482 J ournal of Agnculture , Vldoila. 1 11 Aig., lD]i9. 



The feed was pollard, potatoes and maize, and skim milk. Subsequently 

 three pedigreed middle York sows were purchased from the Mansfield 

 High School. They were mated with a pure Berkshire fco:r. The 

 progeny of these three sows and another realized £125 in the first 

 twelve months. A sty, with five fattening })ens, capable of holding 30 

 pigs, was built of bush timber. The weaned pigs were allowed the run 

 of the grass, and in addition received skim milk, pollard, and boiled 

 potatoes. When broom corn seed in Whitfield was obtainable at be'ow 

 £,b a ton, supplies of this were purchased, and in a boiled state wa"^ 

 found to be excellent feed. When the ycung pigs reached the vicinity 

 of 55 pounds live weight, they were penned up and fed three times a 

 day on a mixture similar to that just mentioned except that whole peas 

 were added to this ration, and were fed hy. Mr. Reynolds claims to 

 be able to put on 75 pounds weight on a pig in seven weeks in this 

 manner. The Wangaratta market was topped on two occasions. In the 

 winter time, when the carcass would keep well, the pigs were slaughtered 

 and sold as pork. Last year from the four sows, pigs to the value of £150 

 were sold. The peas were on this occasion stacked, and the pigs per- 

 mitted to feed on the stack. 



Summing Up. 



In these densely timbered areas of heavy rainfall, the necessity 

 for maintaining the pastures in a productive state, and the high cost 

 of haulage, definitely limit the types of agriculture that may be profit- 

 ably practised. In addition, any method to be successful must recognise 

 that many other local difficulties incidental to pioneering settlement 

 exist. The small capital of the settler limits the erection of permanent 

 improvements necessary to reduce labour and suppiess veunni; but in 

 spite of these difficvilties, there are men who have successfully deve oped 

 a system of agriculture suited to local needs. The sowing of grass and 

 the Uise of the plough to produce fodder, and particularly concentrates, 

 which can be turned into milk and meat, appears to be an essent al. In 

 view of the special difficulties, each area of grass, each head ef cattle, 

 and each acre of crop, must be made to yield a maximum by such 

 methods as have been already outlined. A small area well looked after 

 is often worth more than a neglected area ten times as large. 



Besides being suitable for dairying and pig-raising, there is no 

 doubt that the climatic conditions obtaining in these districts are 

 specially well adapted to produce certain kinds of crops. They must 

 be high-priced crops of small bulk. It is certain that this field has 

 not been thoroughly explored. For instance, some of the high-priced 

 agricultural seeds that are imported from the colder European countries 

 should do well in these areas. Mustard is a case in point. The 

 selectors at Beech Forest have already secured a. reputation for seed 

 potatoes, which command enhanced prices. In some districts possibly 

 flax would do well. In addition to producing a fibre which when 

 turned into tow is high-priced, the linseed obtained in the process 

 is a highly useful concentrate, so valuable in these districts of rank 

 plant growth for supplementing the fe'ed of dairy cows. The growing 

 of flax for fibre purposes would, however, have to be the result of a 

 co-operative effort, such as is in vogue in parts of Oippsland. In 

 the case of special crops, such as have been cited, unproved districts 

 should be tested experimentally first. A trial plot of flax has been 

 sown this year at Tolmie. 



