Co-operative Forage E.vpcrimcnts in Southern. Victoria. 101 



annual forage, maize will exceed, or even equal, Ijotli in yield of pro- 

 duce and the quality of its iautrients, all the forage plants tried, then 

 there is nothing to justify the dairyman leaving a well-tried crop for others 

 new to him. If, on the other hand, there are reasons to believe that 

 certain other cro])s will, with an equal amount of labor, return him a 

 greater bulk of fodder, of greater palatability and higher feeding 

 value than the one he has been accustomed to grow, then it would 

 most certainly be to his interest to introduce such crops on his farm. 



Comparison of Results. 



Maize Compared with the Sorghums, 



A comparison of the following figures in which maize is compared 

 with crops similar in character will oifer facts for forming opinions in 

 this direction : — 



Maize Compared with Planters' Friend. 



Maize. Planters' Friend. Maize. 



Tons. 



Average of 5 Fields 



Tons. 

 9-73 



Tons. 

 10-50 



11-48 



Planters' Friend. 

 Tons. 



13-48. 



Amber Cane Compared with Planters' Friend. 



Amber Cane. Planters' Friend. Amber Cane. Planters' Friend. 

 Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 



Average of G Fields .. 11-22 1237 13-54 16-45 



It will be seen that for check purposes double comparisons have 

 been made. That is the average yields of all the manured sections 

 have been compared, as well as the average of the sections showing 

 the maximum yield. As a general thing the figures of the second 

 comparison are in agreement with those of the first. In the first line 

 of figures of the tables, the comparative average yields of 14 crops of 

 maize, amber cane, Kaffir corn and Egyptian corn are given. These 

 crops were grown side by side on the different fields. The superiority 

 of the amber cane and the maize over the Kaffir and Egyptian com is 

 so marked in both comparisons and was so pronounced in the ajjpear- 

 ance of the crops in the fields as to give grounds for believing that in 

 Southern Victoria at any rate, these two latter crops have nothing 

 special to recommend them to the dairyman except as a food supply 

 for later periods. With respect to amber cane it will be found that in 

 both sets of comparisons the average yield of this crop has exceeded 

 Tjy more than one ton to the acre those obtained fi'om the maize crops. 



