REPORT OF MR. S. A. BEDFORD. 



309 



TEST OP DIFFERENT WAYS OP SUMMER PALLOWINQ. 



It is claimed by some of our leading farmers that land can be ploughed in the 

 «arly part of the season, a crop of green fodder taken off or pastured, and as large a 

 yield of wheat obtained the following year as could be had from a bare fallow. 



The following table shows the result of a series of plots devoted to this test. 



The ploughing for all was done on the 22nd May, the oats on plot 3 were cut when 

 in the milk stage, and yielded 2^ tons of dry fodder per acre, cattle were first turned 

 into plot 1 when the oats were nine inches high. 



The size of plots for this test were ytr acre, the soil a strong black loam, and the 

 seed was sown on the 28tli of April. 



From the foregoing table it would appear — 



1. That sowing oats at the end of May and cutting them for green fodder lessened 

 the yield of wheat the following year. 



2. That where oats were sown on the 31st July and fed off the yield of wheat was 

 somewhat larger than was obtained from bare fallow. 



Name 



of 



Variety 



Red Fife. 



How treated durinj^ 1896. 



Oats sown in July and fed off 

 Ordinary bare summer fallow. 

 Oats sown in spring and cut. . 







Lbs. 



61i 



61 



61 



TEST OP fREVKNTIVES FOR DRIFTING SOIL. 



Certain classes of soil, when cultivated for a number of years, have a tendency here 

 to drift badly in high winds, bruising some of the grain plants and uncovering the roots 

 of others, and thereby greatly lessening the yield. 



"With a view of ascertaining whether different modes of sowing have any effect in 

 lessening this evil, a number of plots on one of the most exposed parts of the farm were 

 sown to wheat with different machines or at varying depths. 



Owing to the prevailing wind storms being more northerly than usual, these plots 

 were not as badly drifted as they have been in other years, still the results are suggestive. 



All the plots were sown on 14th May, on summer fallow ; soil, a light loam; size 

 of plots, -jig- acre. 



