Two Years' Work in the Chemical Branch. 



quiet ridicule. But three mouths after the ridicule had goue, and 

 the truth of a new fact stood out iu the long green strips, stretchiug 

 12 chains down the various paddocks from one end of the wheat-growing 

 area to the other. Five months after this, the j)lots had given their 

 returns to the stripper, and in the words of a clever Wimmera 

 journalist, had shown us how to add another province to Victoria. 



It is no wonder the results created astonishment, for they appeared 

 just as remarkable to the chemist as they did to the farmer. It is 

 something approaching the marvellous that 10 and 201bs. of a black 

 powder spread over an acre can produce such differences, and that for au 

 outlay of a little over 2s. per aci^e, profits of 12s. and 15s. might be 

 obtained. Returns from 85 such wheat fields were sent in from the 

 first year's tests. The results were of the highest interest. 



An Explanation of the Principles of Manuring. 



Before criticising the figures, however, it will be better if I ex])laiii 

 to you in a few words the principles of manuring. In neai'ly every 

 case we ap])ly a manure, farmyard or artificial, because it contains 

 something rctiuired fur the growth of the cro]) that is not naturally 

 present in sutficient quantities in the ground. Now our plants take 

 from the ground very many different substances, and the absence or 

 shortage of any one of these in the ground acts injuriously on the 

 growth of the plant. Fortunately, it is only three or four of these 

 substances that do run out in the ground. All the manures that we 

 apply are given because they contain either one, two, three or four of 

 these important substances. The important substances in manuring 

 are nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, and lime. We do not give these 

 substances pure to our soils for various reasons, but in chemical com- 

 bination with other substances, and these combinations fomn our 

 manures. To understand manuring, then, you must know what 

 substances are contained in the different manures you use. We find 

 them in the following table : — 



Phosphoric Acid is contained in — 



Superphosphate, Thomas Phosphate (Star' Phos])hate), 



Bonedust, Guano. 

 Nitrogen is contained in — 



Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Di-ied filood. 

 Potash is contained in — 



Potash Chloride, Potash Sulphate, Kainit, Ashes. 



^Phe question, then, in our experimental fields that we had to solve 

 was the ingredient, or the number of ingredients, our soils were deficient 

 in, and the best form in which we might give back this ingredient, 

 for, as the tables show, we can give each of these ingredients in 

 different forms. We can, for instance, give the phosphoric acid in the 

 four forms of superphosphate, Thomas phosphate, bonedust and guano. 

 We can give nitrogen in three forms, and potash in four forms. 

 Remembering this, we shall easily find what the average returns of 

 the 85 fields mean. 



