A Dairy Farm in Australia 



295 



The sows are drafted a few days prior to farrowing 

 into well-aiTanged separate styes. They are allowed 

 a couple of hours' run daily in a small paddock, into 

 which all the styes open by a narrow lane. For six 

 weeks they are fed on maize, whey, &c., when they 

 are turned with their young into a large grassed and 

 well-watered paddock with the general herd, where 

 they get 2 lb. maize daily (a bushel per month), which 

 keeps them in high condition. It seems to me Mr 

 Mort favours the Prince Albert, although he considers 

 the cross with the Berkshire the best for store pur- 

 poses. 



A small flock of Lincoln sheep are also kept. I do 

 not think, for length of staple, good combing qualities, 

 ^^'eight of wool, points, and rapid maturity of carcase, 

 they can be surpassed. They kill wethers of fourteen 

 months old regularly, weighing 481b., and a lamb I saw- 

 killed, of four months old, weighed 48 lb. 



The whole farm management seems by the anange- 

 ments to aim at economy of labour. Improved 

 machinery, superior buildings, tramways, steaming 

 apparatus, stables, sheds, &c., all these, combined 

 with the comfortable cottages for the labourers, give 

 an exhilarating English air to the homestead, breath- 

 ing of health and contentment. 



The climate is truly English. I can only account 

 for this by the quantity of water upon and running 

 through the property, and consequently heavy dews. 

 These dews are increased by keeping the paddocks 

 well covered with grass, thus attracting the moisture 

 and acting as conductors to the roots. Much of the 

 verdure exhibited after a four months' drought must 

 be the result of a careful appropriation of the dews, 

 amounting, at Mr Mort's estimate, to about one-sixth 

 of the yearly rainfall. Therefore, the maxim enforced 

 especially at Bodalla, " keep the grass at a good bite," 

 is one which they have no difficulty in complying with 

 at present ; while at the same time it is equally insisted 

 upon that the grass should not be allowed to get too 

 long and rank, as a flood would be the death to it in 

 that condition. In that case it is apt to get laid and rot 

 before the water runs off. To feed judiciously includes 

 the whole law, and thereby hangs the profits 

 (prophets). 



The present system on Bodalla seems to be only to 

 lay out the current profits in progressive improve- 

 ments, of clearing and laying down in English gi-asses. 

 When the 4000 acres are thus laid do\^-n it will 

 indeed be a princely property. 



Mr Mort is only what he calls " roughing " the 

 land into grass at present, as he intends, by degrees, 

 to cultivate the land to a depth of 18 inches, 

 which, with thorough drainage and judicious feeding. 



will, he considers, enable him to carry a cow to the 

 acre all the year round, but without these the land 

 is comparatively worthless. I would here mention 

 that Mr Mort considers he has to outlay ^10 an acre 

 upon these rich flats in order to yield a profitable 

 return. This cost includes, of course, draining, fencing, 

 cultivating, and seeding as well as the necessary 

 buildings for carrying out his system of farming ; 

 but this only shews that labour without capital can no 

 more prosper than capital without labour. Suppose 

 this outlay of ^10 an acre yields gi-ass for one cow to two 

 acres, and suppose the cost of the land be ;^5 an acre 

 (for it must be remembered Mr Mort had to pay Gov- 

 ernment a large sum for worthless land to get 4000 

 acres of good land), it requires to feed a cow an out- 

 lay of £10 ; this cow yields daily I Y^, lb. of selling 

 cheese at 8d. per lb., thus making ;i^i8 a year ; take 

 from this for expenses of milking, keeping land, fences, 

 &c. , in order, say ^5 a year, and there is a return of 

 £(i, los. an acre per annum. Could this be done on 

 a small scale and without capital? Certainly not. If 

 so, why is it the free selector on the rich blocks, which 

 many of them hold scarce makes an existence ? The 

 Government ought to find the money to farm with, 

 as well as the land to be farmed, if they will have free 

 selection. 



The above calculations are mostly made from con- 

 versations I had with Mr Mort. I will now give my 

 idea of what may be done with 4000 such acres, based 

 upon the return of ninety-one cows now farmed at 

 Comerang. 4000 acres will cany say 1500 cows, 

 giving say 2500 gallons milk per day, making say 

 18,000 lb. of cheese weekly, sold at 8d., or ;^6oo per 

 week, or ^^28,000 a-year ! To this must be added the 

 profits of some 2000 pigs, and 1200 calves which 

 have the uncultivated part of the estate, some 10,000 

 acres, to run over. I believe ^400 per 100 cows 

 yearly is quite sufficient and ample for the expenses — 

 say for the management of 1500 cows, ;^6ooo per 

 annum. 



I am well aware the above large return, arising 

 from so apparently small a source, will cause a smile 

 of ridicule and doubt when some of my fellow-colonists 

 peruse this, and more especially emanating from an 

 old squatter, who is not supposed to know any of the 

 minutne or routine of a dairy farm. I do admit much 

 ignorance on the subject, so far as my previous pur- 

 suits are concerned ; but I plead in apology that my 

 statement and remarks have been made from facts, strict 

 personal observation, and the well-tried experience of 

 the proprietor's very superior manager, Mr Champ- 

 neys, to whom I am indebted for much valuable in- 

 formation. 



