182 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



Nortlieru areas. Tlie smaller number of results to hand, and tlie 

 various other reasons I have already called attention to, ])revent one 

 speaking with too much confidence, but a few striking- facts stand 

 out in the results before you ; that is, that all these soils respond to 

 phosphoric acid, and that a combination of a complete manure gives 

 better results than phosphoric acid alone ; that nitrogen is required in 

 a much less degree, and potash to a still less extent. There will be 

 soils where the various requirements might be in the reverse order, 

 but the fact I state might, I think, be accepted as generally true. It 

 will be the work of my branch to confirm this. I will again, however, 

 direct vour attention to the fact that by a judicious system of rotation 

 the expense of nitrogen manuring might be largely, perhaps entirely, 

 got rid of for many crops. 



Manuring the Orchard. 



From the consideration of soil requii-ements in different parts of our 

 State, I might, I think bring before you a few results obtained in the 

 manuring of special crops, and these facts may possibly direct atten- 

 tion to the large possible profits obtainable from the manuring of 

 other* crops besides grain and hay. In my endeavours to illustrate 

 the soil requireinents of different parts of the State I have already 

 called your attention to some very fine increases in potato and rape 

 crops. A few words on our efforts in the orchard might not be out 

 of place. The use of manures is rapidly extending in the orchards of 

 Victoria and this use must be justified by appreciably increased 

 returns, otherwise we should never find the movement extending 

 among fruitgrowers as it is doing. If manures are so productive of 

 good results in the orchard, it might be expected that the branch 

 could ()ffer results just as instructive as those in other crops. But 

 experiments in fruit manuring require time and much trouble, and 

 the extra trouble coming, as it does, in a busy season is very fre- 

 quently never taken, the result is that weights are not recorded and 

 returns not sent in. Our most interesting returns during the last 

 two years are in the manuring of peach trees. At Mr. Haig's orchard, 

 at Tatura, where a complete maiiure was used, manuring showed a 

 profit of (34 cases to the acre. At Lancaster, in the orchard of the 

 (.lallagher Bros., particularly interesting and profitable results were 

 obtained. There were 14 plots in this field of eight trees each. Five 

 remained unman ured for check purposes, nine were manured. The 

 average yield of the five uumanured plots was 5,247 lbs. or 131 cases. 

 The average yield of the nine manured, 7,205 lbs. per acre, an average 

 gain, due to manuring, of 1,958 lbs., or, approximately, of 49 cases 

 per acre. But there were plots which showed, naturally, a very much 

 higher gain than this. The returns show, in nearly every case, that 

 where nitrogen was added to the manure a lower yield was obtained 

 than where nitrogen was left out. The manure giving the best result 

 was a mixtui'e of 128 lbs. concentrated superphosphate and 256 lbs. 

 potash cholride. The yield on this plot was 252 cases per acre, the 



* Some of these have been mentioned in my Annual Report. 



