284 



AGRICULTURE IN VICTORIA. 



[March 1895. 



v.— AGRICULTURE IN VICTORIA. 



The Board of Agriculture have lately received the final Report 

 of the Yegetal^le Products Commission of the Colony of Yictoria, 

 which was appointed to inquire into, and report on, the vegetable 

 products, other than wheat, for the growth of which the climate 

 of Yictoria is suitable, both with and without irrigation. 



The main reason for the appointment of the Commission was 

 that it was foreseen in 1883 that a considerable fall in the price 

 of farm produce, particularly wheat, would take place in the 

 near future, and it was deemed desirable, therefore, that Yictoriau 

 farmers should turn away, to some extent, from the growth of 

 that cereal, with a view to the cultivation of other and more 

 remunerative crops. 



The Commissioners sat from the 7th September 1885 to the 

 24th June 1892 ; they held 82 sittings, examined 173 witnesses, 

 visited nearly all the principal agricultural centres of Yictoria, as 

 well as Sydney and Adelaide, and thus collected a large amount 

 of valuable information. 



The final Report contains references to the numerous reccm- 

 mendations previously made by the Commission with the object 

 of inducing Parliament to offer bonuses for the encouragement of 

 certain rural industries and for other purposes. 



First in importance comes the butter industry, which is one of 

 the fruits of the bonus system adopted on the recommendations 

 of the Commission. As an example of the remarkable position 

 occupied by this industry, statistics are quoted showing that in 

 the year ending 1st March 1893 there were 86 butter factories 

 in operation in Yictoria, yielding the large total of 13,189,766 

 lbs. of butter, while on private farms a production of 10,320,079 

 lbs. was recorded. Attention is also directed to the fact that 

 within the last fevv years 116 creameries have been established. 



Allusion is made in the Report to the astonishing progress 

 which has been made of late years in the exports of dairy pro- 

 duce. The shipments of butter in each of the four seasons 

 from 1889 to 1893 are stated to have been as follows : — 

 828,822 lbs. in 1889-90; 1,700,596 lbs. in 1890-91 ; 4,792,513 

 lbs. in 1891-92 ; and 8,094,255 lbs. in 1892-93. Seeing that the 

 average prices realised in the London market have been remunera- 

 tive, there is, it is observed, every reason to believe that this trade 

 is established on a thoroughly permanent footing, and that \^ictoria 

 is now able to compete successfully with other foreign producers 

 in the world's markets without any further assistance from the 

 State. 



It is further stated that the manufacture and export of 

 cheese are progressing satisfactorily, though not as yet with 

 so pronounced a success as in the case of the butter industry. In 

 1893, there were 14 factories in operation, turning out 9:t6,631 



