FARM LANDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 25 



The soil over the greater part is a red clayey loam, with a deep clay 

 lubsoil. In the western port ion there is a good deal of black stiff " puggy " 

 soil, with "gilgais" or "Coolamon holes," which is hotter suited for grazing 

 than agriculture. 



The cultivation of wheat, oats, and barley is very successful in the district, 

 these cereals constituting the principal crops. .Sorghum, rape, lucerne, and 

 fruit are also successfully cultivated, hut to specialise in any of these pro 

 ducts recourse must be had to irrigation, which is now heing .successfully 

 carried out on the Murrumbidgee in the neighbourhood of Wagga. The 

 number of irrigation plants on the river is rapidly increasing. The fodder 

 crops referred to are mostly grown under irrigation on the Murrumbidgee, 

 hut there is an increasing tendency to cultivate lucerne on the higher lands 

 as well as the river and creek flats, without artificial watering. 



The climate is hot and dry in the summer, with cold and bracing winters. 

 Frosts are frequent. The average summer temperature is about 72 deg. 

 Fah., the winter average being about 47 degrees. The average annual rainfall 

 is about 26 inches, and is very evenly distributed throughout the year, June 

 being the wettest month. 



The chief timbers are grey and yellow box with white pine, ironbark, 

 stringybark, and kurrajong. On the flats, red gum and apple are the princi- 

 pal timbers. The hills are mostly lightly timbered with stringybark, iron- 

 bark, stunted gum, red box, sheoak, and black pine. 



The grasses are good. The principal native growths are corkscrew, umbrella 

 grass, and geranium. Barley grass and trefoil are also plentiful. Dandelion is 

 spreading. 



The cost of clearing for agricultural purposes varies considerably ; from 

 30s. an acre for thick and heavy box timber which has been dead for five 

 years, down to 10s., or even less in the case of timber of lighter growth 

 dead for twenty years. For grazing, the cost is less than half the above. 



In the case of green timber, clearing for the plough will cost from 50s. 

 to 60s. per acre. The usual procedure is to ringbark and sucker till dead, and 

 then burn out the dead timber. Box burrs most easily of any of the timbers. 

 'The practice is that after the burning of the tree butt the roots have to be 

 grubbed before ploughing can be carried out. Yankee grubbing is also 

 practised occasionally. 



Timber for fencing is fairly plentiful in places, but is being rapidly 

 denuded and is becoming scarce in the agricultural districts. 



For posts, white pine, red gum, box, and ironbark are the best timbers. 

 White pine is the only wood that is immune from the attacks of the white 

 ant, which is prevalent in the district. No special precautions are taken 

 against it. 



Post and rail fences are not used in this district except in short lengths 

 where wire straining is impracticable. The cost of a six-wire stock proof 

 (two wires barbed) is about £70 per mile, and of a first-wire rabbit-proof fence 

 with 42-inch netting, about £140 per mile. 



The cost of well-sinking is about 20s. per foot up to 50 feet. For 

 deeper wells the cost is greater. For the Wagga Stock District the cost is 

 given at 20s. Tanks up to 2,000 cubic yards capacity cost about Is. per 

 <cubic yard ; for very large tanks the cost would be lower. 



