THE TOWNS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



233 



Mogil, Wee Waa 

 and Pilliga are out- 

 post villages to the 

 west and north-west, 

 connected with Nar- 

 rabri by various 

 postal and stock- 

 travelling- routes. 



This is the bor- 

 der-land between 

 grazing and agricul- 

 tural occupations, 

 and only the uncer- 

 tainty of the rain-fall 

 and' the limit e d 

 market prevent the 

 latter from winninf 



o 



the victory. A few 

 years ago the district 

 was all pastoral, and 

 nothing more than a 

 little cultivation for 

 station supplies was 

 thought of. The 

 map beyond was 



then " all white," but 

 now every inch of 

 available country to 

 the west has been 

 taken up, and natu- 

 rally looks for its 

 supplies of produce 

 to the agricultural 

 district which is near 

 it. In good seasons 

 the frontier farmers 

 have the advantage 

 of supplying the 

 back settlers, but 

 w hen t h r o u g h 

 drought their har- 

 vest has failed, 

 wheat, hay, bran and 

 potatoes have to be 

 brought up by rail 

 from the count rv 

 lower down, or even 

 from Newcastle. 



The squatter can 



stand dry weather better than the farmer, but even the squatter has often been 

 sorely punished. Notwithstanding the richness of the soil, therefore, and the facilities 

 offered by the railway, the clryness of successive seasons has kept agriculture back. But 

 the farmers have got a footing, and will keep it ; though as yet they have not changed 



