354 



Wool in the United States. 



agricultural centres. In the districts around Northam and 

 York the soil is well adapted for the cultivation of wheat, and 

 this crop is now grown mainly to produce the chaff required 

 to meet the great demand for loose fodder for the teams on 

 die goldfields. Most of the farmers also grow vegetables and 

 fruit, for which high prices obtain owing to the large demand 

 and the comparatively small local supply. Horticulture is 

 indeed gaining ground in the colony, and the soil is stated to 

 be very suitable for the production of all kinds of apples, 

 pears, peaches, quinces, apricots, etc., as well as most of the 

 smaller fruits which are grown in England. Viticulture is 

 becoming very popular. At the beginning of this year there 

 were 120 vineyards in Western Australia, and the total area 

 now under vines is estimated to exceed 2,000 acres, the 

 production of wine reaching 70,000 gallons annually. 



The forests of the colony cover an immense area, and 

 the hardwoods of which the Western Australian forests 

 are composed are in great demand for all purposes where 

 toughness and durability are essential. There are some 40 

 steam saw-mills at work and short lines of railway connect- 

 ing them with the coast have been laid down. About 2,000 

 hands are employed in the industry, and the export of w T ood 

 is now valued at about £750,000 a year. The right to cut 

 timber from the State forests is granted by the Government, 

 and the regulations to be observed have been drafted \* ith 

 due regard to the good conservation of the forests. 



The Supply of Wool in the United States. 

 The National Association of Wool Manufacturers of the 

 United States has recently completed its annual estimate 

 of the domestic wool clip, which, Bradstrecfs states, possesses 

 more than usual interest, owing to the abnormal situa- 

 tion wool now occupies in that country. It is based 

 upon the figures of the Department of Agriculture, giving 

 the number of sheep in each State on April 1, [897, 

 although it is pointed out that these numbers are in many 

 instances higher than those given by the State authorities, 



