THE FUTURE OF FARMING IN DRY DISTRICTS.

Western Star, Issue 346, 24 April 1880, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE FUTURE OF FARMING IN DRY DISTRICTS.

(Australasian.) It is evident that whilst the wheat yield of the colony of Victoria has been augmenting out of all proportion to our annual requirements, the net return to the majority of farmers will be by no means satisfactory. That there are patches of country to which this will not apply , is equally true and gratifying ; the amount of crop is both large and the quality good over many fine breadths, and the fortunate owners will no doubt continue to carry on the same system of crop-growing in perfect confidence that the results will be as good next year as thisj and ten years hence as next year. Between all this absolute prosperity, notes of warning ooze out. The occurrence of several bad yields in succession have caused men to talk of giving up—of quitting certain districts —unless something that is not yet in prospect, nor likely to be so, chance to turn up. It must strike thoughtful and far-seeing men that nothing is likely to turn up that will in any material degree alter farming prospects for the better in Victoria. The colony has arrived at the point at which values of farm produce will be fixed not by the extent of the local demand, but by the price exporters can afford to pay in competition with, the rest of the world. Thus it is with wheat, oats, and barley ; thus also with sheep and fat cattle. We have more of each of these things than we require ; at all events, stockowners, large and small, are looking anxiously for the establishing of the promised foreign trade in dead meat to relieve the home market and raise the value of stock. As for grain, as we have said, farmers are taking what exporters can afford ; protective duties are inoperative, as they always must be as soon as a country becomes more than selfsupporting. The question, ‘‘What course shall betaken?” now presents itself for solution to a very large number of selectors who, either from having settled in dry districts or from having too long pursued an exhaustive system of culture, find their holding unremunerative. It is, of course, useless to blink or deny the fact; it can be verified upon many spots by those who care to travel thereto, it the evidence of selectors themselves, conveyed through be insufficient. Many, no doubt, have discovered their error in settling in localities proverbially arid, to which course they were urged by irrespcm-, sible had ignorant, men. The task of.

almost waterless parts may? beat be utilised —was one of thoJae_proposed to be effected by the establishment of the Government experimental farm, which, It was-said* was situated, in .the same isothermal zone as the districts: referred; to; , Whilst taking; leave to.doubt that the farm is so situated, there is reason to believe that useful work has been done at this institution in demonstrating the possibility; of growing -many | other crops than; the, principal breadstuff, by sowing at certain seasons of the ; ye ar when - evaporation, proceeds-,- at a . much slower pace than in, the ; summer. .To; what extent the experience; at, Cashel,, can i be availed of by. those farmersin'the; North-western districts,who; have need of; some new, plan rof "husbandry f is. amongst j points of importance awaiting: determina- j tion. How can the culture'of winter green | crops be made to affect the general yield j of saleable produce ? i,; Canj|he -acreable ( wheat yield be augmented/ and rat what cost ? By what process- of manuring/can that be done ? and, j finally,;; can such a system be devised as will enable.thei holder oi 320 acres to occupy the same with profit ? It may be assumed with tolerable safety that expensive mineral manures are not at present within the reach of occupants of the land in question; : The ohl-fashioned plan of alternating grazing with graingrowing affords the most promising, prospect sin; this instance, hut. in so.dry, a climate the, area allotted tor, each selector is too small ;to permit of any such .number of sheep, being kept as would; enable .the system ta be,- profitably carried put. • Thus much is, stated by several from the .districts Jn Sheep cam not be kept 'because- the holdings too small. In cool; and humid districts its is possible to keep a nice little flock of, longr wools on. a selection, ;to grow on ; a small area well worked and fairly.? treated good; yields'of grain and, pulse* > Indeed, no two systems can differ more widely than the farm husbandry which is prevalent in .’the, cool and late districts,;and the .system-of • simple wheatrgrowing pursued: year after j year in the arid portions of this colony. ; It has long been patent to men of experience that the only method of profitably occupying, the latter will be for each holder to sell out to his neighbor, who will ! thus augment the area, of his .farm to the extent required to yield him a fair annual income. The repeal of the Longmore regulations would enable this much-needed | change to be carried into effect ; ; j