fill in. At 26 feet a hop-pitcher (iron bar) was used to pierce about a foot more, but no evidence of the chalk was forthcoming.

The Volcanic Phenomena of Vesuvius.-Final Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. H. BAUERMAN (Chairman), Dr. H. J. JOHNSTON LAVIS (Secretary), Mr. F. W. RUDLER, and Mr. J. J. H. TEALL, appointed for the purpose of Investigating the Volcanic Phenomena of Vesuvius and its Neighbourhood.

THE reporter having since the last meeting of the Association terminated his residence in Naples, the continuous observations of the volcanic phenomena of the district which he has carried on during the last sixteen years have naturally come to an end. It is therefore not considered advisable to ask for the reappointment of the Committee. In closing the work of the Committee the reporter wishes to express his sincere thanks for the valuable aid he has received.

An account of the eruption during the early months of this year was published by the reporter in 'Nature' of August 8, 1895.