TO Dec. 1909.] Dcvclopnicnt of Agricultural Proditciioii. 779 



this followed by a bare fallow before the wheat again begins the rotation 

 series. In districts with a heavier rainfall the bare fallow is not necessary, 

 a,nd the oat crop wva,^ be succeeded with i-ape or other form of green fallow 

 before the land is again put under wheat. In any case, however, it is 

 certain that if our area under wheat is largely increased, the cultivation of 

 oats must go on at the same rate. The question arises therefore "What 

 can be done with the oat ci'op .' If exported as grain the price per bushel is 

 certain to be low, but under existing circumstances there can be no doubt 

 that it is much better to feed the crop to sheep or other farm animals. By 

 this means it is easy to secure the equivalent of Is. 8d. or more per bushel 

 foi; the grain. The drain on the fertility of tin' land is reduced to a 

 minimum, and the additional number of live stock carried enormously 

 improves the value of the land from the point of view both of cultivation 

 and grazing. A similar statement holds good with regard to the disposal of 

 a crop of Cape barley. The a\erage weight of <^ither oats or bai-lev required 

 for a daily ration for a full grown sheep when mixed with a moderate 

 amount of silage is \ lb. 



Along with this system of fai-ining the use of the silo works in as the 

 best practical method neces-ary to complete the scheme. The practice of 

 feeding the silage to sheep has long gone past the experimental stage. In 

 ISew South Wales, on one station near Wagga, from 15,000 to 20,000 sheep 

 are regularly fed as the dry season comes round each year. Less than 2 lbs. of 

 silage with \ lb. of oats fed to the sheep in wooden troughs will not only 

 provide a'.i etticient means of cairying the tlock safelv through an ordinary 

 firought, but in addition will render a reliable supplv of earh' laml)s for the 

 export trade an absolute cei-tainty. 



That this system of farming can be carried out is a fact beyond dispute. 

 The only (juestion is "Will it pay T" In the July Journal I shovved that, in 

 the counties of Villiers (compiising the country round Warrnambool), 

 Dalhousie (including Kyneton and Kilmore districts), and Delatite (the 

 country between the North-eastern railway line, the King River and the 

 Great Dividing Range), matters were decidedly letrograde ; that in these 

 three counties, cultivation was on the flown grade, and that, although the 

 average jdelds and the minimum yields of wheat, oats, hay and potatoes in 

 these counties were far higher than that of the rest of the State, production 

 was stagnant or in a reti'Ograde condition. Shortly after the publication of 

 the above article an effort was made in Parliament to show that, although my 

 figures were correct, still the falling off in production on the lines mentioned 

 was more than counterbalanced by the increase in dairy farming and pigs. 

 Unfortunately, things are no better in this direction than with legard to 

 cultivation, as will appear from the following analysis : — 



Rrturns for thk Ykau 1908 compared with 1901. 



Pereentaj^e increase ir. 

 Villiers, Dallioiisie and Dehitite 



39.S 



