8 Nov., 1907.] An Exhibit of Farm Products. 



AN EXHIBIT OF FARM PRODUCTS. 



As an illustration of what can be accomplished under conditions 

 which are generally considered as very unfavourable is seen in the collection 

 of farm products exhibited by Mr. T. Bound at Nhill. Mr. Bound's farm 

 consists of 640 acres of third-class land, in the " Little Desert," 13 miles 

 south of Nhill. The soil is of the usual light sandy character, and the 

 rainfall averages 18 inches. Only about one-half the selection has up 

 to the present been touched, the remainder still being covered with the 

 •dwarf scrub, which yields very little fodder of service to the farmer. Mr. 

 Bound has about 300 acres under cultivation, of which 200 are cropped 

 ■each vear as follows: — 100 acres wheat, 40 oats, 12 peasi, 15 market 

 gar 'en vegetables, and 20 orchard. Beside the team of horses, the live 

 stock comprises eight milking cows and a small flock of sheep. Usually 

 at least 40 pigs are fattened each year. 



The accompanying illustration gives some idea of the wide range of 

 products raised on the farm. The sheaves of wheat, oats, barley, peas, 

 and melilotus indicate the chief products of the broad acres. It is 

 interesting to find that the wheat yield is well up to the average in the 

 north-west, the sandy soil giving relatively very good returns in dry years. 

 The leguminous crops grow well, the peas giving almost invariably a. satis- 

 factory retuni. The melilot appears to have secured a good hold on the 

 sandy soil. Pigs and pig products form important items in making up 

 the yearly income from this farm, and consume the greater part of the 

 peas and root crops, as well as the waste of the orchard. Butter and 

 cheese are produced from the dairy herd. The " market garden " area 

 yields roots, cabbage, and kale for the pigs and cows, and potatoes ajid 

 tomatoes to be placed on the market. It is seldom that the potato is raised 

 in large quantities to the north of the line of 25 inches of rainfall, but 

 Mr. Bound has demonstrated what can be done in this direction. Four 

 acres of tomatoes are raised every year, most of the yield being made 

 into tomato sauce on the farm. Onions form another crop not usually 

 grown in the north, but which is one of the most successful on the farm 

 under review. 



In the large orchard almost every kind of fruit flourishes with great 

 luxuriance. Apples, grapes, and apricots are the three kinds chiefly 

 cultivated and not only vield well but are also unusually free from pests of 

 all kinds. The fruit is partly placed on the market in the fresh state, and 

 partly bottled, or otherwise preserved. In fact the display of jams, jellies, 

 raisins, and dried and preserved fruits is one of the features of the 

 exhibit. No' better display can be found of the wide variety of products 

 of economic value which can be grown and prepared on an average Vic- 

 torian homestead, and there is no doubt that if this were the rule instead 

 of the exception farmers would be much more independent of the markets 

 and of the season. Diversified production not only develops the resources 

 of the farm, but renders the home nearly independent of the storekeeper. 

 More than 90 separate products come from this single Wimmera farm. It 

 will be seen that it is not necessary to have rich land or heavy rainfall to 

 make a prosperous home. — T.C. 



