■6io Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [ii Sept., 1911. 



generally better, provided the land has been kept in good order, clean, 

 and the surface kept broken to conserve the moisture. Only once in 30 

 years' experiments have I had a total failure in following this method, 

 though mould has appeared to some extent almost e\ery year. The work 

 of attending the beds is slight and does not entail such sacrifice of time, 

 or labour, if as much, as three times the actual quantity of beds recjuired 

 is sown. 



Cut Worms are troublesome in some ca.ses, and attack the young plants 

 as soon as they are transplanted. Clean cultivation during the autumn and 

 winter will go far to ridding the field of this pest. If they are still found 

 in the .soil, a mixture of arsenic, i part, to flour or bran, 20 parts, with 

 sugar or molasses sufficient to sweeten the mixture will, if placed about the 

 plants in the evening, kill them. Care should be taken to spread the baits 

 about sundown, as the cut worms come out in the night and will not take 

 the baits if dry. 



Grasshoppers are at times a nuisance. Paris green, i part to 20 parts 

 of flour, will, if dusted on the plants, kill these pests. The same treat- 

 ment will be found effective for the green caterpillar which attacks the 

 plant, the best way in which to administer the poison being from a muslin 

 bag on the end of a stick. The bag is held over the centre of the plant 

 and the stick tapped when the powder will be well sprinkled over the heart 

 of the plant. A very little will be sufficient and it is not wise to apply 

 as much as will whiten the plant. 



The Tobacco Miner, so named on account of the way in which it 

 burrows between the outer skins of the leaf, is difficult to cope with. 

 Cleanliness in working the land, and burning all affected leaves to destroy 

 the larvae, is the best remedv. Xo treatment has so far l:>een found 

 effective. 



The Flea Beetle. Wire Worm, Pole Burn, and other troubles of this 

 kind, do not appear to have affected tobacco in Victoria. 



FARM BLACKSMITHIXG. 



{Continued from page 549.) 



George Baxter, Instructor in Blacksmithing, Working Men's College, 



Melbourne. 



III.— TOOLS. 



Having fitted up the forge satisfactorily the next consideration is tools. 

 It will be necessary to purchase a certain number, and with these all 

 others may be made, providing sufficient skill be attained. It will be 

 understood from this that all black.smith's tools and, in fact, the tools 

 of all trades, are with few exceptions made by blacksmiths, so that volumes 

 might be written on tool-making alone. The tools used by smiths are 

 countless, as special tools are made to suit special cases ; and, in many 

 instances, before a job can be carried out, the requisite tools must first be 

 made. 



The accompanying sketches show the least number of tools to begin 

 with. They would cost about jQi 5s. — a comparatively slight amount when 

 the time they wnll last, together with the variety and amount of work that 

 may be done with them, is taken into consideration. 



