The agricultural journal. 



of determining their comparative suscep- 

 tibility to curl, it was found that very- 

 few were wholly free from the disease, 

 and that some were very subject to it. 

 Some of the choicest varieties, as the El- 

 berta and Lovell, are seriously affected ; 

 but it has been demonstrate J that a single 



winter treatment will prevent the disease 

 upon even these varieties. It may be thus 

 fairly claimed that the spraying methods 

 recommended will save to the peach in- 

 dustry some of its finest varieties, as well 

 as result in the saving of foliage and 

 crops already indicated. 



Mapstone Oats s F urther Reports. 



THE following reports are published for 

 general information. Remarks by 

 the Government Entomologist am ap- 

 pended to some. 



E. B. Griffin, Willow Grange. 



I beg to hand you the result of my trial 

 of the Mapstone oat. 



I was only able to get 20 lbs. of this 

 seed, which I planted on the 27th of 

 March last, covering just half an acre of 

 land. This seemed at the time a very 

 thin plant, but I had determined to make 

 the most of my lot of seed. I planted on 

 the same day, and adjoining, a field of 

 Cape oats. These I reaped five weeks 

 earlier than the Mapstone, but it must be 

 remembered that the Mapstone was 

 planted very thinly, and, of course, had 

 much more room to spread, which it cer- 

 tainly did, as it was some weeks before I 

 could notice any tendency to upward 

 growth. 



On the side the Mapstone touched the 

 Cape (and as the former was ripening), 

 rust appeared slightly, but so little »nd 

 too late to injure the crop. Had I been 

 growing it for forage, it would have been 

 harvested perfectly free of rust. 



Treatment. — The land was manured 

 with kraal manure three years ago for 

 mealies, and nothing in the shape of 

 manure since. The last crop grown was 

 barley, cut green. The land was twice 

 ploughed, harrowed, and rolled. I was 

 able to irrigate twice during the winter, 

 after which the spring rains came and 

 brought the crop on to perfection. 



Standing about three feet high, nice 

 and level, it looked very pretty. 



For a few weeks I had to keep a boy to 

 drive the birds which were very trouble- 

 some. 



Reaping took place on the 28th of Octo- 

 ber, the oat having taken just seven 

 months to mature. This is due chiefly to 

 the very thin plant, and also to its being 

 grown in the winter or cold weather. 



The result is as follows :— IO7 bags of 

 clean seed weighing 1,27() lbs. net ; 15 

 bales of threshed straw weighing 1,72-1 

 lbs., making a weight of 3,0(X) lbs. off the 

 half acre. 



Value of the crop i.^, I consider, aliout 

 .£■^0, as the seed should l)e worth 30s. per 

 100 lbs. and the straw £3. 



I intend planting a few bags shortly, 

 and will then know its value as a summer 

 oat. 



Note by the Entomologist. 



I examined Mr. E. R. Griffin's crop of 

 Mapstone oat on 23rd October, and found 

 the crop just ripening, and whilst not 

 standing much more than half the height 

 of the Mapstone in the Fox Hill District, 

 nevertheless gave promise of an excellent 

 return of seed. The field of Cape oat 

 mentioned by Mr. Griffin had then been 

 cut, but what green stubble there was 

 and late plants had plenty of rust upon 

 them, some particularly rusty plants 

 growing quite adjacent to the Mapstone. 

 As reported by Mr. Griffin, along the side 

 adjacent to the Cape oats anel penetrating 

 into the field, from two to four feet, the 

 Mapstone had taken the rust in the stem. 

 With the exception of this narrow strip, 

 which had caught the disease from the 

 Cape oats, there was not, however, a sign 

 of rust in the other parts of the field, and 

 the heads of even the rusted plants were 

 as full and the seed as plump as in any 

 other plant. It is worth noticing that the 

 seed supplied to Mr. Griffin was a very 

 poor sample, and consisted of sweepings 



