8 THE FARMERS' HANDBOOK. 



The prevailing timbers are brittle, blue, ribbon, aad red gum, stringybark, 

 yellowbox, messmate, peppermint, argyle apple, bastard apple, mountain ash, 

 (gigantea and brown barrel), pine, sallee, wattle, and oak. Milling timber is 

 obtained in the Moss Vale end of the district, around Braidwood ;ind parts 

 of the Snowy Mountains. Suitable fencing timber is conveniently obtainable 

 in most districts. Some forest reservations exist throughout. 



The classes of fencing mostly adopted are 4, 5, 6, and 7 wires and rabbit- 

 proof netting. Split rail fencing is scarcely ever erected now. Fencing costs 

 from £35 to £60 per mile for wire fencing, and from £90 to £150 for 

 netting, according to the class of material used. 



Ringbarking and killing timber for grazing costs from 4s. to 10s. per acre. 

 Clearing for cultivation costs from £1 to £5 per acre for dead timber, and 

 from £8 to £40 per acre for green timber, according to species and density. 



There is extensive tourist traffic throughout the tablelands, the principal 

 items of attraction being Wornbeyan Caves, waterfalls in Moss Vale district, 

 Lake George, the Snowy Mountains, trout fishing streams, and the Federal 

 capital site. 



A natural water supply is provided by Wollondilly, Shoalhaven, Upper 

 Lachlan, Upper Murrumbidgee and Snowy Rivers, with their tributaries, 

 and in addition springs are fairly plentiful. Tanks are necessary in some 

 localities. The cost of excavation varies from Is. 3d. to Is. fid. per cubic 

 yard. 



There are large areas of Crown lands available, mostly of inferior grazing 

 capacity and suitable only for grazing, and, although a great proportion 

 is sound for sheep, the cost of improvements and liability to rabbit 

 infestation detract from its value. 



The Western Slopes extend roughly from Gunning to Harden, and include 

 Yass, Boorowa, Binalong, and Galong. The country is generally undulating 

 to hilly, but mountainous country fringes the area in parts. The formation 

 is principally granite, with small patches of slate and a little basalt and 

 limestone. The soil is gritty or clayey loam. There are considerable areas 

 of country the timber on which is very open. Timber is generally white and 

 yellow box, bastard apple, stringybark pine, oak, and ironbark. 



Water supply is partly provided by the Boorowa River, its tributaries, and 

 streams feeding the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Rivers. Tanks are neces- 

 sary in many parts, costing Is. 3d. to Is. fid. per cubic yard to excavate. The 

 ciimate is moderate to warm ; the altitude varies from 1,200 to 1,700 feet 

 above sea level. Average rainfall varies from 20 to 25 inches. 



The district is served by the Great Southern Railway and the Boorowa 

 branch line. The road systems are convenient, the roads being generally 

 good and on moderate grades. 



The principal industries are yrazing and wheat-farming. The secured lands 

 have a capacity of from | to 2 acres per sheep. The wheat farms yield an 

 average of about 20 bushels per acre. 



Stock markets are established at the principal towns, and provision has 

 been made for stacking wheat at convenient railway sidings. 



There is a comparatively small area of inferior and undeveloped Crown 

 lands. 



There is a Hour mill at Yass and another at Murrumburrah just outside 

 the district. Timber for fencing is fairly plentiful and of very good lasting 

 quality. There are a few forest reservations to provide for the future. The 

 natural grasses are relied upon for pasture purposes ; they being generally of 

 high nutritive value. The country fattens stock readily in fair seasons. 

 The principal tourist attraction of the district is the Burrinjuck dam 



