230 THE farmers' handbook. 



10 per cent, fur green feed, while on the Tablelands quite half the total 

 area is also at present used for hay. On the Western Slopes and Riverina 

 the vast bulk of the wheal sown is reserved for grain, the proportion of bay 

 rarely reaching one-fifth in an average season. In the far western districts, 

 represented by Nyngan Experiment Farm, hay is again the chief considera- 

 tion. For these different districts and purposes, as will be apparent in the 

 following pages, different varieties are specially adapted, and farmers should 

 be careful to make their selections accordingly. In view of the prepon- 

 derating importance of the grain crop, it is fitting that its production should 

 receive the greater consideration, although the adaptation of the same 

 general principles to drier districts, and for purposes of hay and green feed, 

 will be found easy, and, indeed, essential to the best results. 



Clearing Land for Wheat-growing. 



Two methods are employed in clearing wheat land for the plough: First, 

 grubbing out the trees and roots to a depth of 6 or 9 inches; and second, 

 burning off the timber and stumps just 1 or 2 inches below the surface. The 

 latter method is generally referred to as " Yankee grubbing." On land 

 cleared by the former process a set-plough is used ; in the latter case a stump- 

 jump plough is necessary. 



The cost of Yankee grubbing depends entirely on the length of time the 

 timber has been ringbarked. Thus, a paddock in which the timber has been 

 rung, say, for seven or eight years will cost far less to clear than a paddock 

 in which the timber has only been rung for three or four years. 



The usual procedure is to stack small wood and limbs against the ring- 

 barked trees, and then to fire the pile. March is considered the best time 

 for burning off. 



Land can be cleared in this way, ready for the stump-jump plough, at 

 from 12s. 6d. to 25s. per acre, according to the length of time the timber has 

 been rung. The cost of clearing land for the set-plough — that is, grubbing 

 stumps and roots to a depth of 9 to 12 inches — will be just double in most 

 cases, while in some instances where the paddock is very thickly timbered 

 it will be considerably more. 



Yankee grubbing is the method employed by many wheat-growers. The 

 man who is just making a start frequently cannot afford the extra cost of 

 clearing thoroughly, and as he is anxious to get as much crop in- as possible 

 during the first year, he cannot afford the time to thoroughly rid the paddock 

 of all stumps and roots. 



The general opinion held by wheat-growers is that the yields from a 

 Yankee grubbed and from a thoroughly cleared paddock, other conditions 

 being equal, are about the same. 



At Glen Innes the method has been adopted of grubbing the roots near 

 the surface and then pulling down the tree with the grubber. In this way it 

 is possible to clear to a depth of 8 inches. 



The stump-jump plough works well on the stony land -on the Northern 

 Tablelands. It breaks the soil up thoroughly, though not so neatly perhaps 

 as the set plough. The disc plough is used to some extent in that portion 

 of the State. 



The cost of ploughing with a stump-jumper does not exceed that of 

 ploughing with a set-plough. The former is certainly a little heavier, but 

 this can hardly be taken into consideration. As to the respective merits of 

 the work performed by the two kinds of ploughs, there is not much to choose; 

 but for obvious reasons a stump-jump plough is only used on Yankee-grubbed 

 land. 



