and some turnips and mangolds can be grown, more for the purpose 

 of growing lambs. If one of the, say, 75-acre paddocks has been 

 grazed three years by sheep the land will be cleaned, and will require, 

 after an early fallow, but comparatively little commercial manures, 

 chiefly phosphates. It is quite certain that the farmer will reap 

 more grain from one field than he had formerly from two of them, 

 and saved probably the wages of a laborer and half the seed. 



OATS 



is altogether, perhaps, too much neglected in Australia. 

 New Zealand can place a better article on the market, and generally 

 .at a low price. There are, however, localities with a good rainfall 

 where oats should pay at least as well as wheat. Last harvest 

 showed again a falling-off in the acreage by 5,594 acres with oats, 

 it having been only 20.229 acres, yielding 218,331 bushels, or 35.671 

 bushels less than the year before. 



Results in South Australia have been sometimes fairly good. 

 Mr. J. Riddoch, at Lucindale (22.57 in.), put in every other year 2 

 <cwt. of bonedust on 5 acres, and, reaped 20 bushels per acre of Algerian 

 oats; but when he applied 2 cwt. every year he had 40 bushels. Mr. 

 Frost reaped at Nantawarra (15J in.) from 40 Ib. of Champion oats, 

 with 80 Ib. of English superphosphate, 24 bushels, with parts badly 

 damaged by hot winds. This agrees entirely with what I stated at 

 our Congress in September, 1898, that in a long period of drought, or 

 after a hot wind, superphosphate may act injuriously on account of 

 the sulphuric acid contained in it. In Thomas phosphate we have 

 no sulphuric acid, and it is not necessary to make the phosphoric a ''id 

 soluble for plant food ; the acids in the roots of the plants coming 

 in contact with the Thomas phosphate will prepare it for plant food. 

 Much, however, not coming so in contact will remain dormant for 

 one or more years; and Mr. CorrelFs remark that Thomas phos- 

 phate always has given him good returns, and that sometimes the 

 second crop is as good, or better, than the first, is quite in accordance 

 Tvith the experience of scientists and practical farmers. 



In Tasmania 40 bushels of oats have been harvested without 

 manure in Ringarooma and Flowerdale; but only from 18 to 25 

 bushels at Ellendale, Wordsdale, and elsewhere. With 4 cwt. of 

 "bonedust or phosphates put in for the next crop of potatoes 33 bushels 

 were reaped at East Mersey. 



At Neuarparr (about 20 in,), Mr. Chittleborough used 1 cwt. 

 (mixed wet with oats) of Naracoorte guano, and had 26 bushels of 

 oats (Algerian) upon impoverished land, where his neighbors reaped 

 4 bushels. Thomas phosphate was, however, making great progress 

 in the locality. It seemed equal to guano or bonedust, and started 

 the grain two weeks before not-manured grain. Mr. Chittleborough 

 uses 56 Ib. of Thomas phosphate, which he mixes with the wet grain, 

 whereby he requires much less manure, and it proves beneficial where 

 a farmer cannot afford to purchase or hire a seed and manure drill, 

 and the sowing can yet be done in one act. At Port Elliot (20i in.) 



