i8 Irrigation Farming in Australia. 



considerable influx of settlers from other places. It is almost an 

 English garden village. As an instance of how the virgin wilder- 

 ness can be converted into a happy garden, it is as well worth 

 quoting as any in Australia. Its total area is not 6000 acres, yet 

 it supports a population of 2500 souls, and produces fruit worth, 

 last year, about $816,000.00. The fruit grown here, as at Mildura, 

 is for drying rather than canning. The largest harvest is in grapes 

 and currants, but there are 250 tons of dried apricots produced 

 annually as well as other stone fruits peaches, nectarines, and 

 plums.. Pears also pay very well. Probably most renown abroad 

 has been won, however, by Renmark navel oranges, which grow as 

 big as a baby's head, and have been declared to be the finest oranges, 

 ever seen in Covent Garden. 



Below Renmark there is 6200 acres of irrigable land at the new 

 settlement of Berri, of which 88 blocks, containing 1743 acres, have 



A GROUP OF AMERICAN LANDSEEKERS. 



been allotted to farmers. The Government has here established an 

 irrigation farm of 80 acres for experimental work. Lower down the 

 river, at Lake Bonney, the Cobdogla irrigation area is under survey. 

 Here it is proposed first to deal with 3000 acres on the 4O-ft. level, 

 to be followed by 8500 acres at an 84-ft. lift, and 6800 acres at 

 loo-ft. lift. The whole area will be irrigated from Lake Bonney, 

 where sufficient water can be impounded to supply the full area of 

 18,300 acres. The Waikerie irrigation area, consisting of approxi- 

 mately 2500 acres of irrigable land, divided into 115 blocks, has 

 already many flourishing orchards the remnant of an earlier com- 

 munistic village settlement.. It is anticipated that at no distant date 

 there will be one continuous irrigation area from Overland Corner 

 to beyond Renmark (approximately 100 miles) with the bulk of the 

 back lands, above the irrigation contours and within reasonable 



