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The Country Gentle^nmis Magazine 



work performed (since the introduction of im- 

 proved agricultural machinery) by the diffe- 

 rent sexes, bears even a closer comparison. 



Having alluded to the more salient points 

 in the condition and prospects of the agricul- 

 tural labourers in the north of Scotland (and 

 our remarks apply to a greater or less extent 

 to the whole of Scotland) during the last half 

 century, we shall, in a future article, adduce 

 some of the arguments for and against feeine 



markets ; call attention to the great necessity 

 for better house accommodation ; and endea- 

 vour to shew that the farm servants, as a 

 class, are presently not much under-paid, nor 

 over-worked, if they had only a less uniform 

 rate of wages established, so that merit might, 

 in these ranks, as in others, be more pro- 

 perly rewarded, and if some provision were 

 made for them in their old age to keep them 

 from the poorhouse. 



A GRICUL TURE IN A U ST R ALIA. 



CONSIDERABLE anxiety has been felt 

 during the past autumn in the inland 

 , agricultural and pastoral districts of Australia 

 on account of the continued absence of rain 

 in quantity. The Melbourne Argus says that 

 the showers that fell at intervals were light 

 and insufficient to moisten the ground for 

 ploughing or sowing. During the last fort- 

 night a change has taken place; rain has 

 fallen over a large extent of country, but our 

 latest advices shew that several districts were 

 still unsupplied. Towards the close of last 

 week rain began to fall heavily along the 

 southern coast, and from the broken character 

 of the weather there is reason to hope that 

 our next advices from distant parts of the 

 colony will remove all anxiety with regard to 

 supplies of that indispensable element, water. 

 We hear of no scarcity of grass excepting in 

 certain of the north-western districts, which 

 have been overrun with grasshoppers or 

 locusts. These pests, however, die at the 

 approach of cold weather, and both at Hors- 

 ham and Casterton a few slight frosts seem 

 to have put an end to their ravages for this 

 season. The chief event of the month 

 has been the publication of the agricultural 

 statistics of the colony of Victoria for the 

 year ending March 31, 1872. They serve to 

 confirm the impression by which mercantile 

 men have been guided on 'Change 



In summarizing the harvest returns of its 

 special correspondents, the[/4z/j-/'/'(7A7j-/a;;, in its 



issue of April 20, mentions 12 to 14 bushels 

 per acre as the probable average yield of 

 wheat; the exact yield proves to be 13.45 

 bushels. In the previous year the Austral- 

 asian reports were thought to justify a yield 

 of II bushels; the actual result was 10. i 

 bushels per acre. Thus, although these re- 

 ports of press correspondents cannot supply 

 the place of the Government statistics, they 

 have proved wonderfully trustworthy so far 

 as they go, enabling those who are conver- 

 sant with the agriculture of the colony to 

 make very close guesses at the actual re- 

 sults. The average yield of oats has been 

 18.76 bushels; of potatoes, 3.25 tons; and 

 of hay, 1.40 tons. From the various tables 

 we ascertain that the extent of land under 

 tillage had increased from 909,015 acres in 

 187 1, to 937,220 acres in 1872, The area 

 under wheat had increased from 284,167 to 

 334,609 acres, being an increase of 50,442 

 acres. The only considerable decrease had 

 been in the item of hay, the area^of cultiva- 

 tion having diminished from 163,181 to 

 103,206 acres, or a decrease of 59,975 acres. 

 The yield of almost every description of 

 crop shews an increase for 1872 over the pre- 

 vious year, as will be seen from the follow- 

 ing figures : — Grain crops — Wheat, 4,500,795 

 bushels ; increase, 1,630,386 bushels. Oats, 

 3,299,889 bushels; increase, 1,062,879 

 bushels. Barley, 335,506 bushels; increase, 

 94,681 bushels. Maize, 30,833 bushels; 



