THE VALUE OF TILLAGE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 433, 24 January 1912, Page 3

THE VALUE OF TILLAGE.

Good cultivation is equal to a dressing of a good fertiliser. This axiom is strikingly confirmed by the result of some experiments reported by the Government agriculturists at the Cape. The experiment was carried out in the following manner. At the experiment station a piece of land was selected, divided into plots, and uniformly dressed with a complete fertiliser. After being ploughed as stated below, a cultivator was run over the land and oats sown with the drill. The land was then rolled. Each successive plot, however, had received one more ploughing than the ..previous one, and the yields rose correspondingly in steadily ascending order. Plot 1: Once ploughed yielded 7501b oat-hay per acre. Plot 2: Twice ploughed, yielded 1 0001b oat-hay per acre. Plot 3 : Thrice ploughed, yielded 18801b oat-hay per acre. Plot 4: Four times ploughed, yielded 38001b oat-hay per acre. It is stated that equally striking results were obtained from the barley and wheat plots planted during the past year,although the plots were each ploughed and harrowed once only, but each succeeding plot was cultivated once more than the previous one. The results of these experiments emphasise the importance of careful tillage, and show that, although manuring is highly important yields can be still further and profitaby increased by extra ploughing or cultivating. In India, where the peasants often find it difficult to obtain fertilisers and labour is cheap, they depend largely on obtaining good crops by increased cultivation, and will frequently plough their land four or five times. Four ploughings appear to be the most tried at the Robertson experiment farm, and it is probable that ploughing much more frequently than this would not have had any better effect.