14 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



In both cases it will be seen the operation resulted in a substantial 

 gain. It is possible that this one little result may be the beginning- of 

 great future changes in the treatment of the growing crop. Every- 

 thing points to the probability of the loose earth mulch effecting the 

 conservation of moisture in the undersoils of our fields under crojT just 

 as it does in those of the bare fallow. 



Summary of Results in the North. 



I have now brought under your notice the more important of the 

 many facts resulting from the experiments of the Chemical Branch in 

 the Northern areas. We know that the use of the drill, and the 

 application of light dressings of phosphatic manures have now become 

 general in those areas. That the Chemical Branch has been wholly 

 and solely responsible for all this has never yet been affirmed. All 

 honour is due to those progressive farmers who, on their own initiative 

 and without any assistance from the Department, carried out tests on 

 their own farms with no pretence to any knowledge of the under- 

 lying principles. The facts that they stumbled on have been 

 of great assistance, for they gave hints to minds who knew 

 how to interpret them — that pointed the way and made it 

 easier. The light dressings of lO, 20, and oO lbs. used in the first 

 experiments of three years ago, and giving such astonishing results, 

 that are the wonder of European chemists, were suggested by the act 

 of a Victorian farmer : for that idea had its birth in the marked 

 improvement following the pickling of the grain with a few pounds to the 

 bushel only of a phosphatic manure — a method introduced by Mr. Salter. 

 All honour is due as well to our splendid weekly agricultural 

 papers for the wide publicity they have given to the results of 

 manuring, and for their advocacy that the Department should take the 

 matter up as it really deserved to be taken up. In dealing with the 

 work of the chemical branch, I have not forgotten, nor do I under- 

 value, the other forces working in a similar direction, but without any 

 spirit of boast, it is a performance to create some feeling of pride that 

 this branch has succeeded within the short space of two years in 

 solving the soil problems chemically considered, and as far as cereal 

 crops are concerned, of ])ractically the whole wheat-growing area of 

 the northern ])ortion of Victoria. The great mass of facts already to 

 hand allow us to speak in full confidence of the universal soil deficiency 

 of that area, the manure most cheaply and effectively su|)plying it — 

 the ap])roximate (puintity, taking one year with another, giving the 

 bests results, and the increased yield and probable profits the farmer 

 can rely upon for his expenditure. Such a body of facts is worth a 

 thousand times more than the money required to obtain them. 



