FARM LANDS OF NEW SOUTH WALLS. 15 



Maitland Land Board District. 



Includes Maitland, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone, Merriwa, Wingen, Gloucester, 

 Camden Haven, Taree, Stroud, Raymond Terrace, Morpeth, C'essnock, Newcastle, 

 Wyong, Gosford, Wollombi, Dungog. 



The district embraces the coast line from Broken Bay to Camden Haven 

 and stretches inland westwards along the Hunter and Manning Rivers. It 

 includes a very considerable variety of country and all classes of soils. The 

 land varies from river flats to undulating and hilly country, the latter with 

 a general easterly slope towards the coast. The geological formation is, for 

 the most part, Carboniferous or Permo-Carboniferous, and includes the New- 

 castle coal measures. There are frequent outcrops of granite and basalt, and 

 occasional patches of limestone. The district is well watered by the Hunter 

 and Manning Bivers and their tributaries, and the river flats of both are 

 among the most fertile soils in the State. On the ridges the soil varies 

 considerably in character, including nearly all types, from sandy or gravelly 

 loam to heavy clay. South and west of Wollombi the soils become poorer 

 and more sandy in character. The climate is mild, having a mean summer 

 temperature of about 74 deg. Fah. and a winter mean of about 53 deg. Fah. 

 The nights in summer are usually cool, and in winter cold and frosty. The 

 mean annual rainfall is 38^ inches, distributed fairly evenly throughout the 

 year. 



The water supply is fair, and water is generally readily and cheaply stored . 

 The country is very suitable for dams or tanks. 



A great variety of farming is carried on, and the district is suitable for 

 almost every kind of cultivation. The principal crops are lucerne, maize, 

 sorghum, millets, grapes, oranges, peaches, passion-fruit, and all kinds of 

 vegetables. Wheat is grown principally in County Brisbane, in the western 

 part of the district. Dairying is carried on extensively in all parts of the 

 district, and there are several large butter factories in operation. 



This is one of the finest wine-growing districts of the State ; and the Hunter 

 Kiver wines have a deservedly high popularity. The principal vineyards are 

 in the Pokolbin and Allandale districts, County Northumberland, in which 

 about 2,000 acres of the 5,000 odd acres of wine grapes of the whole State 

 are situated. 



On the Hunter Biver flats is grown a large proportion of the lucerne 

 produced in the State. 



In the country towards Wollombi grazing and dairying are carried on. 

 The whole of the district, except near the coast, is from fair to good fattening 

 •country. 



The Hunter Biver flats are extremely fertile, and being subject to floods 

 their fertility is constantly renewed by the rich deposits left by the inundations. 



A great variety of timber is met with, including some of the best hardwood 

 timbers of the State. Among the trees reported are ironbark, tallow-wood 

 spotted gum, brush box, rosewood, red and blue gum, bloodwood, turpentine, 

 pine, box, mahogany, blackbutt, stringybark, apple, oak, &c. 



The cost of clearing varies very considerably, and no very accurate data 

 are available. Bingbarking alone costs from 2s. 6d. to 5s. per acre ; ring- 

 barking, falling, and scrubbing for pastoral occupation, from 10s. to £1. The 

 usual practice is to fell and burn off stumps when sufficiently decayed. 

 Grubbing is not much practised in this district, except on the alluvial flats. 



