472 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PROGRESS 



We called attention recently to the advance in pros- 

 perity made by the island of Tasmania, and we would 

 now advert to another most flourishing Australian 

 colony — South Australia — whose progress has been 

 rapid in the extreme. It is little more than twenty 

 years since the colonists obtained possession of their 

 country lands there, and now South Australia — not- 

 withstanding various disturbing and depressing in- 

 fluences which have affected it — may take rank with 

 any of the elder colonies for substantial improvement, 

 social condition, and industrial progress. Although 

 statistics are not very pleasant reading at any time, 

 yet, like the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we can 

 scarcely make our statements and comparisons pro- 

 perly intelligible without a liberal use of figures. 



We may slate at the outset, for the information of 

 those unacquainted with the fact, that the colony enjoys 

 a salubrity of climate generally maintained through- 

 out the temperate regions of Australia. The mean 

 temperature of the year is only one degree 

 higher than that of IWadcira. A kind of fever 

 affects newly. landed persons, but this, with dysen- 

 tery, readily yields to proper treatment. In 1850 

 the population of the colony, according to the 

 census then taken, was 63,700 souls. At the close 

 of last year it was estimated at 127,000, or just double. 

 The amount of land revenue was in 1850 ^98,899, or 

 29s. per head of the population. In 1858 (the latest 

 official return) it was £205,065, or 278. per head. The 

 number of acres cultivated in 1850 was 64,728, being a 

 very small fraction over one acre per head of the popu- 

 lation. In 1858 the land cultivated amounted to 

 264,462 acres, or more than two acres per head of the 

 augmented population. The cultivation of the soil 

 within the past eight years has therefore not only kept 

 pace with the increase of the population, but in addi- 

 tion to that has doubled itself per head. Nothing can 

 be more satisfactory than this conclusion. There are 

 19,000 square miles leased for depasturing— on each 

 mile of which there must be by law at least 12 head 

 of cattle or 50 head of sheep — 1,4C0,000 acres granted 

 or sold, and 198,000,000 acres ungranted. 



Closely connected with the cultivation of the land is 

 the exportation of colonial produce. This in 1850 

 amounted to £545,039, or about £8 lis. per head of 

 the population. In the three years ending 1858 

 the average^ value of native produce exported was 

 £1,712,075, or about £lb 5s. per head of the popula- 

 tion. The colonial produce exported in 1859, included 

 cereals £'554,265, hay £2,906, animals 16,379, wool 

 £484,977, dairy produce £12,183, wine £1,023, 

 which with mineral produce made a total of about 

 £1,500,000. The exports of wool, which in 1850 were 

 but 3,266,017 lbs., had risen in 1858 to 8,101,768 lbs., 

 while in 1857 the wool exports were 10,101,000 lbs. 

 Some portion of this comes from New South Wales 



and Victoria by the Murray river to Adelaide for ship- 

 ment. The colony will doubtless continue to enlarge 

 the sphere of its agricultural operations. The recent 

 explorations iu the south-west afford good reason to 

 believe that vast tracts of fresh pasture ground exist in 

 that direction, which, together with the increased de- 

 velopment of the navigation of the Murray and its 

 tributaries, must still further augment the value of the 

 wool exports from South Australia, which, it will be 

 seen, have already trebled in ten years. Abundant 

 evidence also exists that the copper mines of the colony 

 are capable of yielding a much greater supply of that 

 valuable metal than has ever yet been raised. Lead 

 and other minerals are also exported. And whilst the 

 raw products of the colony have been raised to an ex- 

 tent much exceeding the numerical increase of the 

 population, the same may be said of the manufactures 

 of the colony. The total amount of revenue raised in 

 South Australia in 1850 was £238,992, or £3 18s. per 

 head ; in 1859 it was £700,000, or £5 10s. per head. 

 This not only represents the amount of taxation, but is 

 inclusive also of all moneys paid into the Treasury for 

 the purchase or rental of the Crown lands of the pro- 

 vince. All Crown lands are open to purchases at the 

 upset price of £1 per acre for country sections ; but 

 all sales must take place by public auction. The 

 Government acts on the principle of not reducing the 

 upset price of land. But the average price per acre 

 has rather declined of late years, having fallen 2s. to 

 3s., and may now be quoted at about 25s. per acre. 



The total quantity of crown lands sold from the year 

 1850 to 1858 inclusive was 1,355,623 acres, in sections 

 of about 80 acres each, or about 2,118 square miles. 

 The amount realized for the same was £1,839,687, 

 showing an average price per acre of 27s. Id. The 

 settled portions of the colony do not yet occupy a 

 twentieth part of its entire extent. 



Almost all the South Australia towns have sprung up 

 or are springing up near the mines. The agricultural 

 and pastoral districts have villages, hamlets, stations, 

 and homesteads ; but they have not, nor are they likely 

 to have, any large centres of population. The seaport 

 towns, which serve as outlets for the produce of the 

 agricultural and pastoral districts, are steadily increas- 

 ing in population and importance. The population of 

 Adelaide, the capital, is now about 25,000. 



The introduction of railways, the extension of inter- 

 colonial steam communication, and the connection by 

 telegraph with the other colonies, have done much to 

 improve South Australia. 



In 1850 Jthere were 208,568 acres of land under 

 various kinds of crops, of which 174,184 acres were 

 enclosed. About 42,000 acres were under wheat, and 

 1,785 under potatoes. In 1858 there were 264,462 

 acres under cultivation, of which 189,703 were with 

 wheat, and 2,577 with potatoes. The average yield 



