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Journal of AgriciiU/irc, Yictoria. [jo Aug., 1911. 



Having- got the .soil into iinc tilth (and a golden rule in all eultujcd 

 operations is. " Secure tilth before seeding, not after it '"), die sowing 

 •can take place. Some auUioritie.s recommend the u.se of the roller just 

 prior to seeding; others use fine harrows or a float to get th.e r( quisite 

 Jineness. On the whole, the roller has been found to work well. 



Drilling machines, or " Seeders '''' as th.ey are termed in America, are 

 usually made to sow from three to live rows at a time, so that a large area 

 can wry ijuicklv be seeded. On small ])l(;ts. however, the Planet Jr. 

 .seed drill sowing one row will be found useful and ine\pensi\-e. From 

 very long experience in other countries, as well as in ^'ictoria. rows i8-iii. 

 apart have l)een found to give the best results ; and. while as much as 

 20 ll)s. of seed i)er acre are used in America, the Victorian experience is 

 that 11 lbs. i)er acre will suffice. 



The seed may be planted from the middle of .August to the end of 

 Septemljer and should be drilled about f in. deep in moist weather, and 

 not more than i in. deep in drv conditions. The .seed usuallv germinates 

 in from 7 to 1 4 days, and here it is well to state that only the best 

 <]ualitv of seed should b'e u-ed. The Maffra Factr>i-\-. through its 



DRILLING. 



Technical Manager. Mr. (_i. S. Dyer, is importing fine qualitv seed this 

 \ear which will be distributed to growers at cost price. One of the 

 conditions made with growers for the factorv is that they shall use the 

 factory .seed only. Small (juantities of .seed will also be made available 

 to those in other parts of the State who wish to grow trial plots. 



Cultivation. 



Cultix'ation should be (omnienced as .soon as the beets are just through 

 the ground so as to keep the weeds down. Culti\'ators with flat sweeps 

 or duck feet have been usuallv found most effecti\'e ; as. if the land is 

 in fine tilth, surface cultivation onlv is needed. 



In dry weather, this method of cultivation is strongly to be recom- 

 mended, as. the broad hoes l)reak the fine capillary tubes that are leading 

 moisture to- the surface, and leave a mulch of soil which effectivelv pro- 

 tects the underground moisture during a drv spell. Should showers fall 

 during such a drv pericci this stvle of cultivation is very "mportant. for 

 when the top .soil is damp, it leads to connexion with the underground 

 moisture and much mav be lost by evaporation : Imt. if the cultivators are 



