18 



AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



so plainly in this respect, that they offer conclusive proof 

 that without irrigation to develop the vegetation of spring 

 at the time of seed sowing, it were folly to attempt growing 

 crops where perennial grasses only are found. But though 

 thus indicative of irregularity of seasons, and of a capacity 

 to grow and mature during whole seasons without a shower 

 of rain, those very grasses, and the climate in which they 

 grow, have proven unexceptionally favourable for sheep 

 and the production of the very best quality of wool ; and 

 with skill, wheat with sheep comes in as a desirable branch 

 of Australian agriculture, as explained in the chapters 

 which deal with sheep, cattle, horses, as part of the live 

 stock of Australian agriculture. 



II. SELECTING AND CLASSIFYING LAND. 



IN the introductory 



chapter and those 

 upon cultivation, 

 native vegetation, and 

 what it indicates, we 

 may see how useful 

 and valuable is the 

 knowledge offered by 

 the indigenous and 

 other plants. Mean- 

 time, we have avail- 

 able the means which 

 science with practice 

 places at our disposal 

 for judging the quali- 

 ties of soils. Chemical 

 analysis is an immense help in this direction, but it must 

 be something more than a mere laboratory analysis. 

 Inspection of the mechanical condition is necessary, and the 

 geological formation. When a knowledge of the peculian- 



;>/'/^ 



1x 



They Usually Camp near Water, and on 

 Gooi Land 



