10 Sept., 1919.] Farm Notes for August. 569 



Sheep. — The cross-bred flock ewes are still doing well. Lambing is 

 practically completed, and 92 per cent, of lambs have been marked to 

 date. The lambs are of the Border Leicest-er cross. They are good 

 lengthy sorts, and are growing rapidly. Owing to the scarcity of grass, 

 they are being grazed on oat and barley crops alternately with grass pad- 

 docks. It i':r intended toi pick out all dry ewes, and dispose of them, 

 along with 50 weaners which were purchased for feeding off experiments. 



Stud Border Leicesters. — Up to date, nineteen lambs have been 

 dropped; the balance of the ewes should lamb at an early date. Those 

 by the ISTew Zealand ram, Kelso Douglas, are w^ell developed, and show 

 good quality. 



Swine. — Fifty-four pigs are now on hand. Six baconers sold at 

 Wangaratta market on the 26th August realized £26 4s. A further 

 lot of eleven are coming on well, and should be marketable within a 

 month. One crossbred sow has littered since last report, giving twelve 

 pigs. We should have a supply of stud Berkshire pigs for sale in the 

 near future. Food supply at present consists of ground wheat and 

 barley, molasses, green oats, and barley pasture, and for young pigs a 

 little skim milk and pollard is provided. 



Additions to existing sties are in course of erection. 



Orchard. 



All fruit trees have been pruned, and the orchard will be ploughed 

 at an early date. Spraying will be commenced as soon as development of 

 buds shows that same is exoedient. 



Ornamental trees have jeen pruned and attended to where necessary. 



Tree Planting. — One hundred Robinias have been planted out, along 

 with 80 of the sugar giims sent on from Brcadford Nursery. 



Experimental Work. 



The officer in ch'arge of the Experiment Field, Mr. T. M. Whelan, 

 reports that the following work has been done during the month: — 

 Hand plots intertilled and hand-hoed; pathways between plots again 

 cultivated ; all waste land and angular pieces at north and south ends of 

 fields 1 and 2 ploughed up, headlands ploughed and crowned in centre; 

 plantations, including those where palms and trees are growing in Ser- 

 pentine Drive, ploughed and worked vip; all trees, palms, &c., pruned; 

 headlands in No. 3 ploughed, and all ploughed, unsown portions of this 

 field harrowed down in readiness for summer fodder experiments. 



All crops, including Wimmera rye grass and flax, have made excellent 

 growth, and with fair rains should give heavy yields. The rye and tare^ 

 plot in green manurial threatened to run to ear, therefore fifteen weaners 

 have been put on to feed it off. It is intended to graze all other plots m 

 this and Rotation section at an early date. Considering the dry weather 

 experienced, all tTie fodder plots, with the exception of rape, have made 

 fair second growth. The rape plot has at no time made much headway, 

 and has provided only a small amount of feed. 



Early sown Sunset wheat in No. 3 has run to ear, and with prevail- 

 ing frosts it is doubtful whether it will mature its grain. 



Pasture Grass. — The area planted with wallaby grass, clover, and 

 Panicum Prolutum, as a pasture test is commencing to make headway. 

 and with fair spring rains will probably give a return. There appears 

 to be a good germination, and if planting had been possible a couple of 

 months earlier a much better result would in all probability have been 

 obtained. 



