FARM LANDS OF NEW SOUTH WALKS. 17 



A considerable amount of wheat is grown about Warialda, and from id fco 

 20 bushel crops are obtainable. Very little other farming is done, except in 

 the vicinity of the railway, as the want of easy communication prevents 



cultivation, except for home use. A little maize and lucerne is grown along 

 the rivers. 



The Bingara district (county Murchison) is more hilly, and even mountainous 

 in character, and the general contour of the country is hilly to undulating, 

 with level to undulating areas along the Gwydir, Horton, and other water- 

 courses. The soil is principally red to chocolate, with black soil on the plains. 

 On the hills it is more or less stony in character. Sheep and cattle fatten on 

 the Hats, but the country is used more for breeding and wool-growing than 

 for fattening. What farming there is is mostly mixed, sheep, cattle, wheat, 

 and a little maize. 



In the Narrabri district the spurs of the Nandewar Ranges lender the 

 eastern portion hilly to mountainous, the rest of the district being mostly 

 level plains in the western portion and level to undulating in the centre. 

 The plain country north of the Namoi River and in the western part of the 

 district is black soil. In the Pilliga scrub country red soil predominates, a 

 good deal of which is sandy in character with patches of grey or black soil. 

 On the foothills in the eastern part good loamy soil is found. East of Wee 

 Waa some mixed farming is carried on, sheep, wheat, dairying, fruit, and 

 vines, the black-soil plains being almost exclusively devoted to sheep. 



In the Moree and Walgett districts (west and north of the Land Board 

 District) there is some hilly to undulating country south of Moree, the 

 remainder being plain country with heavy black soil in the north and west, 

 and red and chocolate in the south. On the hills the land is more stony. 

 Good wheat and hay is grown in this district in small quantities, especially 

 in the eastern portion, also citrus and summer fruit, but the country is 

 practically given over to sheep farming. The living area for closer pastoral 

 settlement is calculated at 3,000 to 5,000 acres. 



In the Warialda district, box, ironbark, and pine are the principal timbers 

 with apple, myall, wilga, and thick belts of belar and brigalow. 



In the Xarrabri district the hilly country to the east and the Pilliga 

 scrub cany box, pine, ironbark, belar, blood wood, and rosewood, with 

 coolabah, box, and belar on the plains. 



Box, ironbark, with coolibah, belar, brigalow, pine, wilga, and rosewood, 

 are the principal timbers in the Moree and Walgett districts. Most of the 

 timber in the district is stunted, only a small percentage being good for 

 commercial purposes. 



The grass in the black -soil country is good and fattening, generally poor in 

 the timbered country until ringbarked, when it is good. The principal 

 grasses are blue, Mitchell, kangaroo, star, coolah, and wire, besides which 

 there are many nutritious and fattening herbages during the winter months. 



With regard to the Cust of clearing, the following information is supplied : 

 In the Warialda district the cost for dead timber is 20s. to 30s. per acre ; 

 for green timber, £4 to £7. Yankee grubbing is sometimes practised fox- 

 green timber at a cost of £3 per acre. 



Ringbarking only can be done for 3s. per acre in the case of box and 

 ironbark, rising to 7s. per acre for belar and brigalow. 



Firing can be done cheaply and easily, and without danger. All the 

 timbers burn easily except blood wood. 



Fencing material is plentiful, except in the open plains, and from fair to 

 good in quality. 



Ironbark, box, belar, coolabah, and pine are the best timbers for posts. 



