lo Jan., 1 91 2.] NhilL Farm Competitions, igii. 45 



draught stock were good, particularly the yearlings and 2-year olds. He 

 had the most complete collection of implements and the best all-round 

 crops. 



Mr. Dahlenburg had a fine set of buildings, and has made rapid 

 strides during the few years he has had possession of his farm. The out- 

 buildings are well laid out, commodious and substantial. More attention, 

 however, needs to be paid to the fences and gates, and a windmill and 

 tanks with water laid on to the farm, and homestead are urgently required 

 for economic working, 



SECTION III.— CROPS. 



There were 10 entries for this section; and, of these, 3 were for 

 crops grown on mallee land. Farmers who enter for such crop compe- 

 titions naturally wish to know the reasons which actuate a judge in award- 

 ing the prizes. Before discussing the details, I should like to indicate 

 what I conceive to be the objects of such a competition and the manner 

 in which such objects may be realized by a scheme of ludging. 



These competitions, I take it, have for their general object, the stimu- 

 lation and improvement of the farm practice of the district, and they are 

 successful in proportion to the extent to which they realize such an 

 object. In crop judging, it seems natural to infer that the best crop 

 and the one most deserving of the prize is that which pans out financially 

 the best. But, if this is to be the sole criterion, I am inclined to the 

 belief that the general object of the competition, namely, the stimulation 

 and improvement of farm practice, would be defeated. To award the 

 prize to the heaviest yielding crop, irrespective of other considerations, 

 would mean a severe handicap for those necessarily placed on holdings 

 of comparatively poor soil. It may be a much harder proposition to raise 

 a 20-bushel average on some types of soil than to secure 30 bushels off 

 a rich black flat. The yield of a crop in any given district, assuming 

 other things to be equal, is dependent on the fertility of the soil on which 

 the crop is grown ; and, in the Nhill district, at least, there are areas 

 on each farm that regularly produce bushels better results than others. 



Though heaviness of yield, therefore, is an important consideration. 

 and, in a measure, an indication of a farmer's calibre, it is clearly not 

 the only consideration. Under normal conditions, the efficiency of a 

 fanner's work is judged by the condition of his crop, the relative freedom 

 from weeds and undergrowth, its regularity and evenness, the judgment 

 displayed in sowing the right quantity of seed per acre, the extent to 

 which he has tried to suppress diseases such as smut and bunt, and, 

 lastly, the care with which the seed has been chosen, and with which he 

 has attempted to keep it true to type and of a high standard of pro- 

 ductivity. In nearly all crops, wild oats were very prevalent, and in 

 some instances, overshadowed the wheat. Wild poppv, charlock, and 

 various members of the thistle family were common intruders, though the 

 amount of damage done by these was far less than by the wild oats. 



Disease was noticeable in all the crops examined, the commonest being 

 ball smut {Tilletia tritici) loose smut {Ustilago tritici) and flag smut 

 {Urocystis occulta). 



The dryness of the season evidently had a very salulary effect on the 

 development of rust, as well as on takeall. though many patches of the 

 latter were noticeable. An interesting occurrence of takeall disease was 



