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120 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JouRNAL. [1 Ava., 1899: 
and its mechanical effect‘on the soil is also most beneficial. In many cases we: 
often apply manures to soil without any apparent benefit. For instance, if the 
soil be rich or full of constituents necessary for sugar-cane, very likely the 
application of manure would not give any apparent result, while it the soil is. 
deficient we see the result. But in all these things the great benefit from the 
cow pea would be from its mechanical action. It makes the ground more 
porous, and I found that when, in the wet season, ground is covered with a. 
thick growth of cow peas it is protected from heavy rains, which are so apt to 
wash our soils away. With cow peas at the end of the wet season, the ground 
is in a beautiful state for a crop; in fact better than if you had cultivated it a 
dozen times over. JI mowed my cow pea with a scythe, which, of course, was a 
difficult matter, but I could see no other way of doing it. Lately, people have 
gone pretty largely into cow pea, and the trouble has been the ploughing in. 
The dise plough, however, overcomes this, and they are now using this implement 
in the Johnstone and Cairns districts with excellent results. ; 
Mr. L. P. Lanpspere (Rockhampton) : Our experience in the Rockhampton 
district in the matter of the time of planting cow peas is quite opposed to that 
of the last speaker. We find, if we plant in the Spring, that the cow pea runs 
all to vines, which is exactly opposite to Mr. Mackay’s experience. We find that, 
for seed purposes, it is best to plant just before the wet season. Asa fodder Ido 
not think the cow pea has an equal, especially for dairy cattle. Before I started 
using the cow pea, I was feeding my cows last winter with bran and ordinary 
chaff (oaten and panicum), but I did not get anything like the result that I am 
this year getting from cow peas. Last year my returns did not average more 
than 2 Ib. of butter per cow; but this year, thanks to the cow pea, the return 
has been increased to’ 4 lb. per cow. The great advantage in the cow pea for 
ereen manuring is its rapid growth, and I have found that you can plough it in 
within from 8 to 4 weeks after sowing. Again, if you plant cow pea in the 
Spring, you can cut it four or five times before it matures, which it always does. 
at about the same time, irrespective of when it is planted or how often it has 
been cut. I have planted some in August and some in January, both plots. 
maturing at the same time—viz., April. I got 5 tons of green feed per acre, 
and as it was dry weather the whole time, it came in very opportunely for the 
dairy cattle. The cow peas were cut with a scythe. 
Mr. B. O. Brookes (Johnstone River): On the Johnstone we go in for 
cane, and cane only, so green manuring is only aimed at when we plant crops 
like cow peas. We find, however, that the Mauritius bean makes the best green 
manure with us. In the first place, it is considered a heavier crop, and, again, 1b 
takes longer to mature than the cow pea. ‘Under ordinary circumstances we 
plough out in November and December, and owing to the wet season we are 
not able to plough in until April or May. With us, as far as my experience 
goes, the cow pea matures in about 8 weeks, which is too early. You can let 
the Mauritius bean, however, run 16 or 18 weeks and then plough it under. As 
to the advantages to be derived from green manuring, they are too patent almost 
for discussion. Although it is only of late years that we have gone in for it, we _ 
now look upon it as part and parcel of our yearly work. yery field has its 
due rest, and along with it its green manuring. In some districts where they 
haye forest land, I should imagine they will require probably something in 
addition, say some strong artificial manure, but with us we have found that 
ereen manuring applied about every third year, planted and ploughed under at 
the proper time, gives us a 50 per cent. improvement, certainly 35 over the old 
method. Our land is fairly new, and we are opening up fresh land every day, 
but we do not think of manuring until the fifth or sixth year—z.e., when the 
stumping takes place. 
Mr. N. J. Mixxetsen (Avondale): I think it is a great mistake to 
consider that green manuring is beneficial everywhere. - We all know that with 
green manuring we restore nitrogen, but it is nitrogen only, although, of 
course, it may be beneficial owing to its mechanical effects. I tried some cow 
pea last year, and, in the cane planted on the same land, there was no difference 
