548 



Journal of Ai^ri(-//I///ri'. Victoria. [lo Sept., 191. 



yearly requirements of crops. 

 Moreover, it is extremely proh- 

 iible that, owing to our j)eculiar 

 climatic and soil conditions, the 

 percentage of nitrogen in an 

 available form is considerably 

 higher than under the wet con- 

 ditions of Europe, where nit- 

 rates are so verv necessary. 

 Under European conditions, the 

 heavy rainfall causes consider- 

 uible losses of nitrates by leach- 

 ing, and large quantities of 

 nitrates are found in the drain- 

 .age waters. In contrast to this, 

 underground drainage is quite 

 unnecessary over the greater 

 portion of our wheat areas, and 

 the losses of nitrates by leach- 

 ing are reduced to a minimum. 



Again, our system of crop- 

 ping is not as intensive as that 

 which obtains in Europe. Owing 

 to the fact that but one crop 

 is grown in two, or even three, 

 years in the wheat areas, the 

 •demands made by the crop on 

 the soil are not nearly so heavy 

 as in European countries, where 

 heavy crops are annually re- 

 moved. 



Finally, the conditions of soil 

 and climate, and mode of crop- 

 ping in our wheat areas, are 

 conducive to rapid nitrification 

 of the organic matter, result- 

 ing in the formation of a snffi- 

 <:iency of available nitrates for 

 all demands of the cereal crop. 



Most of the wheat sown in 

 this State is on fallowed land, 

 and during the progress of fal- 

 lowing nitrification proceeds at 

 a very rapid rate. (Page 335-) 



Some idea of the amount of 

 nitrates produced in well -til led 

 fallows may be gained from the 

 results of investigations at Lon- 

 gerenong during the past eight 

 months. Incidentally, the figures 

 conclusively show why, in dis- 

 tricts similarly situated to Lon- 

 gerenong, nitrates prove unre- 

 sponsive when sown on fallow 

 land. 



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