Bush Fire.s and Stubhle Burning. 429 



wasteful method when carried out systematically, and can only be 

 excused when lack of capital forces a man to choose this method of 

 harvesting. A farmer who keeps stock should not, if possible, resort 

 to it as a general practice ; the unreliability of the labour market, and 

 the absolute necessity for reducing current expenses forces the farmer 

 to do many things that he would not attempt otherwise, and one of 

 these is stripping. Nevertheless the practice is not a good one, and 

 this has been exemplified during the drought this year, since straw is so 

 scarce over the northern parts of Victoria. Great as the loss of straw 

 is felt for stock, a still greater loss is that felt by the land of organic 

 matter, and whether this is supplied by green manuring, stable 

 manure, or from straw rotted in the piggeries, byres, or small yards, 

 or by the cattle eating it from the stacks in the outfield, the same 

 general results are derived. There is one thing certain, our wheat- 

 growing area is less able to retain and absorb moisture, is drier 

 in dry weather, more sloppy in wet weather, and colder dviring the 

 winter -and spring than it would be if sufficient organic matter 

 were present. We find that light dressings of fertilizers give 

 the more economical returns, firstly because of the light rainfall, and 

 partly because the amount of humus present in the soil is, as a rule, too 

 small. Also thorough cultivation is not general, thus the texture of 

 the soil is not conducive to the retaining of moisture, and the 

 application of heavier dressings of fertilizers. At present there is no 

 need to expand on this matter, but it is necessary to show that the 

 straw burnt is a real loss to the farmer. 



The chief advantages gained by burning the stubbles are : — 



1. Cheapness and rapidity of harvesting. 



2. Reducing the amount of humus in soils already too rich in it. 



3. Destroying fungus and insect pests. 



The following are some of the disadvantages : — 



1. Loss of humus or organic matter, which applies to most soils. 



2. Loss of nitrogen. 



3. Loss of beneficial bacterial life. 



4. Absence of straw during winter and droughty seasons. 



In order to check bush fires from carrying all before them, if some 

 headlands be cultivated and kept free from weeds, and then about 

 October were sown down with broom corn or sorghum, a good fire- 

 break would be at hand, whilst after harvesting the crop, the stock 

 put on the stubbles would have a good bite of green feed, or the 

 broom corn could be marketed if the fibre were a good sample. 



Every farmer who has valuable stacks of hay or wheat is careful 

 to have a fire-break around them, as well as around his homestead and 

 buildings. Such simple precautions are often the means of saving 

 much valuable property from destruction, especially if a few beating 

 appliances are kept handy. 



