46S 



Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 



[July 2, 1920. 



The Season. 

 The expei'iments were conducted under more adverse weather conditions 

 than have been experienced for some years past — the driest, in fact, in the 

 history of the Riverina. No doubt, drought is met by the artificial application 

 of watei", but the absence of the normal humidity in the atmosphere is not 

 entirely overcome by watering as the crop requires it. The winter was also 

 exceptionally cold, heavy registrations of frost being frequently recorded, 

 while strong winds blew persistently throughout the season. 



The whole crop was planted and brought to fruition on practically irriga- 

 gation water alone. Although the rainfall was fairly evenly distributed over 

 the growing months, it never fell in sufficiently large quantities at any one 

 time to be of real benefit. The rainfall from the time of planting the first 

 crop till the harvesting of the last was as follows : — 



April ... 31 points. August ... 53 points. 



May ... 139 „ September... 67 „ 



June ... 30 „ October ... 90 ,, 



July ... 35 ,, November... 14 „ 



Total 459 „ 



The falls ranged from 2 points to 45 points, and were recorded on twenty- 

 five wet days. This rainfall was not suflicient toinaintain the crop throughout 

 the whole winter, and it had to be supplemented by artificial watering when 

 water was made available in the latter part of July. 



Ideal hay-making weather was experienced for harvesting. 



The Early-Bown Plots. 

 This planting was made on 29th April, the delay here being due to light 

 falls of rain preventing the ground from drying sufficiently to plant in the 

 middle of April. The soil at planting was in excellent condition, and with 

 the aid of light falls of rain after planting, germination of all varieties was 

 all that could be desired. Being sown early and having germinated well, 

 these plots received the full benefit of 139 points of rain in May, and conse- 

 quently a very vigorous early growth was the result. It was on these plots 

 that the tallest and most prolific growth was made, and the greatest weights 

 of hay secured. This is invariably the case with early planting. These plots 

 were irrigated twice — on 19th August and 23rd September. The results were 

 as follows : — 



