266 Journal of Agricidturc. Yictoria. [lo May. 19 12. 



Time to Sow. 



Autumn, then, is the season for seeding, and the actual date to com- 

 mence operations will vary with the district, and the general character of 

 the season. Much, of course, depends on the weather. In some years the 

 rains hang back until late in autumn, and seeding often commences on a 

 dry seed bed. In other years, again, the autumn rains are timely, frequent 

 and copious, and the seed is sown under conditions which bring about 

 rapid, even, and vigorous germination. Speaking generally, it may be said 

 that it is safe to sow seed during the normal seeding period when the soil 

 is either sufficiently dry to leave the seed ungerminated, or else when the 

 soil is so thoroughly moist as to induce immediate germination. There is 

 an intermediate stage, howe\'er, between these extremes when it is danger- 

 ous to sow wheat. This condition arises when the soil is neither dry nor 

 wet, but contains sufficient moisture to induce germination, yet insufficient 

 to keep the young plant fully supplied with moisture. Under these cir- 

 cumstances, unless rain opjjortunely falls, the soil begins to dry out and 

 the grain malts. 



While wheat and other naked seeds are very susceptible to malting in 

 slightly moist and rapidly drying soils, oats and barley, with their tough, 

 fibrous, j^rotective envelopes, are not so susceptible. Hence, while it may 

 be unsafe to sow wheat under such conditions, barley and oats may be 

 .sown with much less likelihood of loss. Generallv speaking, the latter 

 portion of April, and the month of May are the most favorable months for 

 the drier areas, whilst the .seeding may often be prolonged till June in 

 more certain districts. AVhere large areas are to be sown a start mu.st be 

 made as early as possible to finish the seeding in a reasonable time. 



Manv farmers in their anxiety to get o\'er large areas frequently com- 

 mence seeding operations earlier than is indicated above. One of two 

 things may happen. Dry weather may continue after the seed is sown, 

 and induce a con.siderable amount of malting, in which case some re- 

 sowing will require to be done. On the other hand, timely showers may 

 supervene and bring the young plants on with exceptional vigor, and re- 

 sult in rank, heady growth. Not only are such crops liable to be cut later 

 on with frosts, but they are also prone to lodge with the hea^'y winter rains. 



These contingencies may be obviated either by administering a check 

 to the rapid growth by judicious feeding down with sheep, or bv taking 

 the precaution to sow comparatively late maturing varieties in the early 

 part of the seeding, and reserving very early varieties till the end of the 

 season. 



Very late .sowing, in the drier areas, can onlv be successful when the 

 winter pro\es to be exceptionally mild and the spring and summer rains 

 ample, frequent, and timely, a combination ol' circumstances we may 

 hardlv hope for. Hence, in the drier districts the wheat-grower is well 

 ?\dvised to reduce the late sown crops to a minimum. 



Treatment of the Land. 

 To adequately discuss the possible preparatory modes of soil treatment 

 for wheat cultivation would take more space than can be given here, and 

 discussion will, therefore, be reser\-ed for special consideration in later 

 articles. For the present it is assumed that the wheat is to be sown on 

 well-prepared bare fallow. 



Varieties to Sow. 

 The choice of varieties is governed by the physical character of the 

 soil, the climate in which the wheat is to be grown, and the purpose for 



