—— 
110 JOHN C. H. MINGAYE. 
and thus give employment to a large number of fruit growers, 
who have had to contend against the great difficulty experienced, 
7.e., want of water. 
Mr. H. G. McKinney, M.£., M. Inst. C.E., ina valuable paper read 
before the Royal Society of New South Wales on Sept. 4th 1889, 
entitled ‘Irrigation in its relation to the Pastoral Industry of 
New South Wales,” points out that the total area of land in New 
South Wales is estimated at 196,000,000 acres, that an area of 
168,000,000 acres is devoted to pastoral purposes, while the extent 
under cultivation amounts to only 1,042,000 acres. ‘That it is 
a question of great interest whether irrigation cannot be made to 
assist in the development of the pastoral resources of the Colony ; 
also that in his opinion, the losses to which the pastoralists are 
liable through drought, can to a large extent be minimized by a 
proper system of irrigation. First the irrigation of extensive 
areas of the native grasses ; second the irrigation of timber areas, 
of lucerne, and other fodder crops. 
Mr. McKinney also points out how profitable the irrigation of 
the native grasses can be made when the water supply is available 
from river sources, the water being brought to the ground by 
channels, etc. How profitable irrigation of the native grasses 
can be made under such favourable circumstances is very clearly 
pointed out. With an expenditure of little over £1,200 on the 
Coorong Run, Mr. Gwydir succeeded in irrigating over 17,000 
acres of grass land during every flood in the Lachlan. The cost 
of irrigating an acre, taking cost of maintenance, interest, etc., 
amounted to only three-seventeenths of a shilling, or slightly over 
two pence. JBefore irrigation the land barely sufficed for 4,000 
sheep, after irrigation it supported 12,000 sheep and 200 horses, 
besides fattening 125 head of cattle. 
Utah anid Colorado entirely depend on irrigation. The latter 
State in 1883 raised in value £1,100,000 of grain and root crops, 
the former £700,000. In California, the Australian Eucalypti— 
Ecalyptus globulus, £. viminalis, and the red gum Hucalyptus 
rostrata are planted on extensive areas, some 700 to 1000 trees 
