| Location |
Crops grown
|
Result
|
Comments
|
| Farmleiten-Gut
Heuberg, trial 1, 1948 |
Barley, copper
implements only. |
Yield of 3351
kg/ha |
Good growth, but
no iron plough was available as a control. Trials 1 to 4 were carried
out independently by an agricultural scientist, Ing. Franz Rosenberger. |
| Trial 2, same
farm, 1947-8 |
Oats, portion 1
with a copper-plated plough, portion 2 with a steel plough. |
Portion 1: 1668
kg/ha
Portion 2: 1054
kg/ha
|
Portion 1 had a
58% greater yield |
| Trial 3, same
farm, 1947 |
Maize for silage
Portion 1
cultivated with a steel plough, portion 2 with a copper-plated plough
|
Portion 2
yielded about 1/3 more |
The crop was
harvested green and so could not be weighed. The weather was
unfavourable for maize. Portion 2 grew better, was a darker green
colour, while plants in portion 1 were pale and yellowish. |
| Trial 4, same
farm, 1948 |
Carrots |
Almost double
the yield achieved under normal methods of cultivation. |
Exact results
not reported, but the trial was deemed to be just as successful as the
previous ones. |
| 1949, same farm |
Rye, cultivated
in portions with steel and copper-plated ploughs on land already worked
with copper implements in 1948. |
Ears containing
up to 104 grains, 15cm long. Such results were unheard of in this
district. |
Ing. Roserberger
sent samples of yields from both portions to Leopold Rauch & Sohne,
Walzmuhle, Salzburg. They confirmed the increased average grain size and
the improved flour yield from the grain harvested
from the portions cultivated with the copper plough. |
| Four fields in
Salzburg and environs |
Barley, maize,
oats, cultivated with copper implements only. |
Estimated
increase of 20% in number of grains per ear |
Observations
only; detailed results not reported |
| Alpine farm near
Kitzbuhel, Tyrol |
Oats and maize,
cultivated with copper implements only |
60-90 grains of
oats per head, 56 – 64 maize grains per ear |
This
was poor, degraded land. It is the highest lying farm in the area, on
the shadow side and had had frequent changes of tenant. Not knowing the
implements used, the local Council described the cereal grown there that
year as the best in the district. There was a further increase in yield
the second time these implements were used. |
| Same farm |
Potatoes,
cultivated with copper implements only |
30 tonnes/ha |
This
is 12.5 times the average yield for the area. The potatoes were healthy
and had good flavour. |
| Field trial no.
5: Parkland belonging to Salzburg Municipal Council |
Grass and clover
for fodder. Two sections, one cultivated with steel plough, the other
with ‘golden plough’. |
According to the
owner, the yield in green fodder at the last mowing on the area worked
with the golden plough was double that from the area cultivated with the
steel plough |
|
| Field Trial no.
6: Muhlbach Field, Klessheim |
Silage maize,
portions cultivated with copper-plated and steel implements. |
Estimated
increase in yield from the cu section: 25%. The crop grown with copper
implements grew more vigorously, was stronger, darker-coloured and had
more advanced cob development than that cultivated with iron tools. |
This
and trials no. 7 and 8 were carried out by the Chief Agronomist of the
Salzburg Primary Industry Department, Dipl. Ing. Resch. Due to time
constraints, no detailed comparisons could be made between the yields
from the two portions in each trial. |
| Field Trial no.
7: Schloss Field, Klessheim |
Rye, portions
cultivated with copper-plated and steel implements. |
Cu area had
substantially better germination, better colour and growth. |
|
| Field Trial no.
8: Wasserturm Field, Klessheim |
Winter Barley,
portions cultivated with copper-plated and steel implements. |
cu area
exhibited fewer yellow plants, lusher green colour and stronger plants
than on the fe area |
Dipl.
Ing. Resch attested to the results of trials 6, 7 and 8 on 10 November
1949. |