'580 president's address.— section g". 



joined by its tributaries is 127,000 million cubic feet. Thus the total 

 of the Murray basin waters is 657,000 million cubic feet. 



The boldest scheme so far projected and commenced for water 

 conservation and irrigation is the Barren Jack lieservoir, which will 

 throw back the Murrumbidgee waters for 40 miles, the Yass River 25 

 miles, and the Goodradigbee for 15 miles. It will submerge 12,470 

 acres, and hold in reserve 33,380 milHon cubic feet of water. In 

 storage capacity it will almost equal the Assouan Dam, in Egypt, 

 and cost about £1,500,000 sterling. The complete scheme will make 

 provision to irrigate 100,000 acres to the extent of 24 in. to 30 in. per 

 year for the purpose of intense cultivation, and to provide enough 

 water for stock and domestic use on 2,000,000 acres of purely 

 pastoral land, and render it independent of the average rainfall. The 

 system later on will include an additional area on the southern aspect 

 of 150,000 acres for cultivation, and another 1,000,000 acres of 

 grazing land. It is estimated that a population of at least 60,000 

 will be perm.anently settled on the area watered from the Barren 

 Jack scheme. 



There are five other projects, either in construction or definitely 

 proposed, the success of which is regarded as quite assured. The six 

 schemes will provide profitable land for over 300,000 people. The 

 total cost is approximately estimated at £7,100,000. These by no 

 means exhaust the possibilities of the economic extension of water 

 conservation in Australia. It is not possible to fully estimate the 

 increase in the values of irrigable lands, but estimates provided 

 by countries already irrigated show at least three and four times the 

 increase, always providing an intelligent, earnest, industrious, and 

 trained class of people are encouraged to settle on it. 



The research work of Mendel has indicated to the breeder to treat 

 the animal or plant as an assemblage of distinct characters or units 

 inherited on certain definite principles. As a result of cross-breeding, 

 these characters may be obtained in fresh combinations, hence we 

 have the basis of new breeds, or varieties. We are in the midst of a 

 ceaseless flood-tide of Mendelian investigations which produce new 

 facts of intense interest and economic importance. We are beginning 

 to realise that the results of mating to an unexpected extent is under 

 man's control, and, apart from its highly scientific features, the 

 application of the recently disclosed arrangement of laws are likely 

 to be used for man's benefit. Wiesmann asserts with assured confi- 

 dence that— "The principle of selection does rule over all the cate- 

 gories of vital units." The complaint that there is no definite aim in 

 breeding is not likely to prevail long. 



In the large interests involved in rearing and feeding domestic 

 stock in Australia, we have in the past overlooked the paramount 

 importance of improving our native grasses and herbage. Much has 

 been accomplished in raising the yields and character of our wheat.^, 

 mainly through the untiring zeal and genius of Farrer. An unlimited 

 field for usefulness lies ahead of us in the study of the life history 

 and qualifications of our native grasses and their improvement.^ The 

 hybridisation of native grasses so far has not been seriously 

 attempted, and in this regard our Governments would confer a 

 benefit of unknown extent by establishing farms for this purpose 

 under competent scientific direction. 



