MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
and upon the society the duty 'which it will have to per¬ 
form, of suggesting those which it will ho dcsirablo to 
make, of watching over them wliilo in progress, and of 
analysing the results in order that proper conclusions may 
be drawn from them. 
I have hitherto alluded principally to the action of the 
Society in inducing a better preparation of tho ground for 
the crops, and in contributing to the introduction of me¬ 
chanical substitutes for manual labour iu the various pro¬ 
cesses through which the crop must go before it is prepared 
for the use of man. 
But tho assistance of the Society will be quite as useful 
in directing the attention of tho Agriculturists to the 
character of the crops to be raised as in making the sug¬ 
gestions before alluded to. It is by no means desirable 
that we should, in a climate so different from that of 
England, stereotyjx) the systems pursued there 5 for in¬ 
stance, oats and barley are grown here, though not, I 
admit, to a great extent, still, however, as regards the 
former, it is evident, from the amount of the produce per 
acre, that eitlier the climate or the soil, or perhaps both, 
are not adapted to this crop ; varieties of cereal produce 
should be sought for by the Society; experiments should 
be made either with farms belonging to the Society, or 
what would be better, still, Members of the Society living 
in different parts of the Colony might bo requested to 
undertake the trouble of experimenting, as is often done 
in England, the results being reported to the Society ; by 
the latter mode the return of different soils and varieties 
of climate upon the particular crops will be more accu¬ 
rately shown. What has been said of cereal crops will mani¬ 
festly hold good with regard to the green crops and pasture 
lands of the Colony. Little attention has as yet been 
paid to the introduction of different kinds of grasses capa¬ 
ble of standing tho climate, and adapting themselves to 
the soil. But when we consider the development of our 
pastoral system, and the influence which the exports of 
the produce of the pasture lauds of the Colony have upon 
our commercial prosperity, surely it would be but wise to 
turn our attention speeiallv to the improvements which 
might be made in the quantity us well as the quality of 
tlie grass upon which our flocks and herds must feed. It 
is hardly necessary for me to point out to the members of 
this Society that the land occupied for pastoral purposes 
would, under more favourable circumstances, carry five 
times the quantity of stock which now is supported on it. 
And if we look to the value of our present exports of 
wool and tallow, we may form some idea of the enormous 
increase to the resources of the Colony which might he 
made, should we discover a better description of grass, or 
by application of capital to the land, he enabled even to 
double its grazing capabilities. If, for instance, the wool 
may be considered as tho measure of the profit of the 
flock-owner, and the value of the wool of 1000 sheep be 
put at £180, it would bo to tbo advantage of the flock- 
owner to expend ftom £1000 to £1500 in improvements, 
which would enable him to keep 2000 sheep when he for¬ 
merly could keep 1000 ,—such an outlay would not only 
return him a large interest upon his outlay, but would be 
productive of advantages to which it is unnecessary to 
allude. 
I do not, of course, mean that such improvements can 
he looked for immediately, or that they can he general 
for many years to come. The distance, however, of the 
object, ought not to make ns less zealous in our efforts to 
obtain it, and he will deserve well of the colony who will 
lead the way to results of so beneficial a character. There 
is one branch of narive industry to which I think the So¬ 
ciety is called upon to devote special attention—I mean 
the cultivation of the vine, and the manufacture of its 
products. 
The character which was given to the wine of this 
colony at the Paris exhibition, was such as should encou¬ 
rage both the grape-grower and the manufacture of wine, 
the former should be stimulated to efforts to improve the 
character and increase the amount of their produce, while 
the latter should continue the efforts which have already 
led to such favorable results, and which may eventually 
make New South Wales one of the great wine producing 
countries of the world. 
I shall lay before you later in the evening somo sug¬ 
gestions which I have received from England, with refer¬ 
ence to the action of the soil upon the grape, iu producing 
the peculiar hitter taste which characterizes many of the 
wines of the colony, and I propose, with the help of gen¬ 
tlemen who arc interested in this branch of industry, to 
set on foot such enquiries into the character and constitu¬ 
tion of the soil of the vineyard, in connection with inves¬ 
tigation into tho quality of the wine produced, as may, 
perhaps, enable us to establish some relation between the 
two, and lead eventually to attempts to modify some of 
the elementary principles in the soil, by addition of par¬ 
ticular manures, &e. 
I am afraid that I have already trespassed too long on 
your time, I will, therefore, deal briefly with the remain¬ 
der of my subject. I have spoken of the work which is 
ready to our hands. Of the many and yarious matters to 
the investigations of which I am most anxious that the 
Society should devote its best energies. How, however, 
is this to be don .? ? It would certainly be far beyond the 
poweis of the Society as at present constituted. The four 
or five hundred members of which it is composed, could 
neither find time or means to work out even one of tho 
many important subjects to winch I have alluded ; my 
hope .and wish would lie to interest the whole Agricultural 
and Pastoral community in the existence and progress of 
tho Society ; to call for the support' of the Wine pro¬ 
ducers, of the Merchants interested in our export trade; 
to eacli and all of these am the objects of tho Society of 
special importance, and each man may be sure that in 
becoming a Member of tho Society, and exerting his in¬ 
fluence in promoting the success of its efforts, lie is not 
only extending its powor of usefulness, hut probably 
furtherin'? his own special interests to a far greater amount 
than can oe measured by his Annual Subscription. 
Every Member of the Society, therefore, who has t its 
interest at heart, should do his best to induce others to 
ioin, for the number of Members may almost be said to 
be the measure of the usefulness of the Society. 
With increased Members the power to make experi¬ 
ments, to give prizes, to encourage application will be 
augmented, and I can but express a hope that at the next 
Annual Meeting I may be able to point to our roll of 
Members, as affording ua not only tho inducement to, but 
but the means of extending our usefulness. 
There is one subject to which I have more than once 
alluded, and I may take the present opportunity of again 
stating ray opinion as publicly as possible. It is, that the 
usefulness of the Society will depend very much upon its 
power of recording the results of its experience, or th 3 
views of its Members with relation to the various subjects 
with which it has to do. Right glad am I that the news¬ 
papers should publish all that is submitted to the Mem¬ 
bers at their monthly meeting ; should record all that is 
road, and all that is said on such occasions—but for the 
purposes of this Society, and for the use of the Members 
we require some more permanent record, either in the 
shape of a volume of Transactions , published by our¬ 
selves. or what would probably be more likely to answer 
a Magazine of a more general character, winch would 
embody not only subjects connected with Agriculture, 
Horticulture, &c., but also those having reference to 
Science and Art generally. 
1 believe that such a publication would answer in a 
pecuniary point of view, and I feel equally certain that 
it would be a most valuable addition to the literature of 
this colony, supplying a want which is most seriously felt 
by all who take an interest in science. 
Long as I have detained you on the present occasion, I 
feel that I have left much unsaid which anight properly 
have formed a part of this introductory discourse, but the 
very vastness of the field which is opened to the Society 
must be my excuse for these omissions. 
On future occasions, men whose practical experience is 
greater than my own, will, I trust, deal with the details 
of subjects to which I have alluded in a general manner. 
I need hardly say that my services will always be gladly 
rendered to a Society in whose objects I feel so great an 
interest. 
“W- DENISON. 
