92 TlMEHRl. 
with the Egyptian or Indian plough, placed under water, 
then planted with rice, and kept just covered with water 
until the rice is reaped, is found to yield a cover of 
delicious water couch, and this continues for years. Mr. 
TROTMAN, of De Kinderen, who has carefully studied the 
subject of pasture recommends that these lands should be 
drained in wet weather and put under water when the 
weather is dry. I have followed this advice with all the 
pasture paddocks under my charge ; and with good results. 
If the grass plots are kept too wet, a growth of beeza 
and fine rushes are apt to choke the finer grasses. 
Fourth : — Within the last five years our knowledge of 
the behaviour of Savanahs and Creeks has been very 
much increased by experiments in several localities. For 
instance, it is now well known that an important creek 
may be stopped off without the flooding of the surround- 
ing country that was formerly dreaded ; and this is ex- 
plained by the fact that the whole country through which 
the creeks wind is almost a dead level, varying only from 
51 to 56 Georgetown Datum. It is also well known that 
the average rain-fall in any one season does not exceed 
4 feet, and that, between evaporation and absorption, 
only 3 feet of this is available for storage. So that in 
reality it would require no great ingenuity on the part of 
the Water Engineer if he were called upon to conserve 
the entire rainfall over any given district. I am quite 
aware of the damage that has resulted from time to time 
from breaches in dams, and this was more general when 
dams were made at first depths with land at 52 G.D. 
Now, poldering has extended so far inland that the site 
of dams is generally upon land at 54 to 56 G.D., and 
