510 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
gives it a greater advantage than the bark stripped and dried during 
the wet months of winter: the bark being exposed to damp and moist- 
ure loses a pr roportion of its strength; the process of drying being longer 
facilitates the change of tannic acid into gallic acid, or acids of a Sini- 
lar character— substances of no service in tanning. 
Waittle bark, during a year’s storage, improves in strength. This 
seems to arise from the augmentation of catechu-tannic ac cid through 
conversion or oxydation of catechuic acid, the latter possessing no tan- 
nic properties. Bark exposed to weather, and particularly to moisture, 
also deteriorates in strength by a change of some of the tannic acid 
into pyrocatechin or oxyphenic acid, and into phlobaphen. 
At the present time there are tracts of Crown lands on which the wat- 
tle flourishes luxuriantly, although the soil is so poor as to be practi-. 
cally valueless either for pastoral er agricultural purposes. The board 
also noticed that many extensive areas of land in the districts specified 
were leased for grazing purposes at a nominal rent, and it was often on 
patches most barren of grass or surface vegetation that the finest speci- 
mens of wattle trees were met with. 
Wherever a bush-fire had passed over the country myriads of young 
wattle trees sprang up. Wattles also spring up in immense numbers 
where the surface of the soil has been disturbed; this being established 
by the appearance of a number of paddocks formerly under cultivation, 
but allowed to lie fallow for three or four years, being literally covered 
with wattles of both the species most prized by the tanners. No doubt 
can exist that the wattles are easy of cultivation and remarkably pro- 
lific in the matter of seed. Cn poor lands the watitles grow as readily 
aS grass; In many instances more so. Cultivation will have the effect 
of increasing the quantity of bark available for commercial purposes to 
almost any extent. 
The age at which trees may be stripped with the best advantage has 
been determined at from five to ten years. 
So impressed were the members of the board with the value of these 
trees and the importance of encouraging their culture, that they sub- 
mitted in their report the following recommendations, based on the re- 
sult of their personal observations and a careful review of all the evi- 
dence taken during the course of their investigations: 
That the principle of wattle cultivation should be adopted by thé 
State and also by all local governing bedies having the control of re- 
serves or tracts of unoccupied lands. Wattles should be grown on the 
main roads, along the lines of railway, and on all lands which are not 
available for other purposes. 
That certain areas of poor land at present lying waste should be re- 
served from selection (or alienation in any other form), and devoted to 
the systematic cultivation of wattles; these areas to be surveyed in 
Bae of, say one thousand Aree and let by tender, as wattle-farms to 
y persons who should produce evidence of the bona jide nature of their 
HES ote the farms to be , let on lease for ten or more years, and on 
the expira tion of the term of lease the land to revert back to the Crown, 
the lessee to be afforded the first option of re-iease, or to be entitled to 
compensation for all improvements eifected during his tenure. 
That the State should also encourage the cultivation of the wattle on 
selected lands still in a measure under the control of the government. 
In all eases where a selector should adopt the eystematic rearing of 
wattles on his helding, and produce a certain number of tons of bark 
per annum, that this should be considered an improvement under the 
land act. 
