880 Agricultural Gazette of :S.S.W. • [Dec. 2, 1920. 



remaining varieties. A very severe wind and rainstorm during the first 

 week in April played havoc with the plots, causing severe lodging, and 

 considerable loss from moulding, etc. 



This is the first trial of varieties in this centre, and it is interesting to 

 note the success of Improved Yellow Dent, the variety which seems so suited 

 to the coast generally, and particularly on alluvial river flats such as this. 

 Golden Superb, which was only 9 feet in height, and by far the shortest 

 of all, gave the second highest yield. Leaming and Yellow liogan also 

 5'ielded well, and will be watched with interest in succeeding trials. It is 

 likely that resistance to leaf blight will be the. deciding factor in this 

 centre, where the disease is normally very prevalent. 



Camira Creel-. — The soil at this centre is a sand of poor quality, on 

 which maize growing without fertilisers is not successful. A trial of 

 varieties suited to poor land was sown and fertilised with P7 at 1^ cwt. 

 per acre. The ground was ploughed early iu the winter and allowed to 

 remain without further cultivation until 17th November, when it was cross- 

 ploughed and harrowed twice, sowing taking place on 22nd November. 

 The plots germinated well. In the fertiliser trial with Hickory King the dif- 

 ference between the two uumanured plots and those that had been fertilised 

 was remarkable. According to field notes taken on 17th February, the plot 

 fertilised with P8 appeared to be the best, showing an excellent colour and 

 a height of 8 feet. The other fertilised plots ranged from 7 feet to 7 feet 

 6 inches in height, while the unmanured were only 3 feet 6 inches high with 

 very few ears setting. The ultimate yields of grain showed an increase of 

 25 bushels per acre for P8 over the unmanured plots, and very substantial 

 increases with all fertilisers, the worst, M5, showing an increase of 10 

 bushels. This is not to be wondered at, the soil being of poor quality; it 

 demonstrates clearly that payable crops can be obtained on such soils with 

 the addition of fertilisers. 



It is interesting to note the behaviour of varieties. "Hickory King and 

 Leaming have always given the best results, but it appears that Yellow 

 Mastodon and Gold Standard Leaming, which have not been tried pre- 

 viously, are likely to rival them in yield. 



Condong. — The exi:>eriment was sown on 25th November in a heavy black 

 loam which was originally swamp land, and of which there is a considerable 

 area behind the alluvial banks of the Tweed River. The usual preparation 

 was .given for sowing, and the seed was dropped by hand iu drills 4 feet 

 apart. The germination was excellent, and the after-cultivation consisted 

 of two scuffliiigs in December and hilling on 15th March. 



The rainfall was excessive from January, and the ground being low-lying, 

 the crop suffered from a surfeit of moisture, which lowered the yields con- 

 siderably. The results were in favour of the white varieties. Hickory King 

 and Boone County "White apparently being the most suitable. This, how- 

 ever, being the first series of experiments in this centre, definite conclusions 

 cannot be drawn until an accumulation of evidence is available. 



Dorrigo. — A site typical of the volcanic soil of the plateau was sown 

 with sixteen very early varieties on 17th October, 1918, in drills 4 feet 



