BUST IS THE VICTORIAN WHEAT CROP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5600, 5 February 1879, Page 7

BUST IS THE VICTORIAN WHEAT CROP.

The Melbourne Leader in its last issue „ ._■< From a series of reports which have bin implied by our travelling reporter, it upon that the disease known as red rust cHsmost completely destroyed the wheat aw is one of the most important districts of tb/cobtiv. This calamity falling upon the aeketas of the district in question, where the expenses of clearing the land of timber ire rerr hearv, has produced a state of things which "threatens to eventuate in a serious commercial loss, and the forced abandonment of the land. Many of the farmers are seriously involved, and accounts of two and even three veari standing have to be met. In order to prevent very serious damage from following fiie failure of the crops, the selectors will have to receive considerate treatment both from their creditors and the Government. The district baa shown itself to be rich in agricultural wealth, although it has this KaMn been subjected to a visitation from which the best districts are at times not exempt ; and should financial pressure be brought to bear these rich lands would not only be abandoned by the present population, but so mnch farm property would be thrown into the market that the values of securities would be seriously depreciated. In regard to the treatment of the selectors by the Government, it is so far satisfactory that the Minister of lands has announced his willingness to deal with (pedal cases in the direction cf allowing the payment of rents to stand over for a year, but nothing short of a general treatment of the whole district will be likely to meet the case. In treating special oses only those selectors who could afford to go through the expensive process of applying to the Minister would be attended to, so that not the most needful cases, but the most influential, would receive attention. As the rust affected district is well known to be bounded bv the Ovens and Loddon rivers, Mr Longm ere could easily meet the case by showing the payment of rents to stand over in the case of all applications coming from this ares, and by dealing with special cases from other parts of the Colony.