and their Development. 153 



same quality; only a small portion will be of the best de- 

 scription, and the remainder will be of different degrees of 

 excellence. The knowledge of this would deter many from 

 being discouraged who are now completely disheartened by 

 the failure of their first efforts ; and the dipping process, I 

 am convinced, is absolutely necessary for the manufacture of 

 a strong tobacco. 



The next subject I would direct your attention to is our 

 wool trade. England at present annually imports over one 

 hundred millions of pounds of wool ; and about half of this 

 quantity, or nearly fifty millions of pounds, comes from this 

 and the neighboring colonies. The rest is supplied by Ger- 

 many and Spain, by the south of Africa, the south of 

 Asia, and the south of America. The wool trade of these 

 colonies is the growth of only thirty years ; as in 1830 the 

 colonies only exported three millions of pounds. The colonies 

 should certainly produce all the wool England requires ; 

 and if we Victorians did our part, we could annually export 

 to England £900,000 sterling worth more of wool than 

 we do. Two millions sterling a-year is lost to these co- 

 lonies in the wool trade, which two millions goes into the 

 pockets of aliens. Seeing the rapid strides which our wool 

 trade has made in thirty years, I doubt not that xdtimately 

 the export of wool from Australasia will equal one hundred 

 millions of pounds avoirdupois. But I think this result 

 ought to be brought about in the shortest time possible. 



In this place I would remind you that at this advanced age 

 of the world's history means are employed whereby, in agri- 

 culture, as in other vocations, the mere cost of labor is a small 

 item ; and it has been predicted, and I think will be fulfilled, 

 that all harvest operations on land properly laid down will 

 shortly be performed in one-fourth the time now occupied in 

 hand labor. The truth is now beginning to be duly appre- 

 ciated, that sound theory in physical science consists simply 

 of facts, and the deductions of common sense from them re- 

 duced to a system. I would refer you to an article headed 

 " Steam, and its Advantages to Agriculture," which appeared 

 in Bear's Weekly Circular of Saturday, September 3rd, 1859. 

 That article should be read and studied by every agriculturist 

 in the colony. Horse-power is twice as dear as steam, where 

 the latter can be employed; and on every farm of 150 acres, 

 or less, there ought to be a six-horse power engine to grind 

 corn, crush oats, break rape cake, cut and steam chaff, thrash 

 and dress corn, work pumps, saw timber, and cultivate the 



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