ACRRULTL'RAL EDL'CNTTON IN Al'STKALlA. 215 



Air. A. D. Hall, in the course of his address at Brisbane, 

 on the 28th August, on the subject of " Tropical x\griculture," 

 observed that he, too, had heard this remarkable assertion, but 

 had not come across sufficient evidence in support of it. 



On the Roseworthy lands, as well as throughout South Aus- 

 tralia, phosphatic manures are generally employed. Super- 

 phosphates, more largely made locally than imported, are 

 prepared from phosphate rock brought from Christmas Island, 

 and may be procured at a cost below £4 per ton. It is said 

 that the quantities of superphosphate which find most favour 

 vary from 40 lb. to i cwt. per acre. 



I was not able to gain much information regarding the physi- 

 cal or chemical composition of the soils, either at Roseworthy, 

 or elsewhere in South Australia, but the few soil analyses that 

 I had the opportunity of studying there showed healthy propor- 

 tions of potash and lime, though their phosphate-content was 

 open to improvement. No geolo^jical or agricultural survey of 

 South Australian soils has yet been undertaken. The value of 

 land, we were informed, was, in spite of bad seasons, £g los. 

 per acre in the vicinity of Roseworthy, and near Roseworthy 

 Railway Station has realized about in. 



The farm pedigree stock at Roseworthy comprises horses 

 and horned cattle, as well as Southdown and Alerino shee]). The 

 horned cattle number 45, being all Australian-bred Jerseys. 16 

 of these were in milk at the time of our visit, and the fat-content 

 of the milk averages from 4J/2 to 5 per cent. Cheese is not made 

 at the institution. 



Roseworthy does not stock Dutch cattle, nor, in fact, have 

 there been large importations of cattle from Holland into any 

 ])ortion of South Australia, the most famous breeds of horned 

 stock in the State being the Angas stud of Shorthorns and Here- 

 fords, bred from the late Mr. J. H. Angas's imports many years 

 ago, and the " Mount Crawford " herd, bred from i)urchases 

 made in Jersey by Mr. A. J. Murray. 



Roseworthy College maintains a small yard of poultry 

 (White Leghorns), but solely for the institution's private use. 



Farmers' Bureaux. 



Mr. Perkins' disapproval of the short-course system has 

 already been remarked upon, but that is far from indicating any 

 disposition to withhold from the man who has actually taken up 

 the vocation of a farmer all possible means of adding to his 

 stock of knowdedge. On the contrary, the Department, by means 

 of its Bureau system, does all in its power to aid the farmer. 



This Bureau system was inaugurated in South Australia 

 25 years ago, but has been under thorough organization only 

 during the last three years. The Agricultural Bureau of South 

 Australia now numbers 4,000 members, and possesses 135 

 branches ; while its operations have brought about a feeling, not 

 only of mutual confidence but also of friendship, between the 

 farmers individually and collectively, and the Department of 



