Sugar Beet in Australia. 



377 



owner of the land is also the occupier. Tenancy, as 

 understood in older settled communities, has made 

 comparatively little progress, 90^55 per cent, of the land 

 alienated being yet in the occupancy of the proprietors 

 themselves, or an area of 38,320,961 acres, whilst only 

 4,000,965 acres, or 9^45 per cent., are held under lease from 

 the freeholders. 



The number of persons reported as employed in agricultural 

 and dairy-farming pursuits during the year ended March, 

 1896, was 86,772, of whom 15,298 were females. Of the total 

 number 59,838 males and 4,203 females were engaged 

 in purely farming operations, whilst the dairy-farming 

 industry gave employment to 11,636 males and 11,095 

 females. If to these be added 31,930 persons engaged in 

 pastoral pursuits, it is estimated that rural occupations 

 absorb the energies of 118,702 persons. The number given 

 as engaged in dairy-farming does not include 338 hands 

 employed in town factories. 



The average area to each person engaged in rural pursuits 

 is 1,332 acres, ranging from 54 acres in the metropolitan 

 county to 12,684 acres in the western plains. Apart from 

 the metropolitan district, which contains numerous orchards 

 and market gardens, the South Coast districts surpass ail 

 the others with one person to every 135 acres, followed by 

 the Hunter River District with one to every 185 acres, and 

 the North Coast with one to every 230 acres. 



[The Wealth and Progress of New South Wales , 1896.] 



The cultivation of sugar beet is attracting a good deal 

 of attention both in Victoria and in New 

 ^Australia. South Wal es. In Victoria the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture has lately made some 

 careful analyses of different varieties of locally-grown beets, 

 with the most satisfactory results. A good beet should show 

 not less than 12-5 per cent, of sugar, but those tested by the 

 Department yielded from 14-16 to 15 61 per cent. The 

 Government of the colony have passed an Act under which 



