692 J our)ial of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Oct.. 191 i. 



area, there were 169 pumpkins averaging about 50 lbs. each. There were 

 very few small ones, and one of the largest weighed 130 lbs. This rough 

 estimate of the crop gave over 40 tons of pumpkins per acre. 



These are put through a pulper ; and the 50 pigs on hand consume 

 about 600 lbs. weight of them daily. The variety sown looked like a cross 

 between the Ironbark and Mammoth varieties ; and heavy crops have been 

 grown from the same sample of seed on other farms. 



As a useful fodder for both pigs and cows pumpkins might be much 

 more generally grown. They occupy the ground for only a few months 

 in the year ; they do not require much attention ; they are easy to harvest ; 

 they keep well ; and they can usually be depended on to give a heavy 

 yield per acre. 



TO START FARMING. 



I. — HINTS FOR NEW SETTLERS. 

 T. A. J. Smith, Chief Field Officer. 



There is a considerable choice for the new settler in Victoria as to 

 different forms of farming in various parts of the State, owing to the 

 great variety of climate and soils, both in irrigable and non-irrigable areas. 

 As to which class of farming will suit him best and the amount of land 

 he can work to the greatest advantage, a good deal will depend in the 

 amount of capital at the disposal of the settler ; and the labour he com- 

 mands in his family. It has been proved in many cases, and in many 

 places, that men with small capital can make remarkable progress in this 

 State, provided they are thrifty and energetic and are possessed of average 

 ability. For the guidance of all classes of men, both new comers and 

 others who wish to start on the land, it is proposed in this article to deal 

 with the general conditions under which farming, in its various phases, is 

 conducted in different parts of Victoria. 



To the man with little or no capital, and no family, the best advice 

 that can be suggested is that he obtain employment under a good farmer 

 in a good district until he has saved sufficient to start with a block of land 

 on his own account ; in this way, a prospective settler from oversea will 

 get valuable experience as to local conditions, as well as save money if 

 he is thrifty. A useful farm hand can get full employment at from 

 15s. to 25s. per week and his board and bed. In five years he may save 

 sufficient to start on the share system, or on a small piece of land of his 

 own, with a good general idea as to the manner in which land should be 

 Avorked to the best advantage. 



When a man has a family of boys and girls of from 14 years of age 

 upwards he can, with very little capital, -if he has had previous experience 

 on the land, get a farm on the share system — either dairying or wheat- 

 growing — and make from ;^ioo to ;^3oo per annum, according to the 

 scale on which he conducts operations and the ability he displays as a 

 manager. There are other forms of farming on the share system, such 

 as the growing of fruit, tobacco, and broom corn, but all these require 

 greater experience than the two first mentioned, being more in the nature 

 of intense culture. Where the new comer feels specially inclined to take up 

 any of the three latter pursuits he will find it wisest to spend a year or 



