Two Year.s' ]\'orlx in the Chemical Branch. 183 



yield ou the adjoining unman nred plot wa.s only 124 cases or sliglitly 

 under the half of the manured plot. That the yield on this unmanured 

 plot was much the same as the yields from the other unmanured plots 

 will be seen by com])aving- it with the average yield of all the unmanured 

 plots. This as we found was 131 cases. As it is probable 1 shall 

 give a paper next September on the results of fruit manure experi- 

 ments before the Victorian Fruitgrowers' Association, tliis mere 

 reference to the mattei- will suffice for the present. 



The Manuring of Hops. 



An industry in which every effort is required to raise it from 

 a languishing to a successful state is that of hop growing. It is pro- 

 bable that both increased yield and improved quality might follow the 

 use of.manui-es in our hop gardens, if the returns from one experi- 

 ment can be relied n})()n as offering a basis for the expressions of 

 opinion, then it seems certain that the application of suitable manures 

 to the lio]j crop would })rove a highly profitable operation. 



There were sonu- striking increases in yield obtained from experi- 

 nientiU plots in the Bairnsdale district. There were 18 plots in the 

 field, six unmanured and 12 manured. The average yield on the six 

 unmanured plots was 440 bushels per acre. The average yield'of the 

 12 manured plots was 51() bushels, an increase of 7(3 bushels. On 

 two of the plots, however, treated with a complete manure, there were 

 increased yields of 180 bushels. The dressing giving the most pro- 

 fitable returns a])pears to be : 



3 cwt. sul])hate of ammonia ])er acre. 

 4^ cwt. bonedust, 

 1 cwt. ])otash chloride. 



At late market prices of «.»d. per lb. for the dried hops, this would 

 give approximately Is. per bushel. The value of the increased yields 

 of 180 bushels would be £i), which, taking into consideration all extra 

 labor involved ought'to result in a handsome profit. 



Experiments in Beet Growing. 



There is one crop I wish to call your attention to before closing. 

 This is the beet, a crop, in my opinion, still full of large possibili- 

 ties. Over ")0 fields were put down in Victoria last year, most of 

 thein manured. The greatest number was in the Maffra district. 

 The average yield and value of 29 crops based on determinations made 

 between February 18tli and April the 8th was 8-46 tons and £7 1:)S. od. 

 Had the estimate been made up to the end of March only the value 

 would have been higher, as the heavy Easter rains soon showed their 

 effect on sugar ])ercentage. We had then a harvesting period of a 

 high sugar iiercentage of say 6 weeks. A week or fortnight after 

 this a crop left in the ground would have been reduced very con- 

 siderably in value. Determinations of the sugar percentage were 

 afterwards made periodically. Between the 8th of April and the 



