148 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 March, 1916. 



bare fallow. Thus wheat grown after peas and barley in a three- 

 course rotation gave 11 \ bushels per acre as against 24| bushels when 

 grown after bare fallow, as in the Wimmera rotation. Similarly the 

 hay crop after peas and barley gave a return of 2 tons 13 J cwt., as 

 against 2 tons 12^ cwt. when grown after bare fallow. 



These results suggest that in districts similarly situated to Werribee, 

 enjoying a fair rainfall, wheat and hay crops grown in rotation with 

 forage crops may be expected to give greater returns per acre than any 

 other method of rotation. Such practises assist in maintaining the 

 fertility of the soil unimpaired. 



An example of the success of such rotation may be seen from the 

 yield of a 100-acre hay crop at the Werribee farm. This field was 

 cropped in 1913 with wheat, in 1914 with peas, and fed off with sheep, 

 and in 1915 with oats. Under this system of rotation the average 

 yield from this field exceeded 3 tons per acre. 



PERMANENT FERTILISER TESTS— WERRIBEE. 



The yields of wheat in the Permanent Fertiliser Trials at the State 

 Research Farm, Werribee, for the season 1915 afford some interesting 

 comparison of the value of differential manurial dressings on the wheat 

 yield. Twenty plots of a n acre each were set apart for the testing 

 of different combinations of fertilisers on the growth of wheat. The 

 rainfall up to the end of November was 15.22 inches, of which 10.84 

 inches fell during the growing period ; and the yields of the different 

 plots varied from 19 to 30 bushels per acre. The following table 

 summarizes the results for 1915, and also shows the average yields for 

 the past three years : — 



1. No manure . . ■ 



?. Superphosphate, ^ cwt. 



3. Superphosphate, 1 cwt. 



4. Superjjhosphate, IJ cwt. 



5. SujDerphosphate, 2 cwt. 



6. Superphosphate, 1 cwt., and nitrate of soda, 



40 lbs. (with seed) . . . . 



7. Superphosphate, 1 cwt., and nitrate of soda, 



49 lbs. (in spring) . . 



8. Superphosphate, 1 cwt., and sulphate of 



potash, ^ cwt. 



9. Superphosphate, 1 cwt.; sulphate of potash, 



^ cwt.; and nitrate of soda, h cwt. . . 



10. Bone fertiliser, 1 cwt. 



11. Thomas' phosphate, 1 cwt. 



12. Superphosphate, | cwt.; Thomas' phos- 



phate, h cwt. 



13. Superphosphate, 1 cwt.; and lime, 5 cwt. 



14. Superphosphate, 1 cwt.; and lime, 10 cwt. 



15. Superphosphate, 1 cwt.; and lime, 20 cwt. 



16. Stable manure, 10 tons per acre 



17. Stable manure, 10 tons ; and lime, 10 cwt. 



18. No manure (continuously cropped) 



19. Superphosphate, 1 cwt. (continuously 



cropped) . . 



22f 



14 



