468 Journal of AgricvUnre, Victoria. [10 Aug., 1918. 



I have found that the people here know very little ahout our Com- 

 monwealth. Thej regard it as a la rid of drought, and appear to think 

 that droughts are the rule rather than the exception. They seem 

 astonished when they heax the plain truth about-Australia. Ours, how- 

 ever, is not the only country that suffers from dry seasons. Oalifornia 

 has just had the worst drought since 1849, and in Texas and South- 

 western United States there has been a two-year drought, and fodder is 

 being brought from all the other parts of the continent. 



The cost of living is extraordinarily high in America. The meal 

 you would get in Melbourne for Is. 6d. costs, at least, li dollars in the 

 United States. In fact, a shilling and a dollar seem about the same 

 value in the two countries, so far as food is concerned. The United 

 States had a record crop of potatoes last year. All the same, you have 

 to pay 20 to 30 cents (lOd. to Is. 3d.) for potatoes in most restaurants. 

 Prices of other commodities are in similar proportion. 



I hope the season opens favorably in Australia, and that we shall 

 be favoured with another good year. The general view here is that 

 Europe is almost cleaned out of grain, and that the belligerents have 

 made serious encroachments on their live stock reserves, and that all 

 surplus food — animal or cereal — will ibe wanted during the next few 

 years. At last the problem of checking the submarines seems in sight 

 of solution, and with the enormous tonnages now being tunied out at 

 the shipyards the time is raj)idly approaching when the freight situation 

 will be easier. Production is not materially increasing in the States, 

 despite all encouragement and exhortation. With further depletion of 

 man power to fill the new armies, the position must grow worse. 



Correction. 



In Mr. Richardson's letter published in last month's Journal of 

 Agriculture, il was stated in the remarks on Colorado (page 387), that 

 " beef is worth $16 a ton at present." The sentence, of course, should 

 have read "beef is worth $16 a qental at present." 



A COxNTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF HEREDITARY 

 UNSOUNDi^ESS IN HORSES. 



By W. A. N. Rohertson, B.V.Sc, Chief Veterinary Officer. 



(Continued from page 4.33.) 



Pamily 3. 



This is undoubtedly an unsound family; out of 326 horses examined^ 

 109, or 33.4 per cent., were aifected with sidebone or ringbone. The 

 founder of the line was not examined, neither were any of his sons ; but 



