It seems to have been lost sight of that there may be ameliorating conditions in the soils which may render the large amount of chlorides present nugatory in their effect upon wheat crops. Chlorides are less deleterious in the presence of much lime and generally the conditions under which the salts rise and fall in the ground under the influence of rainfall and cultivation, the proportion of magnesia present and other factors, all have a bearing upon the question of productiveness. It was a recognition of these facts which led me to recommend experiment by which alone a final decision could be reached. To fully discuss all these questions would require an extended treatise, and would be merely repeating many facts already known to the agricultural chemist. It was not my duty to present a scientific essay, but to recommend such practical steps as my knowledge of the facts and my general experience suggested were desirable for the administration to take in the public interest. Those paragraphs represent my attitude in regard to this question right through, and although that attitude has been very much misrepresented it is no more than that of commonsense caution, and giving the Government sound advice in what was apparently a difficult matter. 993. With regard to your analyses for sodium chloride, samples were taken from growing crops, and alongside of growing crops. Would you consider that affair test?— Certainly. I know nothing at all of the conditions under which the samples were taken, or whence they were taken. I assume they were properly taken, just as you must assume that my analyses were properly taken, just as you must assume that my analyses were properly carried out. 994. We do not dispute your methods of analyses?— But you can see how I can be put in a very difficult position over this. Samples are sent to me and I am asked to do certain things with them, and the results of that work are reported in a certain way, which I think quite inaccurate and misleading. If you want to know whether there is alkali in the soil, the correct thing to do is to send me the samples and ask whether alkali is therein contained. Therefore, these statements as to alkali are quite misleading, and I will not be held responsible for them. 995. They would be correct in regard to common salt. I suppose?— Yes, it is the other two columns to which I refer. 996. By Mr. PADBURY: You have said there are different methods of getting the salts. Will you tell us what method you adopted?— It was simply shaken up with water, and allowed to remain in contact with water for a given time. The water was carefully filtered off and the salt estimated in the water solution. That is the ordinary method employed, but it will vary very much. If you put your sample in with a certain amount of water and keep on shaking it all the time, it will require to stand less time than if you put it on a shelf by itself with water in contact with it. 997. You only use the one lot of water?— Yes. The method aims at getting complete extraction. It is possible to magnify the variation of methods out of all due proportion. 998. You mentioned that the difference in the amount of salt in the different places was due, probably, to the change that takes place in the soil. If that is so, would you not see a difference in the growth of stuff in some way?— In bush soil particularly the stuff which is growing is naturally that which has become immune to any salts existing in the soil. It is a strange fact that the only investigations which have been made as to the tolerance of eucalyptus trees for salt have been made in America, but mallee was not included. It is quite probable that mallee was not included. It is quite probable that mallee can stand more salt than a wheat crop. If there was a small patch of salt amongst a growth of mallee the mallee might not show any ill-effect, but a little further away the wheat growing might be shown to have been affected. 999. The presence of salt would show its effects on a growing crop?— I should think so. 1000. If a crop was growing fairly well to all appearances, would you say there was not too much salt in the soil?— There might be a crop which was growing fairly well, and yet half of the original seed which was planted might have germinated. The effect of salt on germination is very marked, Pot 53 in the photographs I have here is a photograph showing the growth of a number of seeds, and out of the 20 seeds planted in the pot only germinated. The full result of wheat grown on salty soils can only be known at harvest time. The appeal must be made to experiments. The best trial of soil is when the wheat has been put in properly. 1001. You say that, provided there are good crops growing. it is sufficient proof that there is not too much salt?— Yes. There must be a sufficient number of crops grown on a sufficient variety of soils to represent the district. One or two crops will not speak for the whole district, and the tests much be made extensively. 1002. What percentage of salt in soil would be a bar to successful wheat growing? — On page 6 of my statement under the heading of general remarks I have set out my opinion on this point. (The witness retired.) The Commission adjourned.