L58 



THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



ringbarked country ranges from one sheep to 4 acres to one to 7-8 acres, or 

 an average of 1 to 5 over the whole area. In other words, ringbarking has 

 more than quadrupled the carrying capacity of the land. This will be seen 

 from the following summary: — 



As to the question of cost, it has been ascertained from managers who 

 have had the work done, and from contractors constantly carrying out the 

 operations, that to. "chip out" costs lOd. to Is. per acre, and to "frill and 

 scarf " 9d. per acre. 



From the experiences referred to, it is obviously desirable to limit, as far 

 as possible, all ringbarking operations to the hotter part of the year, or from 

 December to April. The improved carrying capacity of the country resulting 

 from judicious ringbarking much more than compensates for the expense. 



FENCES AND FENCING.* 



The methods of fencing differ widely in different parts of the State, and 

 & complete statement of the subject from the point of view of the New 

 South Wales farmer would involve the treatment of the subject in relation 

 to the district, the nature of the fencing required, and the material available 

 locally or most easily obtainable. It is obvious that such a work would 

 occupy much more space than can be afforded in this Handbook, and all 

 that has been attempted in the following pages is to make suggestions which 

 may be of assistance to the settler in determining what class of fence he 

 should erect, to give the specifications for ceitain complete fences, and 

 to describe one or two other less expensive fences that have proved suitable 

 for special purposes and districts. 



In the days when fencing timber was plentiful, posts were usually placed 

 •about 10 feet apart, and experience has shown that the most efficient fence- 

 are thosfi with panels of about that width. However, the increasing scarcity 

 •of suitable timber, together with much higher labour costs, have in recent 



Pv.evised by AH. E. McDonald, Chief Inspector of Agriculture. 



