1 Junz, 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. ; 459 
has been erected. Raised loading-shutes for pigs have been set up, on the 
Yery latest principle and design; the loading of pigs is now a very simple 
Matter. A shed has been built over the boiler at the pumping station on the 
_ bank of Lockyer Creek ; dimensions, 26 feet by 18 feet. 
In the garden, large quantities of vegetables have been produced for domestic 
pEposes, and, to ensure the continuance of the supply, 3,500 young plants 
lave been set out during the month. The seeds planted comprise :— 
Carrots—Long Red Blood, Surrey, Perfection, Arlingham, Oxheart Gem, 
Chantenay, Improved Intermediate, Scarlet Perfection. ; 
Parsnips ~ Hollow Crown. ] 
Turnips—American White Stone, Red Stone, Imperial Prize-winner 
(Swede). 
_ _Lransplanted.—Cauliflower—Improved Asiatic. Cabbage—St. John’s 
Day, Beefheart, Drumhead. Seed Onions—Brown Spanish, White ‘Tripoli, 
Inproved White Queen, American Globe. 
There were planted also the following varieties of Strawberries :—Hautbois, 
Federation, and Pink’s Prolific. 
Both garden and orchard are in splendid order at present, reflecting great 
credit on the energy and management of Mr. Cole, our new horticulturist. 
In connection with the dairy, the average number of cows milked was 75. 
The quantity of milk treated during the period under review was 3,238 gallons ; 
1,918 gallons yielded 1,950 lb. of cheese, and 1,325 gallons gave a return of 
588% lb. of butter. Increase during the month was :—Ayrshires—1 male, 2 
females ; the Ayrshire cow, Lavinia, producing twins, 1 male, 1 female. Short- 
orns—I male, 1 female. South Coast-Ayrshire cross—l female. Ayrshire- 
ersey cross—1 female. 
| Amongst the pigs, the increase in pure breeds was :—Berkshires, 9 (1 boar, 
8 gilts). Middle Yorkshires, 10 (6 boars, 4 gilts). 
EXTRACTS FROM THE MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT OF THE 
BIGGENDEN EXPERIMENT FARM FOR APRIL, 1900. 
Dvntnea April the weather has, ea ate continued to be extremely dry. 
he total rainfall amounted to only 1:25 inches of which 77 points fell on the 
last day of the month. Such abnormally dry weather has, of course, greatly 
tnilitated against a healthy growth of the winter crops. The seeds either lie 
dormant in the ground or struggle for a bare living in a semi-starved condition. 
Good progress, however, has been made with ploughing, which will be 
finished in a couple of days, including 3 acres for an orchard which we had 
last year subsoiled to a depth of from 18 to 20 inches, and which we are now 
ploughing from 12 to 15 inches deep with a Verity plough No. 2 and a team of 
three horses. 
. _ Over 100 varieties of wheat were sown between the 9th and 12th of April 
in the nomenclature, stud, and seed-wheats plots. 
The nomenclature wheats were sown in drills half-a-chain long. The drills 
i 2 links apart, and the seeds carefully dropped by hand 1 link apart in 
e row. 
For the stud wheats the drills are also 2 links apart, but they are 1 
full chain long, and the seeds were dropped by means of a Planet Junior 
hand seed drill. 
The seed wheats and barleys have all been broadcasted by hand in areas not 
exceeding 1 acre. 
' In this year’s experiments we have purposely omitted all those Swedish, 
Russian, and other winter wheats which are well known to be entirely unsuitable 
to our latitudes and climate. This will allow us to concentrate our work on the 
best of hard (macaroni) wheats, which are usually good, rust-resistant varieties, 
and on those bread wheats which have been artificially produced in the southern 
colonies by a careful selection and crossing of the most suitable varieties. We 
have especially a fine collection of My. Farrar’s wheats. We are fully 
