866 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



men using a better class of bull than was formerly their wont, 

 besides paying more attention to the comfort of the calves. No 

 doubt the high prices ruling within the past few years have been the 

 reason, and graziers, having to replenish their herds with steers from 

 dairy farms, insist upon having a better class of animal for fattening 

 purposes. 



Horse breeding on anything like an extensive scale has been 

 abandoned, and they are now bred from one or two up to about 

 twenty by farmers and dairymen, so that it is impossible to estimate 

 what number are likely to be bred or what class they are likely to be. 

 The heavier sorts are most popular at the present time, and owners 

 Q,re trying various means of breeding the low strong-boned animals so 

 much in demand for export. Active draught stallions are used with 

 thick-set blood mares, thick-set blood stallions with medium draught 

 mares, and 14-hand pony stallions with crossbred mares of the 

 delivery sort. 



Pig breeding is carried on very extensively and successfully, 

 especially in the Orbost and Cann River districts, there being a grow- 

 ing tendency to get out of the present tyjDe, which through inbreeding, 

 has become debilitated in constitution. Tamworths and Yorkshire 

 boars are being used with the sows for first crosses with good results, 

 and enquiry is now made for Poland China boars in other cjuarters 

 for the same purpose. 



Crops have been very heavy, the maize crop a record one, and 

 new cribs have had to be erected on all sides in which to store it. 

 The quality is also good. High prices rule for all classes of stock, 

 especially stores, between which and fats there is but a small margin. 

 Fodders in general use are maize, pumpkins, and mangels, and 

 Chinese millet has been tried with great success in a few localities. 



North -Eastern District. 



Mr. Mathieson reports : — There seems to be every prospect of a 

 good season, both in regard to grass and crops. The general condi- 

 tion of the stock is good. The rainfall has been fairly good 

 throughout my district, the fall for the half-year, though not equal 

 to the same period of last year, has been sufficient for ploughing 

 purposes, and filled most of the dams and tanks. 



Taking Wangaratta as the centre, the rainfall, so far, for this 

 year has been : — January, 181 in. ; February, "78 in. ; March, '34 in. ; 

 April, 1-23 in ; May, 2*32 in. : and June, 2-75 in. ; total, 9*23 in. 

 Last year the fall for the same period was 11*39 in., which leaves a 

 decrease for the six months already passed of 2*16 in. The total 

 rainfall for 1903 was 24"44 in. 



Ploughing is about completed, and the acreage under crop in the 

 North-Bast will, I learn, be equal to that of last year. 



Harvest returns were fair, but a great quantity of hay was 

 damaged in the field, causing a quantity of bad chaff to be on the 

 market. Crops grown are wheat, oats and maize. Fully one-third 



