248 H. G. McKINNEY. 



It will probably surprise many persons to hear that in an 

 average season, hundreds of thousands of acres of land along the 

 Lower Murrumbidgee are flooded, and that without this flooding 

 the land is practically worthless. The evidence 1 given before the 

 Board of Inquiry, all tended to show that the rainfall alone on 

 the Lower Murrumbidgee is quite insufficient to produce good 

 grass and herbage on the dark soil flats, and that the inundation 

 of these flats from the overflow of the river is highly beneficial. 

 As an instance of the extent and importance of this natural 

 irrigation, it was stated that on Yanga Station alone during a 

 year of high flood, as much as 200,000 acres is inundated, while 

 the corresponding area in average season is 75,000 acres. During 

 the latter part of summer the stock depend almost entirely on the 

 results of this flooding. 



It appeared that the flooding involved practically no outlay, 

 the only works referred to in any instance in connection with it 

 being trifling improvements to outflow creeks. The floods in the 

 Murrumbidgee are only moderately regular in their period of 

 occurrence, and are very irregular in their height, yet it is evident 

 that even under these circumstances the irrigation so done is a 

 great boon to the landholders. In other words, irregular and 

 uncertain irrigation of the native grasses is profitable when the 

 water costs nothing. The question naturally suggests itself — 

 " Would it not be remunerative to flood the native grasses if a 

 regular and certain supply of water could be delivered at a small 

 cost" 1 If the question be answered in the affirmative, the remark 

 might well be added — "Much more would it be remunerative if 

 such regular and certain supply of water were used for the pro- 

 duction of such fodder crops as lucerne and sorghum." For 

 instance, if in the case of Yanga, where an area of 75,000 acres is 

 flooded in an average year, and about 40,000 acres in a bad year, 

 an average of 100,000 acres could be flooded regularly, would that 



1 This refers specially to the evidence of Mr. Humphry Davy of Glen- 

 dean, Mr. S. Lindsay of Yanga, Mr. G-. D. Kingrose of Balranald, Mr. 

 John Dill of Toogimbie, and Mr. W. McKechnie of Nap Nap. 



