314 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Nov., 1902. 
Oars.—Sow broadcast or in drills in March and April. There is little 
trouble in producing a crop of oats either for green feed, ensilage, or hay. 
For hay, cut the crop when the grain has passed the milk stage. Cut it when 
still slightly green. Do not expose it too long to the sun. Stack for a short 
time, then bale or chaff it as required. 
Lucrrne.—tThe sooner you can get in a field of lucerne, the better. Pre- 
pare the ground thoroughly. Plough deeply. Harrow down. Plough again. 
Harrow down to a fine tilth. Sow only the broad-leafed variety, broadcast or 
in drills 12 inches apart—drills for preference, as you can thus keep the 
young plants clear of weeds. Sow from March to July. Cut every six weeks, 
weather permitting, when one-third in blossom. If you leave cutting till later, 
there will be a marked diminution in quantity and quality. Itis a good plan 
with a poor stand of: lucerne to disk-harrow it, setting the disks at as great 
an angle as possible. Then cross-disk it. The lucerne will afterwards branch 
out thickly; 10 Ib. of seed per acre is sufficient. Lucerne is sometimes 
attacked by a parasitic plant called Dopper. You will recognise it by its 
creeping, hair-like tendrils, which grip and squeeze the life out of the plant. 
It always appears in patches like ringworm. To get rid of it, cut the patches 
affected as close as possible to the ground, and carefully remove every particle. 
It is, indeed, better to burn it where it lies after cutting. Then cover the 
patch (if the dodder and lucerne have been removed) with about 6 inches of 
dry grass. This effectually chokes the dodder, but the lucerne will grow 
through it. By this plan, there is no need to dig up the lucerne plants, but 
the mulch must be removed when you are about to mow to prevent entangle- 
ment in the machine. Be careful to make the hay quickly. If you dawdle 
over it and wet comes on, the leaves fall off and the value of the crop is a 
vanishing quantity. Cure your hay green. If continuous rain occurs when you 
have a quantity cut in the field, put it into the silo. Thus nothing will be lost. 
Poratrors.—Of these you will get two crops in the year. In fact, it is 
quite possible to have new potatoes all the year round, but that requires 
intense cultivation by the market-gardener. Plant in drills 2 feet 6 inches 
apart, and put the sets from 12 to 14 inches apart in the rows. In dry districts 
plant on the flat ; in wet districts the ridge system is preferable. From 10 to 
12 ewt.fof seed are necessary to plant an acre. Keep the crop clear of weeds, 
and when the tops are 8 or 10 inches high earth them up either with the 
hand hoe or the moulding plough. Sow in February and March, and again in 
September. 
Sweer Porarors.—Plant cuttings of the vines on ridges in rows 4 feet 
apart, leaving from 12 to 20 inches between the cuttings. Plant in September. 
They will require little attention, as the vines soon cover the ground. Sweet 
potatoes may be kept for a long time if placed in heaps. with plenty of dry 
sand between the layers, and covered to prevent the intrusion of rain water. 
Mancorps.—Sow in August and September, in drills 3 feet apart. When 
the root is about the size of a pigeon’s ege they must be singled—that is, 
thinned—out to a distance of 18 inches apart. Keep the Planet Junior horse 
hoe going at least three times during the growth. The crop will take about 
seven months to mature. If you want to plant out mangolds (or mangels, as 
some people call them), cut off the tops about 4 inches from the roots. Plant 
them firm in the ground, but not too deep, as the crown of the root should not 
be covered. 
Impner, Karrr Corn, Sorcuum, and Trostnre may all be sown in drills 
from August to January. They call for no special directions. Sow the seed, 
keep the weeds down for a time, and harvest green for ensilage or fodder. 
Sorghum is said to be poisonous at a certain stage of its growth if cows or horses 
are allowed to graze on it. Cut the sorghum, allow it to wilt for a time, and no 
bad results will follow from its use. 
Corron.—This crop, which many years ago was a universal one in Queens- 
land, is once more coming to the front. There are many varieties of cotton— 
