S Oct., 1907.] 1 Diprovement of Soils. 611 



of the lucerne roots which were pulled up by the cultivator, and found 

 them full of air bubbles or in a state of fermentation. It is quite possible 

 (speaking of the land at Mildura) to take up poor land and bring it into 

 profitable condition at once, as all leguminous crops flourish here. The 

 tares sown with the barley did splendidly. The ground was slightly poor, 

 but the tares filled up the spaces and I had a very heavy crop of splendid 

 feed. I have recentlv bought 30 acres of poor land, land which has been 

 cropped until it would bear no more. Of this I have planted 10 acres 

 with lucerne. This season I have cut it twice and grazed once and it 

 has started well all over. The other 20 acres I am going to divide up 

 into four equal lots, with a water hole in centre, so that the one water 

 hole will serve each lot. Three lots will be under crop, the fourth the 

 cattle will be on. This plan of subdivision works very well, as there is 

 no waste or manure to pick up and the liquid manure is all saved, while 

 when yarding and feeding it is lost. They will go- round the lots in 

 rotation. As soon as all feed is cut and taken off, they will enter the 

 paddock, and the previous one will be ploughed and sown. As this 

 ground is poor, I am putting in tares with the barley, and thereby I hope 

 to have a good crop of feed. In a few years without any outside help in 

 the shape of manure, I hope to bring this land up to a high state of 

 cultivation. On my land at home, I cannot arrange things so well, as, 

 being laid out under fruit and vines I have the buildings all on one side, 

 and I find it inconvenient on account of watCT to put the cows on small 

 lots, so I have toi yard, and clean up manure. 



Another thing which has done well with me has been my lemon trees. 

 Last year I had £120 net, for a little over an acre. Lemon crops last 

 year were very small, but mine was the heaviest I ever had. The present 

 crop exceeds last year's. In fact I think they have overdone themselves, 

 as several trees have collapsed under the weight of fruit. TwO' trees have 

 split the main stem and big branches have broken off others, and there are 

 more to come, as the lemons are only about three-quarters grown. This 

 week I have been picking what ripe ones there are. About three tons 

 have been picked but do not appear to have made the slightest difference. 

 I am now able to give a good estimate of the crop, which, I think, will 

 run up to 20 tons, as against 10 tons for last year. Lemoii trees all over 

 Alddura are dving, and are being pulled up, although all kinds of manure 

 have been applied. These trees are a healthy dark green, whilst five years 

 ago thev were a sickly vellow. Eleven years ago I put artificial manure 

 on, but it was no good, so I dug up about 3 acres in 1900 and left the 

 rest in for shade for calves and pigs. Some think the calves and pigs 

 have done it. All the calves and pigs have added is the manure from 

 skim milk and a little pollard. I put it down to a clover which grows 

 wild. I first sowed rape 4 years ago, but none since, as this clover came 

 in itself, spread all over, and grew as well as if it had been sown. At the 

 present time I have a beautiful crop, everv inch of the ground being 

 covered. It grows up to i foot high. After the lemons are picked I 

 put in a lot of young pigs and half-a-dozen calves to eat it down. In 

 November I ploughetl it three different ways, 3 inches deep, then disc 

 harrowed it three times. I water it in March and then leave it alone and 

 up comes the clover again. Hn I have brought back this land into good 

 heart without any outside help. I now think that we, as farmers, are 

 oniv just beginning to learn and feel how little we know when we thought 

 we knew everything. 



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