12 THE FARMERS* HANDBOOK. 



Hay Land Board District. 



Includes Hay, Carrathool, Narrandeia, Barellan, Cargellico, Hillston, Gunbar, Booligal, 

 Moulamein, Barhani, Mathoura, Deniliquin, Conargn. 



This district, embracing the south-western and southern portion of the 

 Central Division, is principally occupied as grazing country, Barellan, Yanco, 

 Narrandeia, Deniliquin, Moama, Mathoura, and Barhani being the chief 

 agricultural centres. Except on the irrigation areas, the principal culti- 

 vated crop is wheat, for which soil and climate are admirably suited, the 

 only drawback being the comparatively low rainfall, 12 to 18 inches, and 

 the clanger of droughts. Other cereals do well where they have been 

 dried, and excellent malting barley is obtainable. Warm climate fruits 

 all thrive to perfection, and good crops are always assured of citrus fruits, 

 peaches, apricots, grapes, figs, and passion-fruit, provided a sufliciency of water 

 is assured, either naturally or by irrigation. The Yanco and Mirrool Irrigation 

 Areas are becoming important cultivated districts, also land around Barhani . 



The country is for the most part flat, with a few sand-hills. Towards 

 Narrandera and in the northern portion of the district, in the neighbourhood 

 of Bootheragandra and Conapaira,the country is more rocky and hilly in nature. 

 The soil varies from black and grey stiff clays to reddish sandy loams. 



In the Jerilderie district the country north of the Billabong Creek is a 

 heavy reddish soil, with the exception of the boree country, not very suitable 

 for agriculture, whilst the better class farming land is found south of the 

 creek, where the soil is of a bettei' nature. 



To the north of the Murrumbidgee at Narrandera are ranges of conglomerate 

 rock, with level country, whilst open plain country predominates south of the 

 river. In the Narrandera district south of the Murrumbidgee red and grey 

 soil plains predominate. The country is for the most part open plain, 

 sparsely timbered, except in the neighbourhood of Narrandera and towards 

 Hillston, where it is heavily timbered. The principal timbers are pine and 

 box, with red gum near the rivers, oak, yarran, and myall (mallee in the 

 Narrandera, Hillston, and Balranald South districts). 



The climate is exceedingly healthy, with a mean summer temperature of 

 about 75 deg. Fah., and a mean winter temperature of 49 deg. Fah. Hot dry 

 winds are prevalent in the summer, and the south and south-west winds in 

 winter are frequently very cold. The extreme temperatures recorded are 

 122 for summer and 28 for winter. 



The grasses are of a nutritious kind, and in good years produce as good 

 grazing as is to be found in the State. The best winter feed is trefoil, 

 barley grass, and crowfoot. The best grasses are white- top and spear grass ; 

 other grasses are umbrella and Timothy. Good summer and winter feed is 

 saltbush and cotton-bush. 



Timber for fencing is very scarce in the Hay district. Generally 

 speaking, box, gum, and pine are the best timbers for posts. For rails 

 timber is not used in this district. Pine is practically immune from white 

 ant. Clearing is generally done by ringbarking, and burning-off after four 

 or five years. 



Timber for fencing posts costs ,£4 to £G per 100 in the Hay district, 

 whereas near Gunbar and Hillston the cost is about £2 to £3 per 100. 



The cost of clearing varies a good deal ; roughly it averages 4s. 6d. per acre 

 for grazing to 10s. to £1 for the plough, running to as high as 40s per acre 

 in the Narrandera district in the case of green timber. This includes 

 ringing, scrubbing, picking-up, and burning-off. 



