PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 41 



times, here, in the great open spaces, lambs in paddocks will be 

 much more palatable food. 



Though many of the squatters have rather tolerated the fox, or, 

 at least, have not taken active measures against it, on account of 

 its rabbit-hunting habits, it has not been the case with the farmers 

 who breed poultry. In fact, the advent of the fox into the south- 

 ern districts, has been a very serious blow T to poultry- and turkey- 

 breeding in particular. All poultry had to be shut up at night in 

 wired-in yards; and, in many places, this profitable branch of 

 farming has been abandoned, simply on account of the trouble with 

 foxes. 



Another change that the fox is bringing about is the destruction 

 of the larger ground-nesting birds, such as the lyre-bird and scrub- 

 fcurkey, in the coastal brushes; and, in the west, the mallee hen, 

 pigeons, and wild ducks will all share the same fate. 



Of course, there is very often an unseen enemy that appears and 

 evens up things, and with the foxes frequenting the coastal scrubs 

 north of Sydney, this appears to have come in the shape of the 

 common bush- or dog-tick. An observant friend informs me that, 

 this last year, on his land at Narrabeen, he has found several dead 

 foxes in the scrub, showing signs of tick-infestation. 



In this necessarily brief summary, I have tried to show some of 

 the new conditions that have come about during a century of 

 civilisation; and that, in spite of mistakes due to the want of 

 knowledge of the life of this new land, we have steadily gone 

 ahead, as an agricultural and pastoral community. Australia is a 

 land capable of growing rich crops of cereals, lucerne, and other 

 fodder-plants, under scientific cultivation. The latent fertility of 

 our driest lands has been shown, where water can be applied ; w r ith 

 a close study of the climatic conditions, the composition of the 

 soil, and the selection of the most suitable hardy varieties of w T heat 

 and other cereals, our farmers are reaping the reward of their intel- 

 ligence and industry. We are rapidly developing a nation of 

 farmers, who will be able to hold their own in the markets of the 

 world. The improvement in the character of our live stock has. 

 been also going on; our stockowners have imported the ve^y best 



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