8 Jan., 1907.] 



N hiU I- arm Competition. 



23 



(//) The Condition and System of Fencing — 10 Points Maximum. — One 

 feature of the competition continuously .being brought under the judge's 

 notice is the condition of the fences and particularly the gates. The de- 

 velopment of the sheep industry and the well-known propensities of the 

 crossbred sheep to ramble has had the effect of bringing about an improve- 

 ment in this direction. The majority of the boundary and subdivisional 

 fencing is sheep proof, viz. : — 5 or 6 wires and a barb wire. 



Messrs. Dufty and Son's light and simple home-made gates call for 

 especial notice. Messrs. Crouch, and Batson, both of whom have recently 

 added to their properties, are not so well off in this respect. 



(/) The Best Kept Kitchen Garden and Orchard — 10 Points Maxim 11 m. 

 — The housewife, for the most part, is more responsible for this detail than 

 the farmer himself. It is, I am glad to state, a noticeable feature of each 

 farm under review. Messrs. Dufty and Son and Batson have water 

 laid on to their gardens and orchard, and are thus independent of the 

 season. As a consequence, one finds flourishing not only all the common 

 kinds of vegetables and fruit, but a growth of gav flowers as well. The 

 utilitv of the garden is, to my mind, one of its minor attributes on a farm. 

 There is nothing more refreshing to the eye, and perhaps more elevating to 



W;ii?f^' mtki 



DAIRY cows IN THE WIMMERA. 



the senses as well, as the appearance of a trim, well kept garden, reflecting 

 the love of the beautiful and the enthusiasm of the ladies of the establish- 

 ment. The visitor notices these things, perhaps, more than the owner does, 

 and nothing adds more to the pleasure of a visit than the general attractive- 

 ness of the homestead. 



(I) The best Provision for a Water Suptly. — jo Points Maximum. — 

 There is nothing more educati\e in this direction than the lesson of a 

 severe drought. Water is the one thing which all life, whether human, 

 stock, or vegetable, cannot do without. The plans of each property, fur- 

 nished at my request, indicate that the farmers of the Nhill district are 

 fullv alive to the advantages of an adequate water supply. Unprovided 

 by channels to depend upon should an unexpected dry spell arise, the chief 

 source of supply comes from dams. The sites of these have been well 

 chosen as regards catchment, and facilitv of use. Windmills and watering 

 troughs, especiallv on Messrs. Duftv and Son's propertv, expedite the water- 

 ing of stock and prevent needless fouling of the water. At the present 

 time all the dams are brim full, so that their holding capacitv in drv 



