70*^ Agricultural Gazette of N.S. W. [Sept. 2, 1908. 



Wheat-growing in New England District 



R. H. GENNVS, ' 

 Glen Iiines Experiment Faiin. 



Wheat will grow well on the New England tableland, and no better liay 

 from suitable vai'ieties can be produced if cut at the Howering stage and 

 properly saved ; large yields of grain in favourable seasons can be jn-oduced, 

 but there are few varieties suited to the changeable climate, and careful 

 selection must be made before good average yields can be obtained. It is 

 found after careful observation and experimenting for four years that the best 

 sorts are strong Hour wheats that mature quickly. The time of sowing is 

 important : if too early they may come in head before frosts are over, the 

 flowering stage being a dangerous time \i\ this connection ; they should be 

 harvested before Christmas, or they may be caught in the lield by the summer 

 rains which take place after that period. Good nailing wheats of early matur- 

 ing varieties sown rather late — say in June — are likely to prove most profit- 

 able. Manitobas also have a good chance if sown ful'y two weeks earlier; 

 very early sowing is not recommended. 



The district contains a variety of soils ranging from light grarute to heavy 

 clays of light, brown, and black colour, anfl until lately the two latter were 

 deemed quite unsuitable for wheat-growing, l)ut by draining, liming, and 

 sowing them with suitable varieties, such as Jonathan, the Blue Stems, and 

 Power's Fife, good yields have been obtained at the State farm, and these 

 varieties have given fine yields on other farms from seed grown here, one — 

 Bolton's Blue Stem — in a good sized area producing 40 bushels to the acre, 

 which was sold locally at a good advance on local prices, (ienerally, however, 

 the lighter soils for wheat-growing are reconnnended. 



Climate. — The altitude of the district ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 feet above 

 «ea level. The climate is cold, heavy frosts occur through winter, with snow 

 at intervals, an occasional fall of the latter being fa vourabli' to wheat growth. 



Phn/t/hiuf/. — 'The mould-board ploughs are genei'allv favoured in New 

 England, but the occasional use of the disc in throwing up the soil to the 

 weather is beneficial ; for covering weeds the mould-board plough is always 

 recommended. Ploughing with good heavy implements may be done at almost 

 any time, except when the ground is too wet and cloggy, and this state is not 

 infrequent ; generally rather dry seasons are more appreciatc^d than wet ones. 

 For wheat the sununer and autumn ploughings are gencn-ally from 5 to 6 inches 

 deej), afterwards before the seed is sown a shallow phmghing of about 3 inches 

 is practised. As a substitute sometimes the double disc cultivator is used ; 

 in this machine the two i-ows of discs follow one another, and one row can be 

 set at any angle desired ; if the bind is not fine enough for the seed drill to 



