Sept. 2, 190S.] Agricnltin-al Gazette of N.S.W. 707 



Generally speaking, the l)uinin,ij; of the straw is very bad practice, and im- 

 poverishes the soil very quickly. Soils depleted of their vegetable matter by 

 burning and cropping are not so retentive of moisture, and do not retain that 

 desirable tilth so necessary to fertility. Con.siderable quantities of dry straw- 

 ploughed into the soil in dry climates keeps the land far too open to allow of 

 a crop growing satisfactorily upon it directly after ploughing under. It 

 requires time and moisture to allow of its desirable incorporation with the soil ; 

 means should be devised to effect this. A good practice would be to disc the 

 land and sow a few pounds per acre of rape seed amongst the straw. If the 

 weather proved favourable, a considerable growth of rape and self-sown wheat 

 would be available for sheep-feed. The stock may eat a proportion of straw 

 with the green fetd, the rest would be trampled down and cause the plouiihs 

 very little trouble in a few months time. The paddocks should then be 

 ploughed during winter or spring : such would clean the land of weeds, 

 conserve moisture, and allow of seasonable operations for next crop. This 

 would, of course, mean that one wheat crop only would be sown upon the 

 same land in two years ; such practice has much to recommend it. Where- 

 ever practicable, land should be ploughed as soon as possible after hai'vesting 

 to destroy weeds, and tit it for succeeding crops. The careful consideration of 

 the above suggestions, and a rational application of them to the many con- 

 ditions of the New .South Wales wheat areas should lead to a considerable 

 increase in the yield per acre, and profits for the individual farmer. 



Appendix. 



Analysis of typical wheat soil at Bathurst Experiment Farm capable o£ 



yielding 40 bushels per acre under favourable conditions : — 



Locality of soil. — Bathurst. 



Nature of soil. — Loam. 



Depth of soil. — 6 inches. 



Colour of soil. — Dark brown. 



Reaction of soil. — Strongly acid. 



Capacity for water. — Fair, 43 per cent. 



Absolute weight per acre, 6 inches deep. — 1,663,194 lb. 



Capillary power. — Very good, 8"5 inches. 



M echaukal A nali/sis. 

 Coarse gravel, more than -^ inch in diameter, 3 '66 per cent. 

 Fine gravel, more than ^^ inch diameter, 21 94 per cent. 

 Fine soil, sand ■24'70 per cent. 



,, impalpable matter, chiefly clay, 49-70 per cent. 



Anafy-iis of Fine Soil. 



Moisture. — 2 "80 per cent. 



Volatile and combustible matter, principally organic. — 4 '95 per cent. 



PerantayeH of Fertilisiiuj Suhstancfy. 

 General Value. 

 Nitrogen '056 per cent., eijual to "068 per cent. Ammonia, fair, equivalent to 

 931 lb. in an acre of soil 6 in. deep. 



.Soluble in Hydrochloric Acid, Specific Gravity I'l. 

 Lime (CaO) '184 per cent-, satisfactory, etjuivalent to 3, "60 Hi. in an acre of soil 



6 in. deep. 

 Potash (K^O) 'LSG per cent., satisfactory, equivalent to 2,2G1 lb. in an acre of 



soil 6 in. deep. 

 Phosphoric acid (PjOg) "094 per cent., fair, equivalent to 1,563 lb. in an acre of 

 soil 6 in. deep. 



F. B. GUTHRIE. 



