Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Establishing Pastures Under Wheat Crops, M L. Poole, J. W. Gartrell, D. A. N. Nicholas

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

RECENT surveys indicate that in the medium and high rainfall cereal and sheep areas as much as half the new pasture sown is sown with a crop.

In the drier wheatbelt areas the figure is 20 to 30 per cent.

Nitrogen Fertiliser Survey, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

THE DECEMBER, 1968 issue of the "Journal of Agriculture" included, as part of an article on the economics of nitrogen fertiliser use, a lift-out section for farmers to complete and return to the Journal.

In the lift-out, farmers were asked to calculate their fertiliser costs and answer a series of questions about the use of nitrogen on their farms.

Paspalum Vaginatum : For Salty Seepages And Lawns, C V. Malcolm, I. A. F. Laing

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

PASPALUM VAGINATUM, aptly termed "sea shore paspalum" has an amazing ability to thrive in wet salty situations. It is also a good lawn grass.

Seed of the grass is not available but it may easily be established by planting pieces.

This article reviews where and how the grass may be used.

Wildflowers Of The Geraldton District, E M. Bennett

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

THE wildflowers of Western Australia which have aroused such interest throughout the world are found largely in the south western corner of the State.

Within this area, and indeed in the drier areas also, certain districts are richer than others.

One example of this concentration of wildflowers occurs to the north and east of Geraldton.

Dormancy And Life Span Of Saffron Thistle Seeds, B J. Quinlivan, J. R. Pierce

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

RESEARCH in the Geraldton area has indicated that seeds of the saffron thistle (Carthamus lanatus) spread their germination over some seven years but most germinate in the first two years.

Factors influencing the rate of germination and the survival of seeds are the depth of burial and the presence of termites in the soil.

West Midlands Development : Pastures For Sandplain Soils, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

TRIALS at the Badgingarra Research Station have indicated that many pasture species will grow in the West Midlands area.

Choice of the species most suited to any particular locality will be influenced by soil type, rainfall, grazing characteristics and possible ill-effects on stock.

The following species have been recommended.

Cockroaches And Their Control, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

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

SEVERAL species of cockroaches are general household pests.

In this country some of the native varieties have become semi-domesticated and, in addition, two or three introduced forms are quite common.

The Indian Mynah, John L. Long

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

THE Common or Indian Mynah (Acridotheres tristis) inhabits Afghanistan, Baluchistan, southern Russian Turkestan, India, Ceylon and the Andaman Islands.

Grasshoppers And Locusts In Western Australia, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

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

GRASSHOPPERS and locusts are among the most ancient enemies of the farmer, for they figured prominently in Biblical times, and periodically throughout the ages have devastated crops in all parts of the world.

The Red-Whiskered Bulbul, John L. Long

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

Widely distributed in both Africa and Asia, Bulbuls are a largely tropical group of fruit eating birds ranging in size from that of a house sparrow to a blackbird.

Control Of Weeds In Garden Areas, Geoffrey A. Pearce

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

THE present-day gardener does not appear to relish the tedious job of removing weeds by hand. It is a never-ending task and no sooner is one germination controlled than another appears.

Modern herbicides provide a ready answer for overcoming the weed problem in the home garden, but it is essential to select the correct chemical and to understand its limitations.

The Indian Crow, John L. Long

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

THE Indian crow occasionally reaches the shores of Australia from southern Asia via ships travelling between Indian and Australian ports.

What Are Vermin?, A R. Tomlinson

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

ACCORDING to one dictionary the term 'vermin'includes "mammals and birds injurious to game or crops", "rats and mice", "noxious insects", "parasitic worms" and even "vile persons."

Ninth Random Sample Laying Test, 1965-66, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

NINTH RANDOM SAMPLE LAYING TEST, 1965-66

POULTRY RESEARCH STATION, WEMBLEY

FINAL REPORT TO 500 DAYS

Tenth Random Sample Laying Test, 1966-67 : Cages, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

TENTH RANDOM SAMPLE LAYING TEST, 1966-67 - CAGES

POULTRY RESEARCH STATION, WEMBLEY

SECOND PROGRESSIVE REPORT TO 26th FEBRUARY, 1967

Average age of birds 215.5 days or 30 weeks and 6 days.

Special Field Days For Merino Breeders, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

More than 200 Merino stud breeders attended special stud breeding and fertility field days arranged for them by the Department of Agriculture recently.

Breeders attending represented some 40 per cent of the State's Merino studs.

Department Of Agriculture Services : The Botany Branch And The W.A. Herbarium, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

ALTHOUGH the flora of Western Australia strongly attracted early botanists and collectors, it was virtually neglected by settlers faced with a century or more of hard pioneering.

Only recently has enthusiasm for our remarkable flora developed within the State and, with the formation of sponsoring societies and the establishment of the Kings Park Botanic Gardens, native species have become popular in home and civic gardens.

Ornamental Trees For The Farm Garden, P Luff

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

THE need for trees in the farm garden is being realized by many people.

Trees around the homestead are required to give such features as shade, colour, fragrance and many other advantages to generally make an area more livable.

Besides these advantages, trees appear to help smaller plants flourish by increasing the humidity and providing various degrees of shade and sunlight.

Poultry Behaviour As It Affects Management, R H. Morris

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

UNDER natural conditions animals have considerable control over their movements and over their proximity to each other.

Today, however, there is a trend in animal husbandry towards greater intensificaton, and this is most evident in the poultry industry.

Tenth Random Sample Laying Test, 1966-67 : Litter, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

TENTH RANDOM SAMPLE LAYING TEST, 1966-67 - LITTER

POULTRY RESEARCH STATION, WEMBLEY

SECOND PROGRESSIVE REPORT TO 26th FEBRUARY,1967

Average age of birds 215.5 days or 30 weeks and 6 days.

New Phytotron Widens Scope For Research, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

A WIDE range of new experiments and greater speed and efficiency in many existing projects has been made possible by the recent completion of the Department of Agriculture phytotron at South Perth.

Individual Sow Feeders, P Mcnamara

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

FOOD is the major cost in any pig enterprise and it is particularly easy for waste to occur in the breeding herd.

Individual feeders enable the pigman to feed each sow according to her need, and enable the sows to eat their feed slowly or quickly as they choose.

Weaning Lambs Under Pastoral Conditions, H Suijdendorp, L. Parsons

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

IN the summer rainfall region of the pastoral areas lambs are too often born too late to ensure their survival.

In good seasons with a fair measure of winter rain more late lambs will survive, but losses are still serious. The only solution to this problem is to make sure lambs drop in May-June.

But the presence of late and often unmarked lambs at mating time is a disturbing influence, which makes it hard to advance the established mating pattern.

One Shot Baiting, C D. Gooding, L. A. Harrison

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

THE Agriculture Protection Board introduced the first of its contract poisoning schemes in 1955 in the lower South-West when three units undertook the first "1080" poisoning for farmers in Western Australia.

The originators of one-shot baiting describe this new technique and explain how it should be used for best results on the farm.

Attack The Rabbit At Home : Destroy Warrens And Harbourage, J S. Crawford

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

Effective rabbit destruction often calls for a carefully worked out control programme consisting of poisoning, fumigating and warren and harbourage destruction.

Possibly the most effective means of not only controlling rabbits but ultimately eradicating them from holdings is the destruction of warrens and harbourage.

The Fox : Status And Control, C D. Gooding

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

NOBODY knows for certain and it is possible that the damage done by foxes is sometimes over-rated, but the fact remains that foxes are reputed to be a real problem to some farmers at lambing time.

Dingo Control : Organised Ground Baiting Drives At Mating Time, C D. Gooding, J. J. Freeth

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

DINGOES in Western Australia, like all "creatures of nature", have a well defined seasonal pattern of behaviour.

This is influenced somewhat by weather variations, but even in remote areas where violent fluctuations in rainfall occur from year to year, the dingo still breeds at roughly the same time.

The numbers of pups born and the numbers which survive each year varies a lot, but life goes on at roughly the same tempo under most seasonal conditions.

An Assessment Of Cattle Husbandry Problems In Western Australia, W J O Wilkie

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

THE science of animal husbandry deals with all those things which affect the welfare and productivity of our domestic animals.

The relative emphasis placed on welfare and productivity depends on whether the animals are kept as pets or for profit.

Vermin Control This Month, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

THE effects of the very wet winter are no longer being felt in vermin control activities in most of Western Australia and they have returned to normal.

Poison Plant Problems, T E H Aplin

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

A POISON plant may be defined as a plant which, when eaten by humans or animals, exerts harmful effects or causes death by virtue of its toxic substances.