lo Aug., 1911.] Experimental Forage Plots, igio-ii. 553 



EXPERIMENTAL FORAGE PLOTS, lOlO-lL 



T. A. J. Siv.it li. Chief Field Ofjicer. 



Maize. 



For convenience and information as to tlie varieties suited to different 

 districts, the maize plots ha\e been divided into tliree areas, viz., Northern 

 and Central, Southern, and \\'estern. All the plots were sown with the 

 same weights of seed and manures, that of seed being 28 lbs. per acre, and 

 the manure i cwt. superphosphate and \ cwt. sulphate of ammonia per 

 acre. It is necessary to mention that some of the plots were partially 

 destroyed by rabbits, and in another instance stock had been turned on 

 before some of the later varieties had time to fully mature. On one plot, 

 the maize had been cut and used for green feed ; though the approximate 

 weights were taken by the owner, they are not taken into account in the 

 averages, as only those i)lots weighed by an officer of the Department can 

 be considered, in order to secure uniform calculations. 



Northern and Central. — -The plots that did best were at Pootilla, Swan 

 Hill, Eallarat, and Bacchus Marsh. Yellow Moruya and Sydney Flat 

 Red ga\e an average return of i6| tons per acre from .seventeen plots. At 

 Pootilla, in a rich red loam, Yellow Moruya returned 25I tons per acre. 

 Boone County Special and Blood Red came next, with an average of 15 

 tons for the same number of fields. Owing to its small seeds, Blood Red 

 was sown very much thicker than any of the other varieties. If this maize 

 were sown the same distance apart as the others, 1 think that it would yield 

 very heavily, especially as a very noticeable feature about it was the number 

 of cobs that each plant grew in compari.son with those alongside it. Cold- 

 mine gave an average return of i^f tons, and Eclipse and Hickorv King. 

 13 and i2| tons respectively. 



Southern. — In the Southern area. Yellow Moruva again leads with an 

 average yield of 16^ tons per acre from eight plots. In the Alberton plot 

 this variety returned 32^ tons per acre, Sydney Flat Red coming next with 

 15I tons. Farmers all speak very highly of Sydney Flat Red and Blood 

 Red, as they are not so coarse as Yellow Moruya and Hickory King. 

 Eclipse, for the same number of plots, gave an average return of 15]- tons. 

 Boone County Special. 13 ; Coldmine. 12^ ; Hickorv King, ii ; and Blood 

 Red. 10 tons per acre. com})lete the list of varieties sown in the Southern 

 experimental fields. These figures do not rlo the best crops justice, as two 

 of the i)lots were waterlogged for a eonsidfrabic period, thus bringing 

 the averages down considerably. 



Western. — In the Western area, the averages are lower again than in 

 either of the other two. Eclipse is the only maize that shows an improve- 

 ment. It leads with an average weight of i6| tons per acre for seven 

 fields, Yellow Moruya coming next with 14! tons for the same number. 

 The remaining varieties follow in tin- following order: Hickory King and 

 Boone County Special, 10,^ tons: Svdney V\a\ \\i-A. 10 tons; Hlood Red. 

 9J tons ; and Coldmine, 8| tons. 



'I'he sample of Hickory King st>ed was not the best. Owing to its 

 luning be<n kiln dried, a large percentage of the germs had Iuh-u burnt, 

 and naturally a pcjor germination followed. 



In some cases, the farmers had taken an inh-lligent interest in the ero|), 

 and harl worked the ground well and kept it in splendid condition ; while 

 others did not give the ])lot> the .iitenfion required to gi\<' them .1 f.iir 

 chance. 



