256 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Szpr., 1899. 
«onsiderable check to the plant, and must not be carried too far; but experience 
‘shows that a great point in getting the upper hand of charlock is to carefully 
prevent every plant from shedding its seed, unsparing of a little extra expense 
‘over the course of some few years, and particularly paying attention to those 
fields carrying spring-sown corn, in which it sheds its seed before the corn is 
harvested. ’ 
Space will not allow of adequate reference to the many other interesting 
points shown by the experiments. Upon tares and beans the lesson is much 
the same—viz., that better effects are obtained by the use of a solution of 
moderate strength applied carefully in considerable quantity. ‘The discoloration 
of the crop was more marked upon beans than upon either tares or oats. 
Although too early to draw very definite conclusions, it may be said that the 
above quantities may be:—For tares, a 2 per cent. solution sulphate of page 
applied at 50 gallons per acre. For beans, a 3 per cent. or 4 per cent. sulphate 
of iron at 50 gallons, or preferably a 2 per cent. or 3 per cent. of copper 
sulphate at 75 or 50 gallons per acre respectively. 
AN IMPORTANT POINT 
is to spray every portion of the upper surface of the plant. This can be done 
by thoroughly dissolving the iron or copper sulphate in water free from any 
suspended matter, and using a machine fitted with an efficient pump and a good 
nozzle. In addition to the knapsack machines there, Mr. Strawson brought 
down his new charlock destroyer, which covers a width of 24 feet with its 
movable arms, which can be folded to pass through a gateway. The price of 
this is £8, or 30s. under the ordinary cart sprayer. As, however, the latter, 
although taking a somewhat smaller width, is fitted with adjustable nozzles for 
underleaf work, by means of which it can be used for any other spraying work, 
such as potato spraying, together with other accessories, the latter machine 
can hardly be superseded by a special form for spraying charlock alone. It will 
be noted that, for spraying charlock, top nozzles only are required. 
The “Twinspray’” machine was also demonstrated with, which gets over 
the difficulty with the otherwise excellent knapsack form, of spilling the solution 
down the operator’s back. 
Many of those present testified to the clearly defined results which they had 
witnessed of the effects of the method. Some few were inclined, upon. first 
sight of the blackened crops, where the dose had been too strong, to shut their 
eyes to the expectation of practical benefits to be obtained from the method in 
its more careful application. Such persons are always to be found. ‘They are, 
perhaps, a necessary accompaniment to anything new. The pity is that they 
are sometimes a stumbling-block to others. For those, however, who took care 
to examine and weigh the results of the various applications without prejudice, 
great satisfaction was to be found that they had personally seen the good effects 
of a process which promises such a saving of labour, and the best methods of 
working which will be more clearly defined in the future. 
COMPARATIVE COST OF WHEAT-GROWING IN ARGENTINA 
AND IN QUEENSLAND. 
ARGENTINA, in South America, will probably prove to be Australia’s greatest 
rival in the production of wheat. The great question of labour does not 
trouble the wheat farmer of South America. He can get peons in any number 
for £20 a year, with rations, which an Australian farm labourer would not look 
at. Jn Queensland, the farmer cannot get labour at less than, at least, from 
15s. to 2Us. a weék, with good solid rations. ; 
Now, it will be of interest to note the comparative cost of producing, say, 
160 acres of wheat in the two countries. 
We set out on the basis of 17 bushels per acre, which was about the 
average yield last year (1898-99) in the Arventine and in Queensland, and then 
commence our comparison with the price of land. We shall, however, - not 
