Australia : The Dairy Country. 



37 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



A large area of South Australia is eminently adapted to suc- 

 cessful dairying, and while the summer is dry, rendering it neces- 

 sary to make provision for succulent feed for several months, the 

 temperate nature of the climate enables the dairyman to keep his 

 cows in the open right through the year, the natural shelter in 

 timber country being sufficient, except on a limited number of days 

 of extreme wet and cold. Stall feeding for weeks at a time is 

 unknown; the necessary shelter sheds can be cheaply provided, 

 while the labour of feeding is, under these conditions, reduced to 

 a minimum. In the northern districts conditions are not so favour- 

 able as in the south, but even here dairying can be profitably carried 

 on ; the fact that land is much cheaper compensates for the shorter 

 period during which the natural herbage supplies practically all 

 the feed required. In some of the driest of our farming areas dairy- 

 ing has largely replaced wheat-growing, and, although the yield per 

 cow is naturally not so high as under more favourable conditions, 

 still low rents and large areas of natural pasture enable the farmer 

 to make a fair profit. 



The Dairy Industry, though of considerable magnitude, has not 

 made as much progress as was anticipated. This is probably due 

 to the fact that wheat-growing and sheep-breeding combined offer 



The Cream Cart, North Coast, N.S.W. 



greater attractions to the farmer. These industries require a great 

 deal less labour than dairying, besides which the work is not so 

 continuous. So long as highly profitable returns can be obtained 

 from the production of cereals and the breeding of lambs, the 



