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Kimberley Research Station Review Of Progress, 1968-71, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

The potential for harnessing northern rivers flowing to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Timor Sea was realised many years ago.

These rivers together are estimated to carry about three times the water transported annually over the Murray drainage system and the South Eastern slopes, which comprise the closely settled agricultural areas of South Eastern Australia.

The Kimberley Research Station was established in 1946 to investigate the potential for irrigated agriculture in the Ord River valley. This is a review of the Station's sixth progress report which is being published as Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 3861.

Kimberley Research Station Progress Report, 1964 : Soil Fertility And Plant Nutrition, D B. Parbery, R. Wetselaar

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

BEFORE 1963, very little work, other than that described in Burvill's original report, had been done on the analysis of Ord soils, nor had their fertility status been clearly defined.

Kimberley Research Station Progress Report, 1964 : Cotton, Jan Jerzy Basinski, J. P. Evanson, W. R. Stern, N. J. Thomson

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

SINCE 1960 cotton has occupied the prominent place in the Station's research programme.

Considerable progress has been made in all aspects of cotton culture (Thomson and Basinski 1962b; Thomson 1962.)

Kimberley Research Station Progress Report, 1964 : Introduction, W M. Nunn

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

THE Ord Irrigation settlement has recently planted its second commercial crop of cotton.

Research and planning toward the development project has been systematic over the last 20 years and has included hydrological surveys and dam-site investigations by the Public Works Department soil and topographical surveys by both the Department of Agriculture and C.S.I.R.O., and concerning farming methods both by research station investigations and by pilot farming.

Kimberley Research Station Progress Report, 1964 : Climate, Jan Jerzy Basinski, E. A. Fitzpatrick, W. R. Stern

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

A review of recent research in climate, soils, tropical crops and pastures, weeds, insect pests and cattle husbandry at the Kimberley Research Station.

EXTENSIVE climatic data are recorded at the Station and analysed in relation to crop performance, irrigation requirements, and farm management practices.

Kimberley Research Station : A Progress Report, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

INTEREST in the agricultural potential of the Kimberley region in Western Australia dates from its early exploration and settlement in the last century.

Several farming development schemes were considered for the area, but were never implemented.

This could be mainly attributable to lack of knowledge of agricultural potentialities, limitations of the local environment and ways of exploiting the local environment.

Up to the present the economy of the region is almost entirely based upon the extensive production of beef and to a lesser extent, wool.