11 



The age at which trees may be stripped with the best advantage 

 has been determined at from five to ten years, and it naturally 

 follows that, should any neglect be manifested in cultivating for 

 annual strippings, a serious loss would ensue, not only to the culti- 

 vator but to the general supply, consequent upon the length of time 

 that would necessarily elapse before the omission could be rectified. 

 To obviate any cessation of the supply from private as well as from 

 Crown lands, the Board entered fully into the cost of production, 

 the age at which the wattle attains maturity, and the seasons 

 during which the bark possesses the highest strength for tanning. 

 At the present time there are tracts of Crown lands on which the 

 wattle flourish luxuriantly, although the soil is so poor as to be 

 practically valueless either for pastoral or agricultural purposes. 

 These areas are peculiarly favorable to the growth of the wattle ; 

 and in such localities as the Victoria Valley, and the long sandy 

 reaches of the Ninety-mile Beach and other parts of Gippsland, it 

 was found that the trees attained early maturity, supplying at the 

 same time a bark of full strength and in good demand amongst 

 tanners. 



Although there are here and there a few patches of soil of a 

 better class, yet the land presents no inducements to the ordinary 

 selector or grazier, and its utilisation, except for some such special 

 object as wattle cultivation, is never likely to be attempted. With 

 some discrimination certain areas of modified extent might even- 

 tually be selected, which w r ould contain sufficient agricultural land 

 to enable their holders to partially combine farming pursuits with 

 the occupation of wattle growing. The Board also noticed that 

 many extensive areas of land in the districts specified were leased for 

 grazing purposes at a nominal rent, and it was often on patches 

 most barren of grass or surface vegetation that the finest specimens 

 of wattle trees were met with. For the purpose for which they 

 are leased these lands are practically valueless, they may be denomi- 

 nated thorough waste lands. The State derives little or no revenue 

 from them, the return in some cases failing to pay the cost of 

 supervision. 



The Board have inspected many of these areas, and from their 

 personal observations are unanimously of opinion that, as soon as 

 practicable, they should be withdrawn from ordinary selection, and 

 set apart for wattle cultivation. By doing so the State would gain 

 largely, and the interests of the pastoral tenants who are now in 

 occupation would not suffer in any degree, as their evidence goes 

 to prove that the land in question is almost useless, one witness 

 stating that portions of his holding required forty acres to keep one 

 sheep alive. 



The Board consider that large areas of these poor lands should 

 be leased out, in blocks of a certain size^ for a term of years, the 



