38 G. A. PFISTER : 
The Causes of the Fertility of the Western Aus- 
tralian Semi-arid Wheat Lands. By G. A. Pfister. 
(Read December 12th, 1911.) 
When I first came to this State I not only gathered 
information on the agricultural practices of this country 
but actually worked as a farm-hand for two years, so a s 
to study the conditions on the spot, and one of the facts 
that astonished me most was the small amount of manures 
given to the wheat crops as compared to the fertilizers 
given to similar crops in other parts of the world, and the 
comparatively heavy crops harvested after such scanty 
manuring, which at first sight seem altogether out of 
proportion to the manure supplied. 
During the last five years I have made a good number 
of experiments, having had under control over 250 cereal 
plots in different parts of the State. Some friends of mine, 
earnest reliable farmers, also have rendered invaluable 
service by carrying out a good number of experiments in 
plots and in fields, and by supplying numerous data and 
records which have greatly helped me. 
Taking a fair average of these experiments, I have 
come to the following conclusions : — 
(1) Our West Australian wheat soils are generally 
deficient in lime on the surface. 
(2) The quantity of manures usually supplied with 
the seed to these lands varies from 70 to 100 
lbs. of superphosphate of lime. 
(3) The eventual increase of crops due to larger 
amounts of superphosphate is so small as not 
to justify the increase in expenditure. 
(4) Nitrogenous and potassic manures if given 
together with superphosphate and contem- 
peareously with the seed, do not give sufficient 
returns to pay for the increase in the cost of 
manuring. This is altogether in contradiction 
with the results obtained in Europe and 
America. 
(5) Crops grown on fallowed land are much heavier 
than those grown on land which has not been 
fallowed. Such splendid results as 25 to 40 
bushels and more per acre have been obtained 
on fallow land with 90 lb. superphosphate 
and 13-inch rainfall. 
From this we learn : — 
(1) That it is not advisable to manure heavier 
than 1 cwt. of superphosphate per acre. 
(2) That it is advisable to fallow our lands. 
