30 



the Bureau of Agriculture an analysis of the soil of the block 

 selected, in order to make sure that the swamp is not too largely 

 impregnated with salts to be profitable to work. The presence of 

 saline deposits in swamps is not common along the south-western 

 coast of Western Australia, but cases of the kind have come to 

 light in one or t\vo instances, and the defect has only been cured 

 by treatment that is applied under the direction of the experts of 

 the Bureau. With this reservation the most experienced residents 

 about Bunbury recommend the potato as the staple crop in pre- 

 ference to wheat or oats. As much as eight tons of potatoes per 

 acre are commonly dug, and the crop is worth from 8 to 10 per 

 ton, while there is a railway to carry the produce to market after 

 only a few miles of carting. The average yield of potatoes is four tons 

 per acre, and of hay one ton per acre. Nearly all kinds of farming 

 crops are grown, but not often in large quantities by any one culti- 

 vator. The settlers of Bunbury have so many aids in their climate, 

 rainfall and excellent sale for produce, that they are, on the 

 whole, a substantial and prosperous class of yeomanry, and 

 there are still thousands of acres of Crown lands open for 

 selection in the district on the various agricultural areas (except the 

 Collie) within ten miles radius of either side of a railway line. 

 Settlement has been steadily progressing during the last live years, 

 and it has received a great impetus of late, as is shown by the 

 returns which are regularly published. All descriptions of fruits 

 including those of the berry tribes, which do not thrive in the 

 eastern division are grown, but chielly apples, oranges, gvapes 

 and stone fruits ; these succeed well with reasonable care, it judg- 

 ment has been shown in choosing the site of the orchard. The 

 as^stance of the Land bank has been mostly sought by new men, 

 the older inhabitants being too well established to stand in need of 

 loans, even when these are granted on the most liberal terms. 

 As the rainfall is from 36 to 40 inches per annum, and it nearly all 

 falls between April and October, the winters are very wet and the 

 outlying roads become very sodden, so that some privation in this 

 Ct must be borne by those who go on to original holdings. 

 There is, however, a long spell of line weather during a somewhat 

 protracted summer, and most ol the heavy carting occurs while the 

 roads are at their best. The seasons are mild and very regular, so 

 that he who sows is sure to reap. Many of the farms are from mo 

 to 200 acres, and these are deemed to be quite laige enough either 

 to meet the needs of a man who has a family to rear in solid 

 comfort, or to find employment, as a rule, for all his available 

 resources of capital and labor. It is held to be a mistake for a man 

 to burden himself with a large area of unimproved land. The con- 

 centration of improvements and cultivation multiplies the income, 

 while the spreading of imperfect work imperfect because more is 

 undertaken than can he accomplished over a great deal of ground 

 fritters it away in non-productive outlay. The chief thing to be 



