274 journal of Agriculture , Victoria. \io May, 1912^ 



With hay or ensilage crops this is often beneficial, as it helps to make- 

 a level surface for the binder, thus facilitating the harvesting of the crop. 

 Moreover, on light, open land, the consolidation of the soil effected by 

 rolling is very beneficial to the growing crop. Rolling may also be prac- 

 tised where the operations, preparatory to seeding, have not been of such 

 a character as to provide for that soil consolidation so essential to the 

 success of a wheat crop. On heavy lands which tend to set hard, and 

 which are likely to run together with the winter rains, the roller should be 

 displaced by the harrows. 



Harrowing is always beneficial to a \oung wheat crop, provided it be- 

 not already too thin. Certainly, a percentage of the young plants is 

 dragged out in the operation, but it is well in this connexion to remember 

 the healthy proverb, '' The man who harrows should never look behind." 



This disadvantage is more than compensated for by the increased vigor 

 of the remaining plants, and by the great stimulus given to stooling ; nor 

 must it be forgotten that the harrows assist in subjugating the weeds, and 

 in the drier portions of the State it assists in conserving the limited sup- 

 plies of soil moisture by retard'ng capillary activity and lessening eva- 

 poration. 



In harrowing the growing crop the work should be done at right 

 angles to the drills. 



Feeding Down the Crop. — It has already been remarked that, in 

 favorable seasons, the early sown crops are likely to come away very rapidly 

 and make heavy, vigorous, rank growth in May and June. Such heady 

 growth is exposed to two dangers : — ■ 



1. Lodging in wet weather. 



2. Blighting either from late spring frosts, or by a premature burst 



of hot weather in spring. 



Such growth may be arrested by feeding down with sheep. This is a 

 decided advantage on light land, or on land which has, for various reasons, 

 not been consolidated sufficiently through adequate tillage operations ; but 

 on heavy land it may be a positive disadvantage to feed down a crop with 

 sheep. This would happen if the land were wet, ard more or less boggy ;. 

 under these circumstances the sheep would do more harm than good. 

 In any case, unless the feeding be done fairly rapidly, little benefit will 

 accrue from the process. 



In dealing with large paddocks, difficulty arises in putting on a suffi- 

 cient number of sheep to carry out the work in reasonable time. 

 Complications arise where the crop is not uniform, and where the rank 

 portions occur in patches. Under such circumstances it becomes necessary 

 to " shepherd " the ffock, as, if left to themselves, the sheep will invariably 

 graze those portions which do not require feeding off. 



One point must not be overlooked in this connexion, and that is the 

 time such operations may, with .safety, be performed. Late feeding down 

 is generally decidedly detrimental, and can only be performed with any 

 prospect of success when the spring rains are frequent and copious. 



In the drier portions of the State it is a good maxim for the wheat - 

 grower, at all times, to plan his work with the expectation of the present 

 season being a, dry one, and, in the event of such expectation being 

 realized, crops requiring to be fed off will give best results when fed 

 early. In addition to checking the rank growth, judicious feeding-off 

 assists the stooling propensities of the plant, and reduces the pro]X>rt-on 

 of fiag and straw to grain, thereby avoiding the danger of blighting by- 

 hot, spring winds. 



(7'c he continued.) 



