96 The Water Supply of Sydney. 



abundance of water, as well for public health and safety as for 

 personal comfort and convenience. Sydney, however, is not 

 favourably situated for an abundant supply, and it cannot be 

 procured without enormous outlay. The words of Sir Thomas 

 Mitchell, in his evidence before the City Committee, in 1850, are 

 as true and forcible now as then — " I cannot but see that the 

 weakest point in the character of this great city, for a great city 

 it is likely to be, is the present insufficient supply of water ; I 

 should therefore desire a more certain source." 



Art. VI. — On the Results of Wheat Culture in New South Wales 

 for the last ten years, by Christopher Rolleston, Esq. 

 [Read 2nd December, 1868.] 

 In a paper which I read before the Philosophical Society in the 

 year 18ti4, there was exhibited a succinct view of the results of 

 the agricultural industry of New South Wales for the ten pre- 

 ceding years. I propose here to inquire into the progress of the 

 colony in that particular branch of husbandry upon which we 

 principally depend for the supply of food for the people, and I 

 have thought it would be interesting to ascertain by reference to 

 the annual returns where wheat culture has been making the 

 greatest progress, and has yielded the largest results. In order 

 to avoid encumbering the inquiry with too minute details, I have 

 apportioned the colony into five divisions, namely, Southern, 

 "Western, Northern, Midland, and Pastoral. The four first divis- 

 ions embrace the old settled counties, and the fifth includes the 

 whole of the pastoral districts outside the limits of the old 

 counties. 



The table embraces the ten years from 1858 to 1867 inclusive, 

 and is arranged in quinquennial periods to show the relative pro- 

 gress and results of the culture of wheat in the two periods. 



SOUTHERN DINlStON. 



1. — We will take the Southern Division first. It embraces the 

 counties of Argyle, King, Georgiana, Murray, and St. Vincent. 

 It appears that the acreage under wheat in the first five years, 1858 

 to 1862. averaged from 14,003 acres up to 24,718 acres, the low- 

 est number being that for 1858, and the highest that for 1861. 

 The average was 19,519 acres. The produce ranged from 195 

 bushels per acre in 1858 down to 99 bushels per acre in 1862. 



