Wheat Culture in ffew South Wales. 99 



MIDLAND DIVISION. 



4. — We come now to the midland division, embracing the 

 counties of Camden, Cook, Cumberland, and Westmoreland, and 

 here we discover more unsatisfactory results than we have noticed 

 in the Northern division. 



We begin the first quinquennial period with an acreage rang- 

 ing from 26,757 acres in 1858, increasing to 35,701 acres in 1S60, 

 and again decreasing to 28,361 acres in 1862, the average being 

 30,543 acres. 



The yield during this period commenced with 15 - 8 bushels per 

 acre in 1858, and dropped to 5 1 bushels in 1862 ; the average 

 being rather over 11 bushels per acre. 



The second quinquennial period opens with an acreage of 

 20,660 acres, and closes with 8,393 acres, showing an average of 

 14,121 acres, and a decrease of 115" per cent, upon the average 

 of the previous five years. 



The yield during this period opens with figures representing an 

 almost total failure of crop, — namely, 1.9 bushels per acre in 1863, 

 and closes with 7'4 bushels per acre in 1867 ; the average yield 

 being under 5^ bushels, or being nearly 6 bushels per acre less 

 than the average of the previous five years. The average of the 

 ten years is thereby reduced to a little over 8 bushels per acre ; 

 that is, 1^ bushels below the Northern division, 4 bushels below 

 the Southern, and 4| below the Western. 



Taking the average price as before, at 7s. lOd. per bushel, we 

 arrive at a gross result to the farmer of £3 2s. 8d. per acre for 

 his efforts, toil and trouble in the production of the staff of life 

 in this division of the country. 



5. Throwing together the results brought out in each of the 

 foregoing divisions, we find that we commenced the first quin- 

 quennial period with a breadth @f land in wheat of 81,658 acres, 

 which increased in 1860 to 110,291 acres, and subsided again in 

 1862 to 88,568 acres ; the average of the 5 years being 97,746 

 acres. The yield in 1858 was at the average rate of 16 bushels 

 to the acre ; and in 1862 was little more than 9 bushels ; the 

 average yield of the 5 years being under 12| bushels per acre. 



In the second five years we commence with 86,030 acres under 

 wheat cultivation, which fell to 78,955 acres in 1864, rose again 

 to 88,306 acres in 1865 ; and, owing in a great degree to the 

 extraordinary increase in the district of Orange, already noticed, 

 reached 136,896 acres in 1866 and fell again to 114,307 acres in 

 1867, the average of the five years being 100,899 acres, an 

 increase of a little over 3 per cent, on the first quinquennial 

 period. 



