616 Agricultural Gazette of JS.SJV. [Sept. 2, 1920. 



Advantages of Top-dressing. 



1. Quick response, fields becoming green long before untreated sections 

 show any change. 



2. Thickening of the stand. 



3. lleduced coai'seness in the stem. 



4. Growth more succulent, richer and darker green in colour. 



5. Growth matures earlier. 



6. Growth maintained throughout the season with one application. 



7. Greatly increa.sed yields. 



8. Freedom from insect and fungus pests. 



9. Less apparent weed growth. 



10. Greatly increased growth during periods of heaviest rainfall, showing 

 its value under irrigation. 



Disadvantage. 

 Top-dressed paddocks are less resistant to dry spells than untreated plots, 

 probably owing to the increase in surface root system. , 



The Value of Parm Accounts. 



In all cases accounts are a valuable source of information, and in most cases 

 they save money. One of the main objects in keeping accounts is that the 

 farmer may know at regular intervals how he standS; and to what extent his 

 farm is paying. Knowledge of the facts is the first step toward economy, 

 and the proper control of expenses and of the whole financial side of the 

 farm business. — H. G. Howell, in the Journal of the Alinislry of Agriculture, 

 London. 



Profitable Farming Depends on Three Things. 



The profitableness of the farm business depends on three things — ample 

 production, minimum cost of production, and adequate prices. Adequate 

 production at minimum cost involves more ethcient methods and economical 

 operations. Factors in this are — better utilisation of the soil ; more intelli- 

 gent use of fertilisers ; the use of better seed ; the growing of more productive 

 strains and varieties; better methods of preventing soil erosion; moi'e effective 

 methods of combating insect pests, plants, and animal diseases ; the produc- 

 tion of more and better grades of live stock ; better utilisation of forage and 

 roughage and waste materials on the farms ; better maintenance of soil 

 fertility by conserving soil moisture and manure ; a greater use of legumes 

 in rotations and as companion or intertilled crops ; and the greater use of 

 machinery and practical mechanical power on farms. 



The problem of securing for the farmer prices whicli will enable him to 

 maintain production is a more difficult one. Attention must be given to 

 better and more economical methods of grading, storing, marketing, and 

 distributing farm products. The Department of Agriculture is organised to 

 develop each of these essential factors for making the business of farming 

 more profitable by making production and marketing more efficient and 

 economical. — E. T. Mkkedith, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S.A. 



