54 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo Jan., 1911. 



square foot in twenty-four hours, equal to about half-an-inch of rain per 

 acre per day. 



Constant working of the surface soil, in order to keep a friable con- 

 dition to a depth of two or three inches, will break the rising soil moisture 

 by capillary movement to the surface, and thus prevent evaporation. The 

 growth of weeds will also be prevented and the larvse of insect pests de- 

 stroyed ; while the sweetening effect on the soil, by admitting air and 

 sunshine, will be greatly improved. 



Tobacco is a fairly deep-rooting plant ; consequently, it is advisable tc* 

 plough deeply where the surface soil is sufficiently deep to allow of such 

 a practice. This will make a better water storage and enable the plant 

 to send its roots down more easily to the subsoil, and thereby enable it 

 to obtain a better supply of moisture during a dry period. The surface 

 roots of the plant are the main feeders, however, and cultivation after 

 planting must be shallow. 



Just previous to transplanting, it is wise to plough about 5 inches 

 deep, and harrow immediately after the plough. That is to say, after 

 ploughing in the morning, be sure to harrow before leaving the land ex- 

 posed to the sun during the dinner hour ; also harrow the newly ploughed 

 land in the evening before leaving for the night. This will keep the soil 

 moisture in and the land will be found to harrow down much better. Some 

 growers run a light roller over the land after the harrow and just before 

 planting. This will certainly leave the ground looking nice; but if the 

 roller is heavy enough to leave a caked surface on the soil, it is better 

 either not to roll at all, or if the roller has been used, to run a set of light 

 harrows over afterwards. 



{To be continued.) 



IRRIGIATION. 



G. H. TolJey, Manager, Wyuna Irrigation Farm. 



{Continued from page 689, Vol. VIII.) 



Grading and Smoothing. 



The next operation is grading and smoothing the surface, and to any 

 one proposing to irrigate without doing this I say most emphatically, 

 don't. With a well graded surface most of the toilsome mucky work of 

 irrigating disappears. There will always be some, and the irrigator 

 should save his old boots and make up his mind to wet feet. 



Having now brought the land to a fine tilth, set out the pegs and 

 taken the levels, as previously described, mark on each of those pegs the 

 amount of cutting and filling required, or dab them with black or white 

 paint respectively. It is a ready guide to the grader, and saves reference 

 to the plan. In most of the Goulburn Valley soils very little grading 

 is permissible; the sub.soil is too near the surface, and it might perhaps 

 be more correct to refer to it as smoothing. In the great majority of 

 cases this is really all that is necessary, and therefore the expense is 

 light. And in that connexion it is well to remember that when it is once 

 done it is not very likely that much subsequent work will be necessary. 

 When it is required, it is generally in the case of fiUed-in crab holes and 

 other depressions which, unless well crowned up, will invariably sink after 

 a few irrigations. Where low crab-holey ground is to be treated, it is 

 good practice to take off two or three cereal or other crops first. The 

 constant stirring of and traffic over the land, and the accumulation of 



