38 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Jan., 191 i. 



room for general impro\eraent. That of Messrs. Chaplin and Heinrich was 

 much superior to the others. A mistake often made is that the work is 

 done too late and not deeply enough, and the object of the system of 

 fallowing is lost, to a certain extent. There are few wheat fields upon 

 which crops of any kind can be brought to maturity with the maximum 

 yields that the soils are capable of producing, without adopting some 

 suitable means of saving soil moisture. The fallow ploughing should 

 be finished early to give the winter rains a chance of soaking into the 

 loose soil. The effectiveness of subsequent tillage in soil moisture is 

 greater in the spring than at almost any other time. In the spring 

 there is invariably a wet surface exposed, and this wet surface carries 

 off much more water very rapidly. The farmer should aim to keep 

 simply a dry, shallow loo.se blanket of soil, which will make an effective 

 mulch. It frequently happens that, owing to the large area to be 

 covered, it is not possible to work it all as early as would give the best 

 results. In such cases, where one has not time to form a thorough mulch, 

 a single cut of the disc, or even the spiked-tooth harrow, vill work wonders 

 in conserving soil moisture. 



F. — For the most complete equipment and class of implements and 

 suitable machinery, Mr. Chaplin is very much ahead of the other com- 

 petitors. No doubt, a good deal of his success can be attributed to the 

 use of modern machinery. All implements were under cover in a splen- 

 didly built shed, and showed care and attention. What is there about 

 a farm that indicates the poor management of its owner, more than to 

 see farm implements left out in the sun and rain ? On the whole, the 

 implements on the different farms were in good order and up to date. 



G. — The majority of the competitors have the ordinary post, five 

 plain and one barb wire fences, and "Cyclone" gates, and there is not 

 much to choose between them. The excellent fences surrounding the 

 homesteads and subdivisional paddocks of Messrs. Cust and Chaplin are 

 worthy of special mention. Mr. Chaplin's property has ho less than 

 22 miles of rabbit proof wire-netting and 22 splendidly set up rabbit 

 proof wire gates. The whole of his boundary and subdivisional fencing 

 is wire-netted. Although this might appear to the casual observer an 

 expensive undertaking the financial results have been such as to warrant 

 the expenditure. Rabbits appear to be on the increase throughout the 

 district and, as one who has had a wide experience of their destructive- 

 ness, I would seriously draw the attention of the farmers to the im- 

 mediate necessity of stamping them out. 



H . — In the section for the best kept kitchen garden and orchard there 

 was plenty of room for improvement. One of the chief pleasures and profits 

 of a farm, but what was absent from so many of the properties in- 

 spected, is the vegetable garden and orchard. From the standpoint of 

 health, as well as that of economy, a plentiful supply of vegetables and 

 fruit is desirable. In most ca.ses also, great interest is taken in the 

 vegetable garden by the women of the household who fully realize its 

 \-alue ; and it is often the means of keeping the boy on the farm by 

 encouraging him to minister to the comfort of the family through a well- 

 kept and profitable garden. 



The owner of the winning farm (Mr. Chaplin) has received since 

 January the sum of ^^55 9s. 6d. from the sale of fruit and vegetables. 

 At the time of inspection, growing in profusion, there v/ere peas, cabbages, 

 lettuces, carrots, potatoes, tom.atoes, cucumbers, water and pie melons,. 



