way from here to the goldfietds, settlement will be rapid and profit- 

 able. There are no good roads to Government land that is open 

 for selection. The roads board is, however, bringing the matter 

 under the notice of the Government with a view of obtaining assist- 

 ance for the purpose of making roads. We consider the capital 

 essential for a successful start on a homestead farm of 160 acres, 

 would be 250. This sum would be required for clearing, fencing, 

 working plant, and lirst order of seed. If a man takes up 500 acres 

 he should have .500. There are two surveyed agricultural areas 

 in our district, namely, Myrup and Dalyup. These areas were only 

 thrown open for selection on the first of April last, consequently too 

 late to allow them to be placed under crop this year. On Dalyup, 

 14 selections have been made, and five on Myrup. Myrup was 

 made available some time before Dalyup was proclaimed. The 

 only school in the cultivable country is one at Esperance. We 

 should recommend a man, having not more that from ^100 to ^200, 

 to take up a garden block of 20 acres. The produce of the district 

 is eagerly competed for by the buyers' travellers ; the demand 

 greatly exceeds the supply. Just now there is no market anywhere 

 else as good as that which is at the command of the Western 

 Australian producer. The Esperance district grows to the best ad- 

 vantage lucerne, barley, rye, wheat, root-crops, such as mangolds, 

 beets, etc., pumpkins, melons, tomatoes, and all classes of veget- 

 ables. There has not been sufficient time since settlement began 

 at Esperance, to test accurately what crops should be avoided 

 here. Our society would rather defer for a while giving a definite 

 answer to your question ' What crops should be avoided ?' As far 

 as we are able to judge, the land, being of a sandy nature near the 

 coast, quickly exhausts itself ; but, a little way back from the sea, 

 there is a large amount of first-class mallee country, which would be 

 capable of growing good crops without manure for some years. 

 There is a very large orchard and vineyard area throughout the dis- 

 trict, that is of land suitable for planting with vines and fruit trees. 

 It would be almost impossible, even approximately, to give the 

 quantity in figures. Some of the local cultivators are also sheep 

 farmers. The district is not much troubled by native pests, such 

 as dingoes, boodie-rats, opossums, eagle-hawks, etc. There is box 

 poison all over the district, principally on the gravel banks of the 

 creeks. It is singular that the poison is in all cases found on the 

 right hand of these creeks, as seen when travelling inland. There 

 is heartleaf poison on the granite outcrops ; candiup grass, which is 

 noxious vegetation, is found in the swampy country in fairly large 

 quantities. The larger portion of the country hereabouts is, gener- 

 ally speaking, more or less affected by poison plants. Nevertheless, 

 with care and reasonable attention, the Esperance is a good district 

 for stock. The herbage is of excellent character. There is bush- 

 feed on the sand plains, alternating with grass. The chief grasses 

 and stock-feeding plants are speargrass, barley grass, dandelion and 



