Tico Years' Work in the Chemical Branch. 9 



It will be seen that tliere were twelve plots in each of the 85 fields — 

 eig-ht manured, and four nnmanured to serve as checks. The manured 

 plots were 1, o, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12. On the first six manured plots 

 manures containing phosphoric acid only, but in different forms, were 

 used. Thus in the first three plots it was given in the form of a con- 

 centrated superphosphate, the next ordinary, the next Thomas, and the 

 next bonedust. In the remaining two manured plots Nos. K) and 12, 

 a combination of phosphoric acid and nitrogen was used, the idea being 

 to see if the soil further responded by an addition of the nitrogen to 

 the phosphoric acid. No tests were made that year with potash, as 

 many analyses had given reason to think that the northern soils were 

 suflBciently rich in that ingredient. The facts that came out in these 

 experiments were of high practical value to the northern wheat-growers 

 and of great significance to the whole State. It was of importance to 

 show to the country that, in a year of an average wheat yield of 

 8'84 bushels only, it was possible to double that average, based on 

 results obtained from every part of the wheat-growing area ; to prove 

 that by the use of the drill, the application of manure, the adoption of 

 the fallow, and the careful preparation of the seed bed, the farmer 

 might be enabled to raise the yield of the colony from 8'84 bushels to 

 one of 17'68. It was of value to find that the great soil deficiency 

 throughout the North appeared, as far as the wheat crop was concerned, 

 to be that of phosphoric acid, and that an addition of nitrogen gave no 

 further increase. These results were distributed widely throughout 

 Victoria, and created unusual interest. Applications poured in from 

 all parts, and the difficulty was to restrain, rather than encourage, the 

 desire for taking up experimental fields. Including the beet and wheat 

 variety fields, the applications last year exceeded 400. The greater 

 number of these applications received favorable consideration, for it 

 seemed necessary to confirm the results of the former year by a 

 repetition of similar tests, and to widen the scope of experiments so 

 as to secure answers to problems in connection with manuring that 

 had not been attempted in the first tests. There was the question of 

 potash manuring, for instance, to be decided ; of nitrogen applied in 

 diiierent forms, and in different ways ; of the application of lime and 

 gypsum ; of the comparative effect of an application of a superphos- 

 phate in the drill, as a top dressing, and ploughed in ; of the spring 

 cultivation of the growing crop ; and other points. All these points 

 were considered in the tests of the following year. Many of the 

 operations for determining the result of such tests had, however, to be 

 left in the hands of the farmer, and in many cases there are not 

 sufficient guarantees that these were properly carried out. As a result 

 of the second year's experiments on wheat-manuring in the north of 

 Victoria, I can now draw your attention to the average of 94 fields. 

 The fields, as you see, are representative of an enormous area of 

 country, and practically embrace the whole of our northern wheat- 

 growing area. 



