Aprils, 1920.] 



Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 



237 



The Season. 



The season was a very bad one for wheat-growing, starting from the time 

 fallowing was commenced, as the raintall in the beginning of 1918 was so 

 light that at fallowing time the moisture had practically dried out to a great 

 depth. From September, 1918, to February, 1919, there was very little 

 rain, distributed in such small falls that it soon evaporated. In February, 

 1919,. some heavy falls (mostly thunderstorms) put moisture into the soil, 

 but not to any great depth, and as the subsoil was so dry this moisture did 

 not last. From February on to planting time the soil, with a very few 

 exceptions, was almost bone-dry, ^nd the seed had either to be planted in a 

 dry seed-bed or held over for later planting when rain came in May. In that 

 month every district had fair storm rains, which germinated the seed, but 

 these were not followed by others, and consequently had little other effect. 

 As a result, the crops lacked sufficient moisture to keep them going when 

 maturing, and the bigger part of them burned ofif. As an example, the plots 

 at Gilgandra may be quoted : 444 points out of the total 647 points on the 

 growing crop fell here immediately the crop was sown, there being only 203 

 points for the following five months. To make matters worse, there was no 

 reservoir of moisture in the underlying soil to supplement that at the surface. 



The light rainfall had another ill eftect; it did not consolidate the seed-bed — 

 one of the main requirements for successful wheat-growing. The heavy sorts were 

 the first to burn off, the lighter sandy loams holding the moisture much better. 



Results of Wheat Variety Trials. 



Variety. 



bo 





Canberra 

 Major ... 

 Penny ... 

 Cowra No. 15 ... 

 Warden 

 Currawa... 



Federation 



Hard Fedei-ation 



Improved Steinwedel.. 



Clarendon 



Turvey (local) ... 



Rose worthy 



Yandilla King.., 



Bomen ... 



Florence... 



Eymer ... 



Marquis... 



Billy Hughes (local) .. 



Red Wings (local) 



Marshall's No. .3 



Sensation (local) 



Bunyip .. 



Warren ... 



Sunset ... 



bus. lb. bus. lb. bus. lb. bus. lb bus. lb. bus. lb. bus. lb. 



13 17 



7 55 

 9 32 



11 29 



6 53 



10 8 



11 40 

 10 32 



9 34 



12 24 



8 42 







3 20 

 2 46 



3 42 

 6 6 

 3 35 



6 

 26 



10 28 



t 

 5 45 



t 

 10 53 



9 29 



5 



7 



14 

 31 



8 24 



18 14 



t 

 t 

 t 



14 45 



19 48 



16 9 



4 

 5 



8 

 8 



5 

 6 

 8 

 4 



15 







15 

 















30 



10 30 



6 40 



1 57 



7 59 

 10 20 



7 29 



3 

 2 



4 22 



6 49 

 6 32 



11 



13 12 



* 



4 46 

 10 36 



12 54. 



9 43 



* Indicates Failure. 



t Cut for Hay. 



