6 APRIL 1934, Page 16

English Inspiration These new Palestinian farms, both communal and individual,

are of peculiar interest ; but first a word about Rothamsted on which they rely as a general adviser. This experimental station, the oldest and the best in the world, is at a crisis in its history. Its efficiency is closely correlated with its age ; and its age is inimitable. There is a plot of land which has been left to relapse to nature. It has undergone the same change as the Garden of Eden ; but the thorns and briars that have grown up are not a menace but are " for edification." Many secrets of direct use to the farmer lie in that intentional wilderness. Incidentally, the last time I visited it a tree pipit, nesting there, was in perfect song. Its thorns and briars compose a new Garden of Eden.