33^ 



Journal of AgriciiUurc. Yictoria. [lo June, 1912^ 



Table V. — Wheat grown on fallowed and unfallowed land in 

 Victoria, 1908. 



Wimmera 

 Mallee 

 Northern 

 Western 



Manured Land. 



Fallowed. 



N" on-fallowed. 



Acres. 

 27,520 

 20,908 

 28,946 



5,993 



83,367 



Average 

 Yield. 



Bushels. 

 5-75 

 2*62 

 4-06 



13-47 



4-93 



It will be noted that the three relatively dry districts in the Wimmera, 

 Mallee, and Northern the yield of fallowed land was in all cases more 

 than double that of the non-fallowed land. On the other hand, in the 

 Western District, which as a whole is considerably more humid, the 

 benefits of fallowing, though considerable, were relatively less marked than 

 those of the three former districts. Unfortunately, these statistics were 

 only taken in four districts, and for the one year, 1908. 



2. Bare Fallowing Heads to Depletion of Organic Matter. 



A continual alternation of wheat and bare fallow must ultimately lead 

 to the depletion of the organic content of the soil. As a permanent prac- 

 tice it is, therefore, inadequate. To the natural depletion of the humus 

 brought about by oxidation in well-tilled fallows must be added the further 

 depletion caused by the burning of the straw. Any serious lessening of 

 the organic content must inevitably result in a lowering of the crop-pro- 

 ducing power of the soil. This depletion of organic matter is, to a large 

 extent, counteracted by the practice of interposing a period of pasture 

 between the wheat crop and the bare fallow. The merits of such simple 

 rotations, however, lie outside the scope of the present article. 



When to Fallow. 



Early 



Late F alloiving. 



When it is considered that the success of a bare fallow depends mainly 

 on the amount of moisture conserved, dt will be readily seen that, generally 

 speaking, fallowing should commence as soon as other important operations- 

 permit. Inasmuch as the whole team strength of the farm is usually 

 concentrated on seeding operations, it is rarely possible to commence fal- 

 lowing simultaneously with seeding. 



The general advantage of early fallow is that it exposes the soil to the 

 ameliorating influences of the atmosphere for a longer period than late 

 fallow, and that heavy winter rains readily penetrate the subsoil and are 

 conserved. Moreover it is easier to effect a satisfactory consolidation of 

 the .seed bed with early than with late fallowed land. 



