Irrigation Farming in Australia. 29 



factories, which exist in every district, pay $0.20 or $0.22 a Ib, for 

 butter fat i Ib. cream can be obtained by separator from about 

 2,]/2 gallons of milk and if the farmer is a shareholder in the factory, 

 as he should and easily can be, he will also get a dividend on profits. 

 To what extent butter factories have improved conditions for small 

 dairymen will appear later from the examples quoted. 



In addition to profits from the butter factory, the settler can 

 expect to sell part of his lucerne crop, and lucerne hay is often worth 

 $14.40 or $19,20 a ton. Every three or four years, Australian 

 farmers declare, lucerne goes up in price, and the man who has a 

 good store of it can sell for $28.80 a ton. 



Lucerne grows best with a moderate watering frequently applied 

 and good sun. In many cases lucerne crops which were seeded in the 

 spring have given astonishing results six or eight months later. It 



FIRST YEAR'S CROP OF LUCERNE HAY. 



can be cut six or seven times in a season, and grows better with 

 every cutting. In six weeks in the summer lucerne will grow up 

 from the shaved stubble to a luscious green crop 3 ft. high. For 

 the first two or three cuttings after seeding the yield is, of course, 

 small only 5, 7, to 10 cwt. to the acre. But, if properly tended by 

 the first cutting in the second season it may probably yield a ton. 

 Lucerne is undoubtedly both of itself and through the stock it will 

 develop the quickest money-making plant any ground will grow 

 in the world. 



The irrigation farmers to-day in Australia are breeding cows, 

 hoises, sheep, pigs, chickens, ostriches all on this same fodder. 

 A blockholder who has 10 acres of lucerne carefully seeded and 

 cultured will have no fodder worries, and often must hire labour to 

 help him to get one cut crop in before the next grows up. He does 



