702 



GRKKX MAM* KING. 



This system of manuring, like most others, has its drawbacks as 

 well as its benefits. It is not so much used now as formerly in the 

 older countries, on account of the more general supplies of artificial 

 manures, and their soils are not so much benefited by green manur- 

 ing as those we have here will be. The soils generally in Western 

 Australia are of a light nature, an \ low in humus matter, which 

 gives them a low retentive and absorbtive power, and are more 

 rapidly depleted of their mineral plant food. They are, then, in a 

 state of not being able to fix the manures added to them so well as 

 those with plenty of organic matter and mineral matter. One of 

 the great benefits to the soils here by growing a catch crop, of say 

 mustard, rye, lupin, rape, buckwheat, vetches, clover or turnips, is 

 that b*y ploughing in the crop just as it flowers, the soil receives a 

 large amount of organic matter, also the large amount of mineral 

 matter which the crop brings up from the sub-soil to the surface 

 is returned to the soil, binding the particles more compactly 

 together, the soil becomes more tenacious, and being better able to 

 retain more moisture nnd increasing its power to fix ammonia and 

 the inorganic plant food. This is only one of the means 

 that can be used for increasing the tenacity of the soil. It 

 would be more beneficial still if before ploughing in 

 the green crop, it had a good heavy dressing of clay, and the 

 two would act much better than if used singly. Another 

 reason for its use in this colony is that so much of the crops that are 

 grown are made into chaff and sent away from the farm, so that 

 the en L ire amount of organic and inorganic matter taken from the 

 soil by the crop is lost for ever to that soil, and artificial manures 

 cannot make the humus good, at least to any great extent. Were 

 it not for the particular benefits to be derived from it in this hot 

 climate, no one would care to advocate green manuring while \ve 

 have s-) many cheap artificial manures, which are much better by 

 far as manures. 



OIL CAKKS. 



The several oil cakes that are to be found in the market have a 

 very high value as manures. Although they have a high manure 

 value, they are too high priced to be used as manures direct. They 

 are best used as feeding stuffs, and the manure obtained from the 

 dung of the animals. The values of the manures from the different 

 feeding stuffs will be found in Lawes and Gilbert's table of values 

 (pages 694 and 60.5). 



ARTIFICIAL MANTKK. 



We have already seen that farmyard manure is not in itself cap- 

 able of maintaining the soil in a fertile condition, even where the 

 straw is used on the farm. Where the whole or part of the straw is 

 sent away, as when chaff is made and sold off the farm, the soil will 

 be brought to an impoverished condition in a much shorter time. 

 By the employment of artificial manure, we are enabled 





