742 Jourmd of Agricullure, ]'ictoria. [11 Dec, 1916. 



It should, of course, be the aim of every dairy farmer to improve 

 his herd, and this aim may be hastened greatly by the use of a sire of 

 undoubted milking strain. The old saying, " The bull is half the herd," 

 should be taken to heart. If a farmer persists in using a cheap mongrel 

 bull he is employing the very best means of courting disaster. And 

 I am convinced that the use of inferior bulls is one of the very greatest 

 hindrances to progress in dairy farming. 



A bull should never be purchased simply because he has a pedigree, 

 unless such pedigree proves that he has descended from ancestors who 

 were possessed of undoubted dairy qualities and robust constitution. A 

 bull of this class is never too dear. 



Once the breed of your sire is chosen, stick to it through thick and 

 thin; do not commence crossing and re-crossing. If indiscriminate 

 breeding is persisted in no real success need ever be looked for, and it 

 is the persistent crossing of all kinds of live stock that is the mischief 

 of the whole live stock industry. 



It is very foolish for a dairy-farmer to expect that he can improve 

 his dairy herd by such a system. A good herd may be built up from 

 cross-bred cows by the use of a pure-bred bull possessing an undeniable 

 pedigree of performance, while the use of mongrel sires (which should 

 have their roving propensities settled) as foundations bring about evils 

 which take years to eradicate. It should be remembered whichever 

 breed is chosen that to be successful requires the greatest care and 

 attention on the part of the breeder. 



EUCALYPTUS OIL. 



F. R. Beuhne, Government Apiculturist. 



As inquiries are frequently received as to the amount of oil obtain- 

 able from the diiferent species of eucalypts, and only very expensive 

 scientific books are available on the subject, it appears to be advisable 

 to publish a list of the Victorian eucalypts under their common and 

 also their botanical names, together with the percentage of oil and the 

 amount in lbs. and ozs. obtainable per 1,000 lbs. of foliage. 



It must, however, not be understood that those species containing 

 the highest percentage of oil would be the most profitable in the 

 commercial production of eucalyptus oil. 



The oils of different species vary considerably in quality and in value. 

 Some of the eucalypts with a high percentage of oil are large trees, and 

 involve a considerably larger amount of labour and a greater amount 

 of waste than some of the Mallee species, the foliage of which is easy 

 to collect, and the oil, though not present in the highest percentages, is 

 of finer quality. 



There are, of course, other local factors, such as a supply of water, 

 distance from railway, &c., which are not within the scope of this article. 



