EXPERIMENTAL WORK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1229, 11 September 1911, Page 8

EXPERIMENTAL WORK.

, SWEDE TRIALS. Some interesting notes have been furnished by Mr. G. D. Baylis, Field Instructor to tho Agricultural Department on experiments carried out in tho Eltham district. Referring-to the experiments with swedes,-Mr. Baylis says:— "Mr. Sergei's expcrimen; at Elfham illustrates the. benefit of early ploughing by exposing tho soil to tho influence -of nir, moisture, sunlight, and frost for a short timo before the land is finally prepared for tho seed bed. Not only by doing this is a largo amount of food stored up in tho soil in an. available-state for the' young plants by sowing time, but the soil beconies weathered and 'pn.lvcri.sed',for a considerable dista-ice below the surface, enabling plants to feed over a very'largo' area, and by giving the tilled land time to_ settle the connection between the tilled soil' and the unbroken subsoil is re-estab-lished,, and in addition ,by improved texture the crop is rendered less'likely to suffer from drought. By exposure grubs, spores, and many parasites are killed, and weeds aro stopped from obtaining jpossesBiori; . Among tho stiffer classes of soils, in unfavourable seasons, a vast number of discings and harrowings become necessary to fit the soil when it has only recentlybeen ploughed. It becomes a' question as to whether or not, even without tho increase of crop yielded by early ploughing, it would'not be cheaper in the long run to plough in tho early winter and cross-plough' in' spring before 'sowing. As a rulo when such a method is followed very little work is necessary to prepare tho seed-bod after the cross-ploughing and three furrows in cross-ploughing could bo as easily turned as two furrows in tho first ploughing, thus considerably lessoning tho cost. But there is another advantage gained thereby, and that is in land so treated weeds ere practically exterminated under a suitable rotation. So far as I can hear Carton's Superlative Btill retains a high reputation as fairly resistant to the attacks of club-root, and it is to be hoped that both the growers of the seed and their agents who handle it will do their best to retain it true to type and vigorous in constitution." Tabulate'd details concerning Mr. Sergei's four plots of Garten's Superlative show that they wero sown in loam upon light clay, and all received the same ma-' nurc—super 501b., Wang, bonernoal 1051b., sulphate 91b., gypsnm 101b., costing 10s. Cd. per acre. Tho difference was in cultivation. Plot I was nlonghed on Novemto 5, disced November 30 and December 1, and. sown on December 30,* at the rate of, lib. per acre' in 7in. drills; yield,'4o tons 8 cwt. per acre. Plot II was ploughed on December 15, disced three times, 'and' so,wn the same as Plot 1; yield,' 25, tons' 9cwt. '!>er acre. Plot 111, the' cultivation was the saino' as Plot I, -sown December 30 in 21in. drills, horse-hoed February", 13 and 23; yield, 30 tons lOcwt. 'per acre. Plot IV, ploughed December- 5, disced 'November 30 and December 1, sown same as Plot '111, horse-hoed same as Plot III; yield,- 32 tons Bcwt. per acre. Early ploughed ground proved superior in.many ways, not only in the crop, but! particularly'in the cleanliness of the ground at tho time of weighing. Mr.. J. L. Lucenn, Toko, experimented with eight varieties on loamy r soil, using the same mixture in all tho plots, namely, 90ib. super, 201b.' bonemeal, 71b. snip, potash, 201b. blood, 151b. gypsum per acre, costing- Bs.. The land was ploughed on November i, disced NovVmbcr 21, harrowed and disced December 29, sown at tho rate of ltloz. per acre on December 29 in . 1-lin. drills. The results, wero :— Carton's Superlative, -17} tons per acre; Sutton's-Crimson King, Hi tons; Garton's Monarch. 10 tons lSc-wt; Sutton's Elephant, HJ tons; Sutton's Champion, 9 tons 12cwt.; Garton's Green. Tankard Monarch, 9 toils 7cwt.; Garton's Cropwell, 9 tons 17 cwt.: Garton's Early Marvel, 13 tons -Icwt. The crop was, decimated with fly to start witii. When in leaf tho leaves were riddled and died down, a F.eco;ul growth of leaves coming. Superlative is apparently the best for ordinary use. Early. Marvel should bo good for early use.