crops, which I have never seen excelled, were grown, which 

 proved that the land is rich, provided inundating water can be 

 kept off it. It ought to be a very simple matter to get rid of the 

 water, as there is a good fall to the estuary. The other day I had 

 a conversation with the Minister of Public Works, and he asked 

 my opinion on this matter. I had no hesitation in saying that the 

 draining of the land would be a judicious expenditure and one 

 that would do a great deal of good. I pointed out to him the 

 magnificent crops that were grown there last season, which I at- 

 tributed mainly to the fact that there had been a very mild winter. 

 If, I added, there were drains to take the \vater off, similar crops 

 could be produced every year. I am pleased to learn that the 

 Government is going into the matter of having the drains made. 

 The drains can be cut for a very small cost. The original estimate 

 was 9cl. per yard, but it has been found that with improved ap- 

 pliances the cost is reduced to 3d. per yard, which certainly would 

 not be a very great item. I have the greatest confidence that if the 

 Government carries out this work, it will be the means of settling a 

 great many people on the land." Doubtless the low estimate given 

 by Mr. McLarty in the foregoing extract, of the cost of making 

 drains, w r ill be noted by intending settlers on the Harvey agricul- 

 tural area, as it sho\vs even if they have to put in some auxiliary 

 cuttings after the general scheme has been completed, the outlay is 

 not one that need act as a deterrent to those, who in all respects, 

 save that of drainage, may regard the Harvey country as a desirable 

 location. There is also a large area of land to the west of the 

 Harvey river that is eminently adapted for summer crops of 

 potatoes. Here the intense cultivator would rind his chance among 

 the gullies and river bottoms that intersperse the range. These 

 choice spots are not of large acreage, but that is immaterial when 

 10 acres are good enough to make a good living out of and provide, 

 as well, for putting by something for a rainy day. These swamp 

 patches can all be easily drained, as the brooks which arc the 

 tributaries of the Harvey and Murray rivers are on steep grades 

 and of great width. 



Speaking of a representative piece of the Harvey country that 

 was chosen by Governor Stirling for his own use, when he had all 

 the lands of Western Australia to choose from in 1829, Mr. Charles 

 Harper, M.L.A., Chairman of the Bureau of Agriculture, said : 

 "The stranger travelling by the South-western railway, and getting 

 out at the Harvey river station, is at once struck by the remark- 

 able picturesqueness of the surroundings. Tall red gums here and 

 there darken the sky with their heavy foliage, and battalions of 

 blackboys are drawn up in picturesque array. The richness and 

 density of the forest and other growth convey the impression that 

 the land must be exceedingly rich and fertile, and capable of carry- 

 ing other and more profitable vegetation. A few minutes' drive to 

 the eastward takes you to the foot of the Darling range. A 



