12 • Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



trials were made to test the deficiency of the soils generally in these 

 ingredients. In last year's fields, however, the question received 

 attention, and the results obtained are an addition to our knowledge. 

 In the matter of potash 18 plots were put down in as many different 

 districts. The plots in each case were manured as follow : — 



Plot 1. — 51 lbs. ordinary super. 



Plot 2. — 51 lbs. ordinary super. ; 48 lbs. sulphate of ammonia. 



Plot 3. — 51 lbs. ordinary super. ; 48 lbs. sulphate of ammonia ; 

 28 lbs. potash chloride. 

 Average increased yield per acre of 18 fields in bushels — 



Plot 1.— 5-35. 



Plot 2.— 5-30. 



Plot 3.-5-53. 



In No. 1 plot we have used phosphoric acid only ; in No. 2 plot 

 phosphoric acid and nitrogen, and in No. 3 plot phosphoric acid, 

 nitrogen, and potash, but the increased yield in plot 3 where the costly 

 complete manure has been used is only approximately one-fifth of a 

 bushel more than where the supherphosphate only has been applied. 

 The soils then in the northern areas, taking the general avei'age yields 

 as a standard, are not in any appjeciable want of potash, their one 

 great hunger so far appears to be phosphoric acid only. There were, 

 undoubtedly, plots among the eighteen that did appear to have been 

 much benefited by the additional potash, but this might have been 

 due to iri'egularities which have disappeared in the general average. 



The Effect of an Application of Lime. 



There was still the necessity for lime to be considered, and the solu- 

 tion of the problem was attempted in two ways by the application of 

 lime alone, and by the application of lime in the form of gypsum in 

 conjunction with the superphosphate. The direct application of lime 

 drilled in with seed, at the rate of 1 cwt. to the acre, resulted in a 

 material gain in thirteen out of the nineteen fields where it was tried, 

 but in most cases the gain was not sufficiently great to cover the 

 expenditure. The average increase of nineteen fields was "97 bushels. 

 The average increased yield on the thirteen fields refei-red to was 1'42 

 bushels. In the case of gypsum there were results only from ten 

 fields obtained. The average increased yields were as follow : — Where 

 superphosphate only had been used, 4" 15 bushels ; where superphos- 

 phate with 56 lbs. of gypsum was applied, 4*22 bushels, an increase in 

 favour of gypsum not worth considering. This is somewhat contra- 

 dictory, for we might expect a result from gypsum somewhat propor- 

 tionate to that from lime. The number of fields, however, was not 

 sufficiently large to thoroughly test the matter, and in this year's 

 experiments I have considerably increased the number. In districts 

 where indications point to the possibility of gypsum showing effects, 

 no returns, unfortunately, are available. 



Other Questions than Soil Deficiencies. 



So far we have treated merely of soil deficiencies and the manures 

 most suitably replacing them. But there are questions in connection 



