108 Ayricultural Journal of Victoria. 



the pi'iiici])al sowings of these crops had been made, and the germina- 

 tion, unfortunately, was not sufficiently good to satisfy the farmer who, 

 in most cases, precipitately ploughed the crops in. In only two cases 

 out of about ten fields were results obtained from the cow pea plots. 

 In the case of the soy bean the stand was too poor to admit of harvest- 

 ing as a forage crop. The individual plants, however, gave particularly 

 heavy yields of grain as illustrated. The crop of cow peas grown on 

 the farm of Mr. Grant produced at the rate of 15' 16 tons of forage to 

 the acre. At the Tol)acco Farm, at Edi, a maximum yield of 16' 17 

 tons was obtained. There seems every reason to my mind for believ- 

 ing that, sown fairly late in the year when the soil has warmed well, 

 the cow pea will do well in Gi])psland and the Western district. But 

 we require to largely test the many different varieties oi this plant. 

 There should be some among the many which ought to prove a valu- 

 able protein producing summer forage, grown preferably not alone, 

 but together with amber cane, or one of the other highly carbonaceous 

 plants. The same remarks might also apply to the soy bean. The 

 tests so far cai^ried out, however, in both cases were not sufHciently 

 numerous or conclusive to warrant advising the farmer as yet to take 

 either crop up extensively. 



The Beet. 



Quite apart from the forage experiments proper, of which I have 

 been dealing, beet seed, sufficient in most cases for one acre, was 

 supplied to 381 farmers. Of this number 180 fields were put in by 

 my drill officers. I had warmly advocated this crop in my lecture 

 before the conference of the Rural Producers' Association, at Shep- 

 parton, and it is most satisfactory for me to know that the crop has 

 generally done so well. It is put forward as no new discovery that it 

 is a forage croj) of value, but the recognition of its value as such in 

 Victoria is certainly of recent origin. In France beets for forage 

 purposes are considered worth 75 per cent, as much as the price paid 

 for sugar-making. Twice as many beets are there grown for stock 

 food as for sugar. The average yield of 156 fields in Gippsland and the 

 Western district was 1472 tons of dressed roots nearly. Counting the 

 weight of tops and collar that were removed in the dressed beet, the 

 yield might, perhaps, be brought up to 18 tons or more. It is stated 

 that European feeders " consider these tops worth as much as the 

 best hay, pound for pound." 



The Results of Fertilization. 



The manures used on the different sections of the fields were 

 as follows : — 



Section B. — 2 cwt. Ordinary Superphosphate 

 C— 2 ,, 



1 ,, Nitrate of Soda 

 ,, E. — 2 ,, Ordinary Superphosphate 



I ,, Potash Chloride 

 ., F. — 2 ,, Ordinary Superphosphate 

 1 ,, Nitrate of Soda 

 3 ,, Potash Chloride 

 H. — 2 ,, Ordinary Superphosphate 

 1 ,, Nitrate of Soda 

 •3 ,, Gypsum 



