428 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



is left, whilst the remainder passes away in a gaseous form, with the 

 exception of a little charcoal that may not be completely burnt away, 

 ^he fire, if a severe one, destroys a good deal of beneficial bacterial 

 life, and frequently there is none too much of this in the greater 

 number of our soils, hence one cause, and a prominent one, for 

 infertility. Certainly it may become rather mystifying, knowing this,, 

 to determine what should be done when there is a large area of coarse 

 grass on a grazing run. As a rule it is found more economical to 

 burn it off, and look to the young sweet growth as a recompense. If 

 the latter be cut eai'ly enough it would likely make a second class 

 ensilage, but this presupposes that the land is sufiiciently clear for the 

 carrying out of the work, and that labour is available. It would be 

 advisable to endeavour, as soon as possible, to replace the coarse 

 grasses by the finer kinds, and so reduce the necessity for burning olf 

 In the northern parts of the State there is rarely much of this grass, 

 as these heavily stocked areas are so well grazed by sheep that the 

 old grass is useful for a time in protecting the young shoots coming 

 through it. In some parts the grass and scrub are burnt in order to 

 destroy ticks and other parasites. How far this is successful is a moot 

 point ; theoretically, however, the loss of organic matter is an 

 important factor ; but left to natural conditions the decay of the 

 vegetable matter is so slow that it is necessary in some instances tO' 

 burn off the coarse herbage at regular intervals, unless paper mills 

 were close at hand, when it would pay to cut the grass. Frequently 

 it is the burning off of these areas that starts many severe bush fires, 

 since insufticieut precautions are taken to keep the fires well vmder 

 control. In regard to the finer class of grasses, the old growth is the 

 natural protection of the young growth from frost, and when it decays 

 each year, acts as :i, natural mulch and seed bed. The better the 

 pasture grasses the more reason that, even when dry, they should be 

 preserved from fires, irrespective of their usefulness for stock during" 

 the summer and autumn. 



The burning of the stubble after stripping is certainly a retrogade 

 m.ovement on farms, as it is so much enei'gy misdirected or lost to the 

 farm, only mineral matter is left, which primarily has been obtained 

 from the soil, and is simply returned to it as a light top dressing. 

 All the organic matter so needful to our soils, and whose absence 

 is, without doubt, one of the chief causes of infertility in many 

 instances, passes into the air from which it came. This act of 

 burning, practically speaking, means that the plants, after their 

 season's work, leave only a few ashes drawn from the soil, also the 

 roots, to show for it. The stored-up energy has been dissipated, and 

 has passed to other channels, but the soil gains little in comparison to 

 what it should. There is no doubt but that our wheat areas are 

 rapidly losing their fertility from the absence in the soil of this 

 organic matter. It is interesting to unravel the skein of mystery that 

 we see before us every day in our crops, and to ask seriously, is it 

 right that we should burn our stubbles ? Do we really cheapen the 

 cost of farming, or is it an ephemeral practice that will leave us sadly 

 disappointed in the end? There is no doubt but that stripping is a 



