SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2595, 1 August 1882, Page 3

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE.

The following is a copy of the report for the autumn term, 1882, furaished by the direotor, School of Agriculture, to the chairman, Board of Governors, Canterbury College : " Canterbury College School of Agriculture, Lincoln, 20th July, 1882. " Sir, —I have the honor to submit my report for the autumn term ending 30th ultimo. " Students—There have been tbirty-six students in residence. Progress has been very good in many instances, fair in others, whilst in a few oases little has been done. Students entoring this year are of a better average class than those of the previous year. I have had to suspend one student for repeated breaohes of the regulations and general bad conduct. On the whole the conduct of students has been to me satisfactory. Appendix A shows how the time of studonts is oooupied. "Buildings and Improvements—The new wing is completed, and nearly all the rooms furnished and fitted. The following works authorised are not completed, viz, oiling outßide walls, erection of fireplaces in bedrooms, patting up swing door. The hot water apparatus does not work satisfactorily in lecturer's rooms. During the still weather of autumn and winter, the water supply has at times quite failed. " Museum—Fittings for the museum are in hand. I have received a collection of models of roots, &a., from Messrs. Sutton and Sons, seedsmen, of Beading, and of seeds from the Technological Museum, Melbourne. Dr. Yoelcker is making a oolleotion of samples of feeding stuffs and manure?, and Dr Barker a collection of manures and mammal substances. These, together with the collections of minerals, grain, wool, plants, &o , will pretty well fill up the space available this year. "Permanent Improvements—On the farm these comprise the fenoing of land purchased from J. Tod, and the filling up of oreek in fields Nob. 30 and 31 (see plan herewith). " Farm —Attaohed plan will show progress of farm works, and present condition of the farm as to cropping. Wheat sowing has been oompleted some time ; all .the wheat is working well, except some experimental plots of red wheat from England, which are thin. Peas and beans are also looking well. In wheat there are of Hunter's white, 17 acres; Ohidham, 11 acres, third year in New Zealand; white Taioan, 9 acres ; purple straw, 51 acres; purple, 8. Australia, 23 aores, second year of trial; red wheat, 7 acres, first year; total, 118 In beans,}tick beans, 3 aores, winter beans, 3 aores, imported from England. In peas, Prussia i blue, 14 acres. For oats there are ready or being fed off by sheep, 58J aores; for barley, 16 acres ; for peas, linseed, mustard, &<i , 17) acres ; making the area for grain for the year 230 acres. The rest of the farm will be occupied by roots, &0., 82 aores. Rotation grasaea, 204 J acres ; permanent grasses, 103£ acres; let, 5£ acres—39si, grain 230=626* acres ; the balance being oaoupied by buildings, plantations, &■?. The stock on the farm consists of sheep, breeding ewes, Leicesters 161, oroßsbreds 334=495 j hoggets—Leicestars, rams 60, ewes 59 ; orossbreds. wethers 99, ewes 117, total 335, crossbred wethers 102, Laioester rams 9 ; total 941 Cattle—Dairy cows, 24 ; steers, 3 years 10, 1 to 2 —22; total, 32; heifers, 14 ; under twelve months old, 16 ; bull, 1 ; total 87 ; pigs, 22 ; Horses—Working horses, 12; 1 three year-old, 1; 1 2 year-old 1. Total, 14. I have not acted upon authority to purchase milk for oheese making, as I could not secure the servioes of a oompetent man. I havo heard from Mr Bjwron, who undertook to eeleot a man in England, that he has succeeded in doing so, and that the man would start about the beginning of June. Experimental Work.—For the past term this has neoessarily been chiefly confined to cereals. I am, however, preparing for laying out as experimental plots for grasses, <fco , As. those whioh were previously nsed for ceteals, and abandoned through the ravages of birds preventing accurate results being obtained. In testing the germinating power of the wheat sown, I find poor results with the Tuocans. These are, however, corroborative of the experiments made previously on effects of pickling with oopper sulphate. I used this year 2ozs to the bushel. Of 100 grains of each kind sown in test boxes, there germinated—of white Tusobd, 67 grains; purple straw, 54 grains; purple straw, 68 grains; purple straw (South Australia), 70 grains ; Hunter's white, 93 grains. I am having these wheats examined under the microsoope. The Tuscan wheats suffer in threshing, the epidermis is often cracked, and the seed is killed by the penetration of the bluestone solution on pickling. This question I will further report upon. I have several experiments on hand with copper and iron sulphate upon smutty seed wheat. Several samples of adulterated bluestone have oome under my notice, but after the result of analysis of one of them was published, I have not seen anything but good samples exposed for sale. The sample referred to contained only abcut 3£ per cent, copper sulphate or true bluestone. The following new varieties of wheat are under trial, viz :—White lammas, Braemar velvet, cob, ten-rowed, from Tasmania; white Tuscan, purp'e straw, wheat (no name), do, do, do, from Victoria; Polish wheat, from N. S. Wales. In £ acre plots, red lammas, red nursery, red Essex rough chaff, Talavera, mixed wheat, from England ; purple straw from South Australia, purple straw from N.S. Wales. The beans growing in the farm were imported this year from England. There are two sorts, viz , tick and winter beans. I think the former likely to prove better suited for our medium soils than the large Scotch bean usually grown on the heavier land of the country. Upon about two acres beans and peas havo been drilled mixed, chit fly with the view of trying to more easily harvest the peas. Ten and a half aores of turnips (Devonshire grey stone) have oarried sheep at the rate of 250 per acre per week. I have had weighed the turnips of an average eighth acre, the resu t being 24-} tons per aore. In places the yield would weigh over 30 tons per acre. All the turnips put in with the water drill and manure (2owt superphosphate of lime) have showed a good plant, the only piece put in broadcast was sown twice with no result. A series of milk analyses have been undertaken. This work is not complete. I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedient servant, W. E. Ivey, Direotor. APPENDIX A. Occupation of Students, Abstracted from Time Table.

I* Exclusive of milking, deaning, Jfco., horses morning and evening, and of work on Saturday afternoon.

1st year. 2nd yo;u 3rd year. Hours^ Hours Hours per week per week [per week ♦Farm work Agriculture lecture 16 2 m 8 2 Chemistry lecture... 2 2 2 Natural science lecture ... .r. 2 2 2 Natural science laboratory 1 1 2 Chemical laboratory Veterinary leoture 3 1 3 1 3 1 Mathematics 3 3 2 Survey classes 2 2 3 Bookkeeping — 1 2 Flan drawing 1 I Blacksmith 1 2 3 Carpenter 1 2 3 Examination 31 2 33 31 2 2