lo Sept., 1909.] 



Ansivers to Correspondents. 



605 



'ture of barley-grass, and lucerne, which forms the first growth each season 

 ■on the irrigated paddocks. Some of the fodder was chaffed before being 

 put in the pits. 



On thousands of farms in Victoria there are suitable sites which 

 would readily lend themselves to this form of dealing with surplus fodder. 

 A situation which is naturally drained should be selected. With the aid 

 -of ploughs and scoops very extensive accommodation can be provided in 

 a few days, in some instances within a few hours. An excavation 12 feet 

 wide by 30 feet long and 6 feet deep will hold upwards of 50 tons. 

 When filling, the material can be heaped well above the surface. The 

 excavated earth should be hilled up to and placed on top of the mass 

 so as to completelv cover and weight it down. 



SAMPLE OF SILAGE JUST TAKEN FROM PIT. 



AXSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



The Staff of the Department has been oi-g:anized to a large extent for the purpose cf g-iving information 

 to farmers. Collections in every branch of agriculture are gladly answered. Write a short letter, giving as 

 rfull particulars as possible, of your loual conditions, and state precisely what it is that vou want to know. 

 All inquiries must be accompanied by the name and address of the writer. 



Sugar Beet. — R.B.S. inquires as to best time to sow sugar beet, mangolds, 

 and amber cane. 



A7isiver. — The best time to sow sugar beet and mangolds is from the last 

 week in August to middle of October. Amber cane can be sown towards the end 

 of September when danger of frosts is over. 



Destroying Lichen.— R.S. forwards specimen of lichen for identification; and 

 asks how to get rid of it. It especially affects Piceas and Hawthorns, and gradually 

 appears to smother the boughs, ending in death to the tree. 



Answer.— The specimen appears nearest to the lichen Ramalina Eckloni, Spr., 

 but this species, though actually found in Tasmania, New South Wales, and Victoria, 

 has not previously been recorded as Victorian. A specimen of .R. Eckloni var. 

 membranacea was, however, collected by Reader in 1883 near Melbourne. Spraying 

 M'ith Bordeaux mivture — Copper sulphate, 12 lbs. ; quicklime, 8 lbs. ; water, 100 

 gallons, might be tried to keep it down. These lichens often grow on old long 



