74 



Experiments at Hawkesbury College, New South Wales, with 

 a rainfall of 10 in. from August 25 to January 29, and a tem- 

 perature up to 100 deg. in summer, did not give good yields with 730 

 Ib. per acre of a mixture of 300 Ib. kainit, 200 Ib. superphosphate, 

 and 100 Ib. of sulphate of ammonia. Early Rose yielded best with 

 6 tons 3 cwt. 52 Ib. 



In the North- Western Division of Tasmania, which includes Cir- 

 cular Head, no less than 20,351 acres were planted in 1900 out of 

 nearly 27,000 acres for that State; but the average yield was in 

 1898-9 only 4.35 tons, and in 1899-00 3.78 tons. I am told that the 

 potatoes are there mostly planted on land newly cleared of the 

 forest, and but little manure is used except at Flowerdale, wher3 

 4 cwt. of bonedust or Thomas phosphate secured 5 tons; and at 

 another division, where 2 cwt. of Thomas phosphate yielded 5 tons. 



The Editor of the "Farm, Field, and Fireside" recommends as 

 the basis of a manure for potatoes 15 tons of farmyard manure, 2 owt. 

 of superphosphate or 3 cwt. of Thomas phosphate, 2 cwt. sulphate of 

 potash, and 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda. Professor E,. P. Wright, in 

 his report on experiments on the manuring of potatoes in 1889, 

 comes to the following conclusions, amongst others: A moderate 

 quantity (10 tons per acre) of farmyard manure along with suitable 

 commercial manures is more profitable than a still greater quan 

 tity of farmyard manure. Potatoes grown on farmyard manure 

 alone deteriorate in nutritive value and cooking quality. The best 

 are those grown on commercial manures alone. Potatoes grown 

 witii commercial manures alone suffer more readily from drought 

 on light soils than where farmyard manure had also been given. 

 It is best to use both, and the quantity of potash found in such 

 case most ^effective and profitable was that contained in 1J cwt. of 

 sulphate of potash of 97 per cent, purity. Kainit is less effective, 

 and the roots distinctly inferior in nutritive value and in cooking 

 quality ; and, although to some extent potatoes grown with muriate 

 of potash, are also inferior to those with sulphate of potash, the crop 

 is mostly greater. (See Potatoes after Peas, pages 75 and 76, at 

 Iledwigsberg). 



PEAS AND BEANS are a crop which leaves the soil in better 

 heart as regards nitrogen, and many South Australian farmers had 

 used these nitrogen gatherers long before the late Professor Dr. 

 HellriegeFs important discovery. Thus, practice has for once fore- 

 stalled theoretical discovery, for all knew that a good pea crop told 

 upon the succeeding wheat crop, and it became here almost the 

 only rotation of crops. How to obtain a good crop of peas has 

 been shown by many experiments made in pots, and a few in the 

 field. Mr. W. Pearson, of the Meadows, S.A. (with 34 in.), read a 

 paper after twenty years' experience, and stated that for the hilly 

 districts peas are simply invaluable as a fertiliser, and more reliable 

 for a subsequent hay or grain crop than bonedust or any other 

 artificial manure he has tried. For the peas he had, however, bean 

 more successful with bonedust than with other fertilisers. (This 

 was challenged !) Mr. Spence, of Clarendon, used also 4 cwt. of 

 Conrad's bonedust with excellent results. He reduces the soil to a 

 fine tilth in April, destroys any wild oats and other weeds spring- 



