Applied Mechanics Commons^™

Wiping Out Tall Weeds, Brad Rayner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Control of weeds is an on-going battle for farmers, with many weapons becoming increasingly expensive. A refreshing exception to this trend is the blanket wiper, a cheap but effective meens of applying herbicides to taller weeds in pasture. Brad Rayner explains how it works.

Stubble : Friend And Foe, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Several articles in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture discuss some of the important issues of stubble management. The articles are condensed from some of the papers presented at a stubble workshop at Geraldton in 1991.

Improved Fertilizing Practices On The Peel-Harvey Catchment, P T. Arkell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Broad-acre farmers in the Peel-Harvey catchment have met a challange and achieved a great deal since the fertilizer extension programme started in 1983.

The main objective of the extension programme has been to ensure that every year three-quarters of the farmers make economically and technically sound fertilizer decisions, thus causing a minimum amount of phosphorus to enter the waterways of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system.

Mastitis : Modified Teat Cups Give Better Back-Flushing, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Back-flushing of the teat cups has not brought the expected reduction in the spread of mastitis in some dairy herds.

Replacement of the conventional nut-and-tail nipple with a special flushing nipple, or use of a one-piece teat cup liner, will ensure that flushing is efficient.

Milking Machine Efficiency And Shed Husbandry Practices, G R. Olney

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MILKING machine efficiency on dairy farms in the Bridgetown, Greenbushes, Balingup, Boyup Brook and Nannup areas was the subject of a recent testing survey.

During the survey 106 machines were tested and the results assessed statistically to gauge the general level of machine efficiency in these districts.

Opposed Disc Plough Furrows Hard Kimberley Soils, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE work of reclaiming the eroded areas of the Ord River catchment has posed special problems for field staff of the Department of Agriculture engaged on this large scale project.

Thousands of miles of furrows must be contour-ploughed and seeded in extremely hard ground over big areas of eroded country.

A Simplified Mulesing Crush, G T. Halpin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DURING the last two years Mr. Tom Flanigan, a mulesing contractor in a large area centred at Katanning, has performed the mules-tailstrip operation on many thousands of lambs and sheep.

Siphon Tubes For Furrow Irrigation In The Kimberleys, K S. Cole

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Irrigation soils in the Ord River area have a high clay content and erode easily under the influence of running water.

To overcome the problem of erosion in cuts between the head channels and irrigation furrows polythene siphon tubes have been found the most satisfactory.

In this article K. S. Cole, B.Sc. (Agric), Agricultural Adviser, Kununurra, describes the use of siphon tubes for furrow irrigation in the Kimberleys.

A Practical Guide To Building Contour Banks With A Road Grader, J E. Watson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THOUSANDS of miles of contour banks have been built in Western Australia, and most of this earthmoving has been done by tractor and disc plough* or by road grader.

This article describes the technique recommended for bank construction with the road grader.

A Core Sampler For Silage, A L. Hamilton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FOR five years now the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture has conducted a silage competition on behalf of the Australian Dairy Produce Board Pasture Improvement Committee.

The competition is for farmers in the Southwest dairying districts and has attracted an increasing number of entries each year.

Farm Safety, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Careful investigation has been made into the causes of tractors overturning.

The most common types of accident are set out below, with advice on how to avoid them.

Australian Tractor Tests : International A554d : Report On Test No. 36 (Farmers' Edition), G H. Vasey, W. F. Baillie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS Report is taken from the full Technical Report No. 36; results are shown here in briefer form: fuller explanations are added.

Values quoted may be rounded out to two instead of three significant figures; to this extent the values may differ slightly but not significantly from those shown in the Technical Report.

Check Your Milking Machine, T Pavy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MILKING machine efficiency testing carried out by officers of the Department of Agriculture's Dairying Division have shown that many machines are not up to standard.

One reason for this is that farmers do not check their machines regularly.

Irrigating Dry Season Crops In The Ord Valley : How To Prepare Land For Sowing, D F. Beech

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE best way to grow dry season crops of safflower, linseed and rapeseed under irrigation in the Ord Valley is by sowing on to broad flat ridges, separated by small furrows 3 ft. 6 in. apart.

This system of sowing is called the "corrugation" method.

The Effects Of Tillage Implements On Cereal Yields, H M. Fisher

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Careful soil preparation is essential for cereal crops grown without fallow on clover ley land.

Crops give better yields where the land is broken up with a mouldboard or disc plough rather than a scarifier or similar machine.

The implements differ appreciably in their capacity to control weed growth and this is largely responsible for variations in cereal yields. "Takeall" disease is reduced by efficient weed control.

Water Conservation On The Farm, John W. Lewis

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SMALL scale conservation of water for agricultural use is becoming increasingly important throughout Australia.

As land development intensifies, it is natural that farmers turn to more dams and earthen tanks for stock water and irrigation.

Adequate water is essential to supply the carrying capacities made possible by improved pastures, and where greater quantities of water can be stored, fodder crops, pastures, orchards and vegetables can be irrigated.

Australian Tractor Tests : Fordson Farm Major : Report On Test No. 33, G H. Vasey, W. F. Baillie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS Report is taken from the full Technical Report No. 33 of this test; test results are shown here in briefer form: fuller explanations are added.

Values quoted may be rounded out to two instead of three significant figures; to this extent the values may differ slightly but not significantly from those shown in the Technical Report.

Graphs of belt test performance, shown in the Technical Report, are not shown here.

Getting The Best From Your Sewing Machine, O. Evans Scott

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

"NEXT to the plough, this is perhaps humanity's most blessed instrument." (Louis Antoine Godey.)

In some homes the sewing machine is the most sadly neglected and ill-used servant. It is often left set up, exposed to dust, dampness and scratching, used as a table and otherwise abused.

It is not right to have a machine stitching imperfectly and noisily and used for long periods without maintenance when a little attention can keep it performing quietly and efficiently.

Automatic Waterers For Day Old Chickens, P Smetana, W. Ward

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most tedious and time consuming tasks on a poultry farm is the provision of water to chicks from day old up to the age of three or four weeks.

Most poultry farmers use half-gallon glass fonts with metal bases for the first few weeks, until the chicks are old enough to use the automatic watering system usually situated along one wall of the brooder house.

This cumbersome glass font system can be replaced by the cheap and easily installed automatic watering system described below. This system has already been adopted by several local poultry farmers.

Australian Tractor Tests : Report On Test No. 32, G H. Vasey, W. F. Baillie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS Report is taken from the full Technical Report No. 32 of this test: test results are shown here in briefer form: fuller explanations are added. Values quoted may be rounded out to two instead of three significant figures:

Australian Tractor Tests : Report On Test No. 34 : Fordson Power Major, G H. Vasey, W. F. Baillie

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS Report is taken from the full Technical Report No. 34 of this test; test results are shown here in briefer form: fuller explanations are added.

Values quoted may be rounded out to two instead of three significant figures; to this extent the values may differ slightly but not significantly from those shown in the Technical Report

Some values are taken from graphs shown in the Technical Report, which are not shown here.

The Burnett Control Gate For Irrigation Channels, B Swan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS type of check-gate for use in irrigation ditches, was evolved on the Kimberley Research Station and has definite advantages over wooden or concrete structures in that it is termite-proof and can be removed and replaced in a few minutes to permit of the channel being cleaned out by straight runs with modern machinery.

A Useful Farm-Made Roller, V E. Western

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A very serviceable compacting roller can be constructed at little expense by using discarded truck tyres.

The roller described here has an overall width of 5 ft. 3 in. and carries seven 9.00 x 24 semi-trailer tyres which had been discarded when the treads were worn smooth.

Bulk Handling Of Superphosphate, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A MAJOR factor in our agricultural production is the outlay for fertilisers, including the cost of their application to the land.

Any means which can be employed to reduce these costs are therefore of extreme importance to the State's agriculture.

The bulk-handling of fertilisers could be one way of reducing these costs to the farmer.