FARM LANDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 5 



The grasses arc .Mitchell, blue grass, sugar grass, umbrella grass, star and 

 barley grass, with winter and spring herbage, saltbush and cotton bush. 



Yankee grubbing, except in grazing areas, is on the decrease. The present 

 cost of ordinary clearing is about 12s. (id. per acre in dead country. An 

 estimate for green country is not reliable, as so little is done, but probable 

 cost ranges up to £3 per acre. About three fourths of the district is plain 

 country or open forest. 



The supply of fencing material is ample ; box, pine, buddha, yarran, iron- 

 bark, and gum are used for posts. White ants are said not to be troublesome 

 in this district. 



Neither post and rail, nor ordinary wire cattle-proof fences are used. The 

 cost of a 2- wire (X<>. 8), with barbed wire on the top, would be from £38 

 per mile. 



For a 6-wire (No. 10) sheep-proof fence with 11 foot panels, the cost would 

 be from £40 per mile upwards. 



For rabbit-proof fencing, 42 in. netting on sheep fence, up to £140 per mile. 



Wells cost from 10s. to 25s. per foot, according to the depth. The cost of 

 artesian boring is 20s. to 22s. 6d. per foot. Excavating for tanks runs 

 from Is. per cuoic yard. 



Transport is mostly over level and soft country, except in the eastern part, 

 which is somewhat hilly. The district includes extremely good pastoral 

 country, the grasses are fattening, and disease amongst stock is almost 

 unknown ; one of the worst troubles in connection with stock being the 

 prevalence of blow-flies. 



Artesian water is procurable everywhere by boring at a depth of 500 feet 

 onwards. Bedrock is struck at from 2,500 to 2,700 feet. The flows from the 

 bores vary from 50,000 gallons to 1,500,000 gallons per day. 



Forbes Land Board District. 



Includes Forbes, Parkes, Grenfell, Barmedman, Temora, Wyalong, Ardlethan, Ariah 

 Park, Eugowra, Condobolin, Trundle, Peak Hill, Bogan Gate, Tullamore. 



The country comprised in this district is of fairly uniform character, being 

 for the most part undulating to flat. There is some hilly country at the 

 eastern end of the district. In the western and southern parts the country 

 is for the most part flat. The soil varies — the typical soil being a rich red 

 loam, generally with a rather stiff subsoil ; chocolate loams, clayey loams, 

 black clayey loams and sandy loams of a light colour are represented, and 

 black alluvial soils are found on the river flats. 



The climate is fairly even over the district ; the average summer tem- 

 perature being about 76 deg. Fah., with a winter average of 56 deg. Fah , 

 the western portion being somewhat hotter in summer. The district generally 

 may be described as rather dry, the mean annual rainfall varies from 24 inches 

 on the east to 17 1 inches on the west. It is a good, healthy climate. 



A considerable area is cultivated in the eastern and southern part of the 

 Land Board District ; the western part is used chiefly for grazing, but even 

 here mixed farming is gradually increasing. The principal cereals cultivated 

 are wheat and oats, both for grain and hay. Mixed farming is generally 

 followed. Lucerne, sorghum, .Sudan grass, &c, are grown on some of the 



