10 Mabch, 1916.] Results of Experiments. 147 



RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS, 1915. 



A. E. V. Richardson, 31. A., B.Sc, Agricultural Superintendent. 



I. 



PERMANENT ROTATION TESTS— WERRIBEE. 



An interesting demonstration of the value of a systematic rotation 

 of crops on hay and grain yields is afforded by the results obtained from 

 a series of tests at the State Research Farm, Werribee. The tests were 

 commenced three years ago on land which was known to have been 

 cropped continuously for twenty-six years, and which was in a very 

 low state of fertility. It was anticipated that such worn out land 

 would respond more quickly to the influence of rotation cropping than 

 newer land. Ten different systems of ci'op rotations were tested side 

 by side, with the object of determining wlaich system would give the 

 greatest returns per acre over a series of years. In four of the rota- 

 tions hay was grown, and in the remainder wheat was the principal 

 crop. On some plots wheat and hay were grown continuously year 

 after year; on others thes© crops were alternated with bare fallow. 

 On others again forage crops, such as peas, barley, and rape were grown 

 in rotation with the principal crop. The results were as follow : — 



Wheat Crops. 



1. Wheat after wheat continuou.sly 



2. Wheat after bare fallow 



3. Wheat after peas and rape 



4. Wheat after bare fallow and pasture (Mallee rotation) 



5. Wheat after bare fallow, pasture, oats (Wimmera rotation) 



6. Wheat after peas and barley . . . . . . . . 



Hay Crop.s. 



tuns. cwt. 



1. Oaten hay continuou.sly . . . . . . . . 1 6^ 



2. Oaten hay after bare fallow . . . . . . . . 2 12J 



3. Oaten hay after bare fallow and barley . . . . 3 1^ 



4. Oaten hay after peas and barley . . . . . . 2 I3i^ 



The rainfall during the growing period of the crop was 10.84 inches. 

 A perusal of these returns reveals the following results: — 



1. The continuous cropping of land with the same crop, a method 

 frequently practised in the district, gives returns which barely j)ay ex- 

 penses of production. 



2. By bare fallowing increases of 11 bushels of wheat and 26 cwt. 

 of hay were obtained over the continuously cropped plots. 



3. The greatest and most profitable increases, liowever, were obtained 

 by growing wheat and hay in rotation, with forage crops such as peas 

 and barley. The wasteful bare fallow is thus eliminated, a crop is 

 grown every year, and the final croj) is as heavy as that grown after a 



