i6 Nov., 1909.] Green Manuring. 743 



UKEE.X MAM'KLNG. 



As stated in the last issue of the Journal, regular lectures dealing with 

 the scientific aspect of the work in hand are delivered at the Rutherglen 

 Viticultural College. On the following evening essays on these addresses 

 are written by the boys at the College. The following essay on Green 

 -Manuring, by' one of them (H. Nash, aged fifteen years), shows that an 

 interest is taken in, and some of the points are grasped, by the boys: — 



" The soil is a storehouse and a factory. We call it a storehouse 

 because in the soil are stored the materials needed for the plant to live. 

 It is called a factory Ijecause it acts on these materials, so rendering 

 them ready for the plant to feed on. 



" There are no other ways of permanently improving the soil so 

 efficiently and so cheaply as green manuring. It adds valuable materials 

 and also enables certain useful changes to take place in the soil. Heav\ 

 land is loosened by humus. Humus m;;les the soil more absorbent, 

 enables it to retain moisture and warmth, 1 .rmits air to enter, and allows 

 the useful bacteria to work better. The best sort of plants for green 

 manuring are podbearing plants. These plants can take nitrogen from 

 the air by means of bacteria. The bacteria make their home in the 

 little nodules on the roots of these plants, and are thought 1^\ some people 

 to be a disease. 



" The best time to plough in a green crop is when it is in full bloom, 

 for then it is richest. It has stored up food ready for the pod. The 

 water, carbonic acid gas, fermentation germs, and bacteria cause the plant 

 to decay. This sets up chemical changes in the soil, which tiim the 

 insoluble or dormant parts of soil into active or .soluble plant food. 

 Growing plants get some of their food from the subsoil. This is deposited 

 in the surface soil by green manuring. Green manuring improves the 

 soil by : — 



1. The addition of humus, which helps to keep the soil loose. 



2. The addition of nitrogen. 



3. The decay of plants acting chemically on the soil. 



4. Liberating the food drawn up from subsoil. 



5. Enabling bacteria to do good work. 



6. Adding considerable quantity of water. 



Green manuring is specially valuaVjle in the orchard and vineyai"d." 



ANSWERS TO C0RRE8P0XDENTS. 



Cereal Hoeixg Implements. — T. McP. asks : — (i) Whether there is any 

 implement in use in Victoria that is suitable for cultivating between the 7-inch 

 rows of crop, as planted by the ordinary seed drill ? (2) Whether it would be 

 advisable to plant the usual quantity of grain, but in fewer rows, say, i foot 

 apart, to allow of more successful inter-row cultivation. 



Answer. — (i) Some years ago there was a cereal hoeing implement on the 

 market, but it never came into general use. (2) The practice of wider spacing 

 of rows for cereals than the usual 7 inches has been tried, with unsuccessful results. 

 Weeds are found to occupy the vacant land, and compete with the crop for 

 moisture. 



W.S.B. inquires as to the best varieties of maize for the Koo-wee-rup 

 district. 



Answer. — For grain purposes, the Early Yellow Dent will be found most 

 likely to give a good yield. For fodder purposes y(jii cannot do better than 

 try Hickory King, Yellow Moruya, or Eclipse. 



