Scientific Agriculture. 



564 



[June, 1909. 



The land was uniformly dressed with 

 a complete fertiliser. Each plot receiv- 

 ed the same quantity of water, including 

 rainfall. After ploughing a cultivator 

 was run over the land and the seed sown 

 with the Superior Seed Drill, and the 

 experimental area was then finally 

 rolled. Each successive plot, however, 

 received one more ploughing than the 

 previous one, and the yields are in 

 steadily ascending order. Taking the 

 cost of each ploughing after the first at 

 6s. per acre and forage at 2s. 6d. per 100 

 lbs., we have the following returns : — 



The actual harvest was very light and 

 quite below normal, but this was entirely 

 due to the ravages of tfie ladybirds, 

 but as all the plots were affected in a 

 like degree, the results obtained were 

 none the less accurate. 



Barley. 



1 Ploughed 1 

 Cultivated V Once . . 

 Harrowed J 



2 Ploughed once 1 

 Cultivated twice !- 

 Harrowed once J 



3 Ploughed once ] 

 Cultivated 3 times V 

 Harrowed once J 



4 Ploughed once ■» 

 Cultivated 4 times L 

 Harrowed once ) 



1*8 



H ■ 



1,035 



J* 



490 



1,505 635 9/- 

 2,125 890 25/- 

 2,340 981 30/- 



2/- 

 17/ 

 21/ 



Wheat. 



one 750 



two 1,000 



three 1,880 



four 3,800 



0/3 

 28/3 

 70/3 



6/- 

 12/- 

 18- 



3d. 



10/3 

 58/3 



This year the experiments were carried 

 out with Wheat and Barley. The final 

 ploughing and working of the land was 

 commenced on the 15th July, 1908, and 

 completed on the 16th July, 1908. The 

 seed was sown with the Superior Drill, 

 viz :— 



Wheat at the rate of 00 lbs. per acre. 

 Barley do 30 do 



The normal dressing of 200 lbs, of 

 complete fertiliser per acre was applied 

 to the whole area. Ladybirds were 

 again very troublesome, damaging the 

 barley to a great extent, but as the crop 

 was affected in like degree throughout, 

 this did not interfere with the experi- 

 ment, except that the yields throughout 

 were far below normal :— 



J Ploughed once 

 Cultivated once 

 Harrowed once 



2,245 617 



2 Ploughed once -j 



Cultivated twice J. 2,350 

 Harrowed once J 



7/9 7/- 



Ploughed once 



Cultivated 3 times 2,475 740 12/3 8/- 

 Harrowed once 



4/3 



4 Ploughed once ^ 



Cultivated 4 times L 2,975 825 20/9 9/- 11/9 

 Harrowed once J 



Here again the cost of the first plough- 

 ing was taken at 6s. per acre and the 

 cost of each additional cultivation at Is., 

 and, as can be seen by the table, a fair 

 profit was leceived for each additional 

 cultivation. 



The cost of ploughing three or four 

 times, such as was tried with the oat ex- 

 periment of 1907, was found very costly, 

 when by working the land with a culti- 

 vator good results were obtained at one- 

 sixth the cost, and, of course, the time 

 saved by using the cultivator instead of 

 the plough is enormous. 



