690 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION K. 



L. Physics in Agriculture. 



Of late years, the importance of physics in relation to agricul- 

 ture has been in danger of being overlooked. The swing of the 

 pendulum has been in the direction of over-emphasizing the 

 importance of the chemistry of the soil. This movement needs a 

 corrective. A knowledge of the physics of the soil is of greater 

 importance to the practical farmer than is a knowledge of the 

 chemistry of the soil, not only because the physical condition of 

 the soil has a greater influence on the growing crop, but becavise 

 the ordinary farmer can control the physical condition of his soil 

 to a much greater degree than the chemical condition. 



Where soil physics is dealt with, attention is mainly directed 

 to the chemico-physical properties of the soil. There is a wide 

 field for investigation in such questions as the treatment of special 

 soils, soil variation, and the determining of minor errors in soil 

 cultivation. In the future, the work done in the physical 

 laboratory should be co-ordinated more closely with that done in 

 the chemical and biological laboratories. The importance of soil 

 physics is such that in every school of agriculture it may well 

 absorb the whole time and energy of more than one man. 



I might mention in this connexion that valuable research work 

 in investigating soil problems has been done at the Melbourne 

 University by its staff and graduates. When more widely known, 

 their work will reflect great credit on the institution in connexion 

 with which they work, as well as on themselves. Unfortunately, 

 the value of such work is to a great extent nullified, unless there 

 exists a staff of itinerant lecturers, who can translate its results 

 into popular language and interpret it to the ordinary farmer. 



Another important branch of the subject almost entirely 

 neglected at present is the scientific application of the mechanical 

 powers in the construction of farm implements, &c. 



At the present time, such things as the form of the share or 

 mouldboard of the plough, the arrangement of swingletrees in 

 harnessing a team, and so on, are designed on empirical lines. 

 There seems to me to be no doubt that research work in this 

 direction would result in an immense saving of energy in the 

 work of the farm. This is another branch in which a graduate 

 of the degree course might specialize. 



At Dookie, prizes have occasionally been offered for improve- 

 ments in the design of implements and for the invention of 

 mechanical appliances making for greater efficiency and economy 

 in the working of the farm. This has been somewhat spasmodic, 

 but the ingenuity shown has proved that if a school of mechanical 

 design were established there would be no lack of graduates with 

 the aptitude and the desire to take up research work in this 

 branch. Other problems that can well be dealt with by the 

 physics branch are drainage on the farm, the disposal of sewage, 

 and the ventilation <^ farm buildings. 



