12 



people of a kind that will aid them in overcoming the obstacles that 

 confront them in their agricultural operations. In undertaking this, 

 various methods have been adopted by the several States, the manifest 

 intention being to adopt such methods as are best adapted to the 

 peculiar conditions that prevail as to climate, crops, and population. 



The following table giving the acreage under cultivation in each 

 of the States and the percentage of each crop grown exhibits the 

 diversity of condition that prevails, and is of interest as showing the 

 variety of products that can be grown in this island continent : 



Acreof/r oiid percentatic of each crop f/rown in Anstralid. 



Cultivated acreage 



Wheat per cent.. 



Corn __do 



Barley __. do 



Oats. _ _do 



Potatoes do 



Hay. do 



Vines do 



Sugar cane _.do 



Other crops do 



Total do.... 



New South 

 Wales. 



1,426,166 



58.4 



8.8 



.3 



1.3 



1.4 



22.7 



.4 



.9 



5.9 



100.0 



Victoria. 



2,165,693 



68.6 



.3 



2.5 



8.6 



1.8 



14.3 



.9 



3.0 



100.0 



Queens- 

 land. 



52,527 



12.5 



26.2 



1.8 



.2 



2.5 



14.0 



.5 



26.3 



16.0 



South 

 Australia. 



1,821,137 



Western 

 Australia. 



84,516 



81.3 



.9 



.4 



13.9 



.9 



1.9 



100.0 



100.0 



45.4 



.1 



2.1 



2.1 



1.5 



42.3 

 1.7 



4.8 



100.0 



I 



Tasmania. 



64,328 



28.6 

 .1 

 3.4 

 »).() 

 12.0 

 18.8 



17.1 



100. 



There is no national system of farmers' institutes in Australia. 

 The organization and control of the work is altogether committed to 

 the agricultural departments of the several States. These depart- 

 ments have not united upon a single method. Ijut each lias formulated 

 a separate and distinct system. 



In order, therefore, that the various methods in use may be clearly 

 presented, it becomes necessary to take them separately and discuss 

 them under the names of the States with which each is identified. 



NEW SOUTH WALES. 



Nothing corresponding to the farmers' institute system of the 

 United States is in operation in New South Wales. 



QUEENSLAND. 



Queensland has no system of instruction for farmers corresponding 

 to that of the farmers' institutes of the United States. There is a 

 State department of agriculture and there are local agricultural 

 societies, but the function of the local societies is principally confined 

 to the holding of an annual show. The State department occasion- 

 ally sends out one of its members to address an agricultural meeting, 

 but this work of instruction is not organized so as to be a part of 

 the educational system. The department, how^ever, is equipped with 

 a corps of specialists, who give advice to farmers and visit various 



