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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 AN AUSTRALIAX COLONY. 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT HANDBOOI 
 
 VICTOJRIA^ 
 
 iop aiittioritj): 
 
 ROBT. S. BRAIX, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELBOURNE. 
 
 1359.
 
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 PREFACE. 
 
 The absence of knowledge by a large number of residents in 
 Great Britain and Ireland of the (Geographical Divisions of 
 Australia, and of the Agricultural, Pastoral, and Mineral 
 Resources of Victoria, is made apparent by numerous inquiries. 
 
 In oi'der that information respecting the colony may be 
 obtained by those seeking it, this brochure has been prepared. 
 
 Victoria, although the smallest of the five colonies of the 
 Continent of Australia, is one of the most prosperous. It has an 
 area of 87,884 square miles, and one of the finest climates in the 
 world. The difference in temperature throughout the year is 
 slight, the average being 49"2° in winter, and 65'3° in summer. 
 
 The average rainfall in the colony for a series of years was 
 26"81 inches. With such a genial climate, open-air work can be 
 carried on throughout the year. 
 
 Compared with European countries, Victoria occupies a very 
 favorable position as regards the health of its people, and is 
 entirely free from epidemical disease, from which less favoured 
 countries suffer. 
 
 The system of State Education is free, and schools are so 
 situated as to be accessible for children in all parts of the 
 colony. The standard of education is high, and many of our 
 most successful men received their education in State schools. 
 
 The value of imports for 1897 was £15,454,482 and exports 
 £16,739,670. Of the area of 87,884 square miles, only 3,242,600 
 acres are under cultivation, and as most of the area is capable of 
 cultivation, there are possibilities of extending it considerably. 
 
 The value of the agiicultural products for the past year, which 
 was an unfavorable one, was £5,000,000, and the pastoral 
 products, including butter and cheese, £7,500,000. 
 
 The mineral resources of the colony comprise most of the 
 principal metals of economic value. The value of last yeaz''s pro- 
 duction, principally gold, amounted to £3,500,000. 
 
 The present population is 590,755 males, and 580,179 females; 
 total, 1,170,934. Not counting the population of the metropolis 
 and suburbs, which is 458,610, or any of the large towns and 
 boroughs, it will be seen that the rural population is very limited, 
 and there is ample scope for a considerable addition thereto. 
 
 QQf^*:>r^
 
 In compiliug this Handbook, the aim has been to supply the 
 classes of mformatiou which have been found to be in greatest 
 demand on the part of inquirers in the old country, and the result, 
 therefore, is necessarily lacking in the completeness and symmetry 
 that might be considered advisable from a local point of view. 
 Having regard to the requirements of the readers for whom the 
 book is specially intended, the endeavour has been, while pre- 
 senting a general view of the colony, to deal more in detail with 
 the Agricultural and Mining industries, in which the largest 
 amount of interest is likely to be taken. 
 
 The work of editing was intrusted to Mr. T. K. Dow, and I am 
 pleased to acknowledge the able manner in which he has carried 
 out his task. I also recognise the valuable assistance given by 
 officers of several of the Government Departments who have 
 furnished information, also that of the able writers whose name- 
 are mentioned in connexion with the extracts. 
 
 For the photographs used in some of the illustrations my 
 thanks are due to the proprietors of The Aiistralasian, The Leadet; 
 and The Weekly Times, as well as to the artists connected with 
 these journals. 
 
 J. W. TAVERXER, 
 
 Minister of Agriculture. 
 Melbourne, 1st June, 1898.
 
 A MOUNTAIN STREAM.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 
 Page 
 
 Australia 
 
 7 
 
 Victoria 
 
 1] 
 
 Financial Position of Victoria .. 
 
 26 
 
 Notes on Mining 
 
 32 
 
 Facts and Figures 
 
 53 
 
 Agriculture ... 
 
 80 
 
 Lands of the Colony ... 
 
 100 
 
 Dairying Industry 
 
 106 
 
 Pigs, Pork, and Bacon 
 
 111 
 
 Poultry and Eggs 
 
 114 
 
 Exports of Perishable Products 
 
 116 
 
 Other Industries . . 
 
 118 
 
 Sugar-beet Industry ... 
 
 122 
 
 Tobacco-growing 
 
 128 
 
 Why I Settled in Victoria 
 
 132 
 
 Horticulture 
 
 138 
 
 Fruit-growing Industry 
 
 153 
 
 Victorian Vineyards ... 
 
 158 
 
 Irrigation and Water Supply ... 
 
 166 
 
 Mildura Irrigation Colony 
 
 182 
 
 Flocks and Herds 
 
 188
 
 AUSTRALIA. 
 
 The island continent of Australia was the last great 
 division of the world to claim the attention of the navigator 
 and the explorer. Nothing definite was known of this vast 
 and important section of the globe until about 300 years 
 after the discovery of the " New World," and it was not 
 until Britain had lost her American colonies that she turned 
 her eyes towards the lands which her brave navigators had 
 found in the southern seas. A little more than lOO years ago, 
 viz., in 1788, the first settlement of the continent was made 
 on the eastern shores ; and to-day Australia, with the adjacent 
 island of Tasmania, comprises six prosperous self-governing 
 colonies, whose agricultural and mineral wealth is a potent 
 factor in the commerce of the world. Situated in the south- 
 western portion of the Pacific Ocean, Australia lies between 
 the parallels of 10° 40' and 30° 11' of south latitude, and the 
 meridians of 113° and 153° 16' east longitude. The length 
 from north to south is 1,970 miles, the width 2,400 miles, and 
 the area 2,944,628 square miles. The areas occupied by the 
 different Australian colonies are as follow : — 
 
 Queensland ... ... 668,224 square miles 
 
 New South Wales ... 309,175 „ „ 
 
 Victoria 87,884 „ „ 
 
 South Australia ... 903,425 „ ,, 
 
 Western Australia ... 975,920 „ „ 
 
 Total— Australia ...2,944,628 „ 
 
 AusTRALiAx Federation. 
 
 For many years a desire for federation has been growing 
 among the people of the Australian colonies. The federal 
 movement made slow progress at first, but recently 
 important steps have been taken in rapid succession, and at 
 present there are hopeful prospects of a speedy consumma- 
 tion. A Federal Convention, charged with the duty of 
 fiiuning an Australian Constitution, has recently success- 
 fully completed its labours at Melbourne. The Bill has been 
 well received by prominent men representing all shades of 
 ])oIitical opinion, and there are good grounds for expecting 
 it to be accepted by the people. If anything, however,
 
 should o/cur to disappuiut the present expectation, the 
 resnlt will delay, but not defeat, the formation of the 
 Australian Commonwealth. It must be regarded as saying 
 much for the peoples of these colonies that, without the 
 stimulus of a common danger, they should have so far over- 
 come the provincial spirit, and chcrislied the wider national 
 sentiment expressed by William Gay in the following lines: — 
 
 " From all division let our land be free, 
 
 For God has made her one ; complete she lies 
 
 Within the unbroken circle of the skies, 
 And round her indivisible the sea 
 Breaks on her single shore ; while only we, 
 
 Her foster children, bound with sacred ties 
 
 Of one dear blood, one storied enterprise, 
 Are negligent of her integritj'. — 
 Her seamless garment, at great Mammon's nod, 
 
 With hands unfilial we have basely rent, 
 
 With iJctty variance our souls are spent. 
 And ancient kinship under foot is trod : 
 
 let us rise, united, penitent, 
 And be one people, — mighty, ser\-ing God I " 
 
 Mr. Henry Heylyn Hayter, C.M.G., late Government 
 Statist of Victoria, writes thus of the discovery of Aus- 
 tralia : — 
 
 DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA. 
 
 From the period of the expedition into India of Alexander 
 the Great (b.c. 330 to 325), allusions to a Great South Land 
 begin to be met with in the contemporary writings, and later 
 on Strabo (b.o. 5<J), Pliny (a.d. 77), and Ptolemy (a.d. 150) 
 distinctly mention such a land, although the accounts they 
 give of it and its inhaltitants are wide of the truth. It seems 
 clear at least that the existence of Australia was known to 
 the Greeks and Romans, although its position and extent 
 remained uncertain long after their times ; and it scarcely 
 admits of a doubt that in the seven or eight centuries during 
 which the Mahomedan i)Ower dominated in the Malay 
 Peninsula and Indian Archipelago the northern coasts of 
 Australia were often visited by their navigators, the results 
 of these visits being plainly perceptible both in the persons 
 and languages of the aborigines. The Chinese trepang 
 fishery on the northern shores of Australia dates from very 
 remote times, and traces of Chinese intercourse with the 
 aboriginal inhabitants about Cape York and the Gulf of 
 Carpentaria are said to be yet perce]ttible in the features of 
 the latter. Marco Polo, the celebrated navigator (a.u. 1293),
 
 NEAR THE SOURCE OF THE YARRA.
 
 makes allusion to the Great Soutli Land, and there is no 
 doubt its existence was known to him, although it is not 
 probable he ever visited its shores. The honour of being the 
 first European to l)ehold the Great South Land has been 
 awarded with some confidence by Sir Robert Rawlinson to 
 a Provencal navigator named Guillaume le Testu, a native 
 of the city of Grasse. The evidence relied upon is furnished 
 by certain French maps and relative documents found in 
 the British Museum and the War Office of Paris, of dates 
 respectively 1542 and 1555, and from these it would appear 
 that the original discovery was made as early as I53L 
 Three-quarters of a century after this (about the end of 1605) 
 Fernandez de Quiros, a Spanish navigator, started from 
 Lima with three ships to try and discover the Great South 
 Land, and on the 26th April of the following year he sighted 
 land he believed to be the continent of which he was in 
 search, which he named '• Tierra Austral del Espiritu Santo." 
 It is generally thought, however, that this was not Australia, 
 but one of the islands of the New Hebrides. His crew 
 shortly afterwards mutinied and would proceed no further, 
 but two of the ships of the expedition, under the command 
 of Torres, continued their course, and jDassed through the 
 straits dividing Australia from New Guinea. In March, 
 1606, a few days Ijefore this, the Dutch landed on the shores 
 of Australia in a small vessel called the Duyffiten. She 
 proceeded as far as Cape Turnagain (lat. 13|°'S.J, situated 
 in the Gulf of Carpentaria, where some of the crew landed, 
 and several were killed by the aborigines. The statements 
 brought to Holland by the survivors awakened a desire for 
 further information, and an expedition was sent out to found 
 a colony. It is uncertain where the landing was effected, 
 but the territory was soon abandoned in consequence of the 
 hostility of the natives. On their return, the members of 
 the expedition reported that the land was rich with gold, 
 but this was not generally believed. After this, repeated 
 attempts to obtain particulars of the land were made by the 
 Dutch. Dirk Hartog, in 1616, fell in with the north-west 
 coast, and examined it from lat. 19° to lat. 25° S. Jan 
 Edels, in 1619, coasted along the shore as fiir as 29° S., and 
 gave his name to portion of the present colony of Western 
 Australia. In 1622 the south-western extremity of Australia 
 was discovered by a Dutch ship named the Lemnin; and in 
 the same year Francis Pelsart, in a ship called the Batana, 
 was wrecked on a reef of rocks about 200 miles north of
 
 Ill 
 
 Swan River. In 1642 Aliel Jansen Tasmau discovered Van 
 Diemen's Land, now called Tasmania, which for a long time 
 afterwards was believed to be part of the Australian main 
 land. In 1688, and again in 1699, Dampier, a noted 
 English buccaneer, visited and examined a considerable 
 portion of the north-western coast of Australia ; Dampier 
 Bay, Roebuck Bay, and the Buccaneer Islands being named 
 by ^ him. Other Englisli and Dutch navigators followed. 
 They seem, however, to have contined their examinations to 
 the western and northern coasts, and it was not until 1770 
 that the south-eastern and eastern shores were visited, the 
 discoverer of these portions being the celebrated English 
 navigator, Captain Cook. He macle the land at that part of 
 Australia now called Victoria, the point first siglited being 
 apparently identical with the present Cape Everard, in 
 Gippsland, situated between Cape Howe and the mouth of 
 the Snowy River. He then sailed along the east coast, and 
 carefully examined portions of it, especially Botany Bay, 
 near which Sydney, the capital of the present colony of New 
 South Wales, is situated. On his return to England Cook 
 reported Botany Bay to be a suitable place for colonization, 
 and in 1788 Captain R. Phillip, R.N., on the shores of Port 
 Jackson, a few miles to the north of Botany Bay, established 
 a permanent settlement.
 
 11 
 
 VICTORIA. 
 
 Victoria, so named after Her Most Gracious Majesty, 
 although the smallest, is one of the richest and most pro- 
 sperous of the various colonies situated on the Australian 
 Continent, of which it occupies the south-eastern portion. 
 ]t is bounded on the north and north-east by the colony of 
 New South Wales, and on the west by the colony of South 
 Australia. On the south and south-east its shores are 
 washed by the ocean. It lies between the 34th and 39th 
 parallels of south latitude, and the 141st and 150th 
 meridians of east longitude. Its extreme length from east 
 to west is about 420, its greatest breadth about 250, and its 
 extent of coast-line nearly (300, geographical miles. Its area 
 is 87,884 square miles, or 56,245,760 acres. The whole 
 Continent of Australia is estimated to contain 2,944,628 
 square miles, and therefore Victoria occupies about a thirty- 
 fourth part of its surface. Great Britain, exclusive of the 
 islands in the British seas, contains 89,644 square miles, 
 and is therefore somewhat larger than Victoria. The fol- 
 lowing notes upon the history of Victoria and descriptions 
 of cities, towns, and institutions are by the late Mr. Julian 
 Thomas : — 
 
 Bass's Discoveries. 
 
 The first known Europeans who trod what is now Vic- 
 torian soil were Mr. Clarke, the supercargo, and some of the 
 crew of the Sydney Cove, wrecked early in 1797, who 
 reported, when they reached Port Jackson, that they were 
 driven ashore south of Cape Howe. In December of the 
 same year, Dr. George Bass, a surgeon in the Royal Navy, 
 and also a skilful navigator, and Matthew Flinders, a mid- 
 si upman, started in a whale-boat, manned by six seamen, 
 ancl, passing Cape Howe, coasted along that part of Victoria 
 now called Gippsland, and, rounding Wilson's Promontory 
 — the southernmost point on the Australian Continent — 
 entered Western Port on the 4th of June, 1798. He, how- 
 ever, returned to Sydney without discovering Port Phillip 
 l^ay. Up to this time, the southern portion of Australia 
 was supposed to have been connected with Van Diemen's 
 Ijand, and the \Ndde passage now known as Bass Strait to 
 be only a deep bight. Dr. Bass's discovery was of great 
 value. His fate was an unhappy one. After having com- 
 jde'-.ed his survey of the Strait, he returned to England from 
 Sydney, but came out again with Captain Bishop, in the
 
 12 
 
 l)rig Venus, iateuding to trade between Sydney and Spanish 
 America. Bishop went mad, and Bass took command of 
 the vessel, and sailed to Valparaiso, to open a trade. The 
 Spaniards consented, and were at first amicable ; but Bass 
 and his sailors were taken prisoners their first day on shore. 
 Dr. Bass was sent to work in the quicksilver mines, and was 
 never heard of again. 
 
 Finding Port Phillip. 
 
 Lieutenant Commander James Grant, of H.M.S. Lady 
 Nelson, was the first known white man who sighted the 
 south-western district of Victoria. In ISOO this gallant 
 sailor navigated the southern shores of Australia in his little 
 vessel of only 60 tons, and emulated Captain Cook as a 
 nomenclator. He named Capes Xorthumberland, Bridge- 
 water. Nelson, Sir W. Grant, and Otway, and Mounts Schank 
 and Gambier, La'^Tence Road, and Julia Percy Island. 
 Portland was called after the Duke, then one of the Secre- 
 taries of State. Lieutenant Grant was the first European 
 after Bass to sail through the Straits. In 1801, Grant, in 
 the Lad'/ Xelson, surveyed the Victorian coast from Wilson's 
 Promontory to Western Port. In the course of this voyage 
 he landed on Phillip Island, in Western Port Bay, and 
 cultivated a garden patch with a coal shovel, the only imple- 
 ment available I Lieutenant Grant returned to England^ 
 and was succeeded in command of the JMdy Nelson by 
 Lieutenant John Murray, who, on the 5th of January, 1802, 
 first discovered Port Phillip Bay. The Heads were passed, 
 the shores explored, the united colours of Great Britain and 
 Ireland were hoisted on land and ship, and the port was 
 taken possession of in the name of His Sacred Majesty King 
 George III. In his report, Lieutenant Murray states that 
 thi- country reminded him of Greenwich. The hill on the 
 eastern side of the Bay, known to all Victorians as Arthur's 
 Seat, was so named In- the Scotch naval otficer, after the 
 eminence above Edinburgh. The next navigator in Vic- 
 torian waters was Matthew Flinders, whose talent and 
 services during the Bass expedition had been fully recog- 
 nised by the English Government. In July, 1801, Flinders 
 sailed from Spithead, in command of the sloop of war 
 Inci' St i gator, with instructions to make a complete survey of 
 the Australian coast. The Arctic explorer. Sir John 
 Franklin, was a midshipman on lioard this vessel. On the 
 26th of April, 18ij2, Captain Flinders entered Port Phillip,
 
 A ROAD THROUGH THE FOREST.
 
 A FOREST ROAD.
 
 13 
 
 and ascended l)Oth Arthur's Seat, on the eastern shore, and 
 the Yon Yangs mountain, on the western. From the hitter 
 he viewed the fine phiins of the interior, and the hills around 
 the present city of Ballarat. Fifty years later, from the 
 same height, one might see caravans of coaches, drays, and 
 pedestrians by the thousand, bound to and from the fields 
 of gold. Flinders afterwards sailed northwards from 
 Sydney, through Torres Straits, and circumnavigated the 
 continent for the first time, naming it Australia, and 
 claiming possession of it for Great Britain. His after fate 
 was an unhappy one. The first vessel in which he sailed 
 from Sydney, on his return to England, was wrecked on the 
 Barrier Reef. The record of that disaster, and of Flinders' 
 voyage of 70U miles, in an open boat, is one of the most 
 startling of the stories, of the sea. Again starting from 
 Sydney, the unlucky navigator was taken prisoner by the 
 French, at the Mauritius, and detained for more than six 
 years. When he was released, he passed four years at 
 home, writing the account of his discoveries, and died in 
 1814, at the early age of 40. Posterity recognises Matthew 
 Flinders to have been "the most generous, most learned, 
 and yet most modest of Australian explorers." In the trio 
 — Dampier, Cook, Flinders — British pluck and enterprise 
 were worthily represented. They deserve honour from all 
 Englishmen and all Australians. 
 
 Settlement of Melbourxe. 
 
 In the early part of 1835 a syndicate was formed in 
 Tasmania, then known as Yan Diemen's Land, to colonize 
 Port Phillip. John Batman, a native of Parramatta, Xew 
 South Wales, was at the head of this. He sailed from 
 Georgetown on the 12th of May, in the small schooner 
 Rebecca. On the 29th he entered Port Phillip Heads, and, 
 landing on the west side of the Bay, ascended Station Peak 
 (the You Yangs), following in the track of Matthew Flinders, 
 a copy of whose chart was in Batman's possession. He 
 surveyed the beautiful downs, "called Iramoo by the 
 natives," which Hume and Hovell had passed over. Then 
 Batman ascended the Freshwater and Saltwater rivers, 
 described by Surveyor-General Grimes. The former he 
 called the Yarra Yarra, presumed to be the native term 
 for " ever-flowing." He had several interviews with the 
 natives, and entered into a simple arrangement with eight 
 of the principal chiefs for the transfer " to him and to his
 
 14 
 
 heirs for ever " of some COO.ixjO acres of land (which woukl 
 now include Geelong and Melbourne, and all its suburbs; in 
 consideration of receiving a certain quantity of apparel, and 
 other miscellaneous wares, ])articularized as " 20 pairs of 
 blankets. 30 tomahawks, lO'J knives, oO pairs of scissors, 30 
 looking-glasses, 200 handkerchiefs. 100 lbs. of flour, and 6 
 shirts," a ••deal'" worthy of the Dutch captain who bought the 
 island of Manhattan, the site of Xew York, from the Indians; 
 or of the Xew Caledonian speculators of the present day in 
 the New Hebrides. This " bargain " was, however, ignored 
 and nullified by the Government ; as was a similar one 
 dealing with lOu.iMtO acres of laud beyond Geelong. Ulti- 
 mately the Governor of Xew South Wales allowed the 
 Batman Association £7,000 in the remission of the purchase 
 of land at Port Phillip as compensation in respect of their 
 claims, *• recognising the services which the company had 
 rendered, by assisting in the colonization of the new country."' 
 Batman was followed in the same year by Mr. John Pascoe 
 Fawkner, who despatched the schooner Enterprise from 
 Georgetown on the 27th of July, 1835, which sailed up the 
 Yarra, and on the 28th or 30th of August was moored by its 
 captain, John Lancey, to a tree standing on the present site of 
 the Australian Wharf. Two horses, two pigs, three dogs, and 
 a cat were landed with the provisions — the first imports into 
 the new settlement, which Mr. Fawkner may fairly claim to 
 have founded. Mr, Fawkner, when he landed on the banks 
 of the Yarra on the second voyage of the Enterprise, formed 
 a cultivation paddock of 80 acres on the south side of the 
 river. "' He turned the first sod, built the first house, 
 opened the first church, and started the first newspaper in 
 the settlement,"' and was, in fact, the father of Melbourne. 
 To Batman, however, may be credited the fame of being the 
 first colonizer of the shores of Port Phillip Bay. Mr. 
 Fawkner died on the 4th of Se})tember, 1869. Mr. Batman 
 died on the 6th of May, 1839, at his residence on the slope of 
 Batman's Hill, and was buried in the Old ( 'emetery on Flag- 
 staff Hill. In tlie early part of l'S>«2, an obelisk of dressed 
 bluestone. raised In- puldie subscription, was placed over his 
 grave. Mr. Batman"s j(»urnal, and also the deed made with 
 the natives, are now in the Melbourne Public Liltrary. 
 
 Batman and Fawkner were soon followed by other pio- 
 neers from Van Diemen's Land. The " Wild White Man "' 
 Buckley, who had been 32 years among the blacks, became 
 interpreter to one party of settlers. Ou the 10th of
 
 15 
 
 November, 1835, 5U pure Hereford cows and 5UU sheep were 
 landed. Stock was driven overland from New South Wales. 
 The "downs of Iramoo" were soon covered with the flocks and 
 herds of the white settlers. Officialdom in Sydney suddenly 
 awoke to the fact that there was a southern part of Australia 
 to govern and tax. The church, in the person of the Rev. 
 Mr. Orton, a Wesleyan minister, had previously come to the 
 fore. The first sermon was preached by him in April, 1836, 
 under the shade of the Casuarina oaks on Batman's Hill. 
 The State asserted itself five months later. 
 
 Early Progress. 
 
 On the 29th of September, 1836, (Aiptain William Lons- 
 dale, of the 4th Regiment, arrived at Port Phillip, in H.M.S. 
 Rattlesnake, Captain Hobson, after whom Hobson's Bay is 
 named, and assumed the position of resident magistrate. 
 He selected the present site of Melhourne for that of the 
 future city, his selection being indorsed by Sir Richard 
 Bourke, Governor of New South Wales, in his visit some 
 six months after, in April, 1837. Captain Himter, military 
 secretary ; G. K. Holden, private secretary ; Captain P. P. 
 King ; and the late Mr. Robert Hoddle, surveyor, accom- 
 panied Governor Bourke. Mr. Hoddle laid out the town of 
 Melbourne, and the Governor gave it its name, after the then 
 Prime Minister of Great Britain, and also named the principal 
 streets. Prior to this time the settlement was variously 
 known as Bearbrass, Bearpurt, Batmania, Doutigalla, Yarrow 
 Yarrow, and Glenelg. 
 
 A few months later James Baker, the Quaker missionary, 
 thus describes the settlement : — •'•' The town of Melbourne, 
 though scarcely more than fifteen months old, consists of 
 about 100 houses, amongst which are stores, inns, a gaol, a 
 barrack, and a school-house. Some of the dwelling-houses 
 are tolerable structures of brick. A few of the inhabitants 
 are living in tents or in hovels, resembling thatched roofs, 
 till they can provide themselves with better accommodation. 
 There is much bustle and traffic in the place, and gangs of 
 prisoners are employed in levelling the streets. The town 
 allotments (of half an acre each) were put up here a short time 
 since at £5 each, the surveyor thinking £7 too much to ask 
 for them; but the fineness of the country has excited such 
 a mania for settling here that they sold for from £25 to 
 £100 each." The Bank of Australasia was started in 1838.
 
 16 
 
 Fawkner's first newspaper, the Adcerfiser. made its appear- 
 ance the same year. Inhmd, pastoral man drove his flocks 
 over the plains to the north and west. Far beyond Corio 
 Bay most fertile land was discovered by the pioneers from 
 Tasmania. The magnificent country around Lake Colac was 
 taken up and afterwards purchased from the Crown by Mr. 
 "William Robertson, of Hobart, one of Batman's syndicate. 
 The Colac pure-bred herds have since been renowned, even 
 in Great Britain. 
 
 The city of Geelong, with its good harbor in Corio Bay, 
 sprang into existence through the fertility of the western 
 pastures. For a X^m^ time this was a formidable rival to 
 Melbourne. The yearly exports of wool and tallow and 
 hides from the province of Port Phillip went on increasing, 
 immigration from Great Britain swelled the population, 
 thousands of acres were under crop, Melbourne was made a 
 city, and in 1850, the year previous to the gold discovery. 
 Port Phillip, not fifteen years old. had a revenue of £230,000, 
 its exports amounted to £760,000, and its population was 
 over 76,000. Such figures show that the colony, even at 
 that early day, had ample sources of prosperity quite irrespec- 
 tive of the golden wealth which shortly was to bring it so 
 prominently before the civilized world, making Melbourne 
 by name the best known of any city iu the colonies of Eng- 
 land. The year 1S51 was notable in Victorian history. In 
 February the great "Imsh" fires occurred. For hundreds of 
 miles the whole country was \\Tapped in flames, the most 
 fertile districts were utterly wasted, flocks and herds were 
 abandoned by their keepers, the whole population fled for 
 their lives, destitution and ruin spread over the whole colony. 
 The ashes from the forests on fire at Macedon. 46 miles away, 
 fell into the streets of ^Melbourne. The annals of the colony 
 contain no more disastrous day than '' Black Thursday." 
 
 The Colony of Victoria.] 
 
 On the 16th of July following, Mr. Charles Joseph Latrobe, 
 who had been '' Superintendent " of the district of Port 
 Phillip since 1839, was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor of 
 the new "Colony of Victoria.'' "Responsible Government" 
 was not, however, introduced until 1^55. The present Con- 
 stitution is moulded on those of the United Kingdom and the 
 American States. The two Houses of Legislature make laws 
 subject to the assent of the Crown, as represented generally
 
 17 
 
 by the Governor of the colony, " advised" by Ministers hav- 
 ing seats in Parliament. Both Houses are elective, members 
 of the Legislative Council, or Upper House, being returned 
 by voters possessing property qualifications. For the Legis- 
 lative Assembly, or Lower House, an elector only needs 
 residential qualification, practically manhood suffrage. In 
 1851, however, the Legislative Council, established by the 
 Act of Separation from New South Wales, consisted of thirty 
 members, ten Government nominees, the rest elected by the 
 people. The early meetings of the Council were stormy, and 
 Governor Latrobe was perhaps the best abused administrator 
 the colonies have known. 
 
 Discovery of Gold. 
 
 But shortly occurred an event which drove all ideas of 
 politics from the minds of Victorian colonists — the discovery 
 of payable gold diggings " uplifted Victoria in a night, as it. 
 were, to the position of a nation and a power in the world," 
 and advanced her destinies liundreds of years at one bound. 
 As early as January, 1 849, a shepherd in the employ of Mr. 
 J. Wood Beilby, who had a station on the South Australian 
 border, discovered gold in a creek near the Pyrenees, a 
 mountain range in the west of the colony so named by Major 
 Mitchell, who was a Peninsular veteran. Tliis shepherd sold 
 his treasure to Mr. Charles Brentaui, a jeweller in Melbourne, 
 but carefully concealed the locality of the trove^ until falling 
 sick, and being nursed by his master, in gratitude he im- 
 parted to him the secret that he had discovered, worked, and 
 sold gold. Mr. Beilby communicated this to Governor 
 Latrobe, who, following the tactics of the Sydney authorities, 
 would have hushed up the fact. But there were other than 
 ignorant shepherds to deal with. At the time when people 
 from all parts of the world hastened to the Californian gold- 
 fields, Australia suffered in losing hundreds of her people, 
 who flocked thither. This in the end, however, proved a 
 blessing, for when the gold-seekers returned they were struck 
 with the similarity between the rock and soil of their adopted 
 land and that they had just left. They sought for gold and 
 found it. A man named Esmond discovered it in quartz 
 rock at Clunes. Then it was found at Buninyong and at 
 Ballarat. When the reports reached Melbourne, members 
 of all classes were seized with the gold mania, and there was 
 "a rush" to the gold-fields. Desks, offices, shops, ships 
 were deserted. Closely following the Ballarat finds came 
 
 . 1359. B
 
 18 
 
 those of Mount Alexander and Bendiao. which fanned the 
 flames of excitement to a frenzy. Tlie people were " drunk 
 with the hope of gold." From every quarter of the globe 
 ships sailed into the once peaceful harbor. Yictoria was 
 crowded with searchers for fortune : in one year nearly 80,0u0 
 immigrants being added to the population of the colony. 
 From that time it has advanced with giant strides. Well 
 may Victoria and its capital be termed marvellous ! Well 
 may old men who remember Collins-street as a broken forest 
 shake their heads when they gaze upon the fashionable 
 crowd on the " Block," and feel like Tulliver, that " the 
 world is too much for them." Who would recognise in the 
 Melbourne of 18(S5 the "bush town" of thirty years ago? 
 Then the streets were full of gum-tree stumps and deep ruts. 
 The principal thoroughfare, Elizabeth-street, was for months 
 in the year a flooded quagmire, in which on one occasion a 
 waggon and team of horses were absolutely swallowed up, 
 and bullock drays were daily bogged. Iron buildings and 
 bark " liumpies " were seen on every hand, and what is now 
 the important municipality of South Melbourne was a sea of 
 tents known as Canvas Town. The old pioneers who have 
 not "made their pile" tell strange tales of the doings in 
 those early days when Gold was King, and each man did 
 that which was right in his own eyes. Yet the records of 
 crime are very slight. The rude rough hard life on the 
 gold-fields, whilst it i^roduced a few bushrangers, tempted by 
 the enormous spoils within their grasp, was not productive 
 of petty ofiences. With gold flowing from every man's 
 hand and pocket, hunger and want were unknown here. 
 Melbourne may not have been very moral in those days, 
 but of "habitual" criminals it had few, and the vagrant 
 and the pauper were unknown. 
 
 The City of Melbourne. 
 
 Melbourne is now one of the most beautiful capitals in 
 the world, and it is also the most populous and important 
 city in the Southern Hemisphere. Including its suburban 
 municipalities, all lying within a radius of 10 miles from 
 the Town Hall, it contains 45s,010 inhabitants. Mr. 
 Anthony Trollope well described it as "one of the most 
 successful cities on the face of the earth." It is well laid 
 out with wide and regular streets, with broad side-walks 
 well paved and lighted. Tree planting in the streets has 
 been extensively carried on, giving a pleasant shade as
 
 19 
 
 well as refreshing the eye. The buildings are not only 
 handsome, but many are of great architectural merit. 
 The cathedrals and cliurclies, scliools, Parliament House^ 
 Treasury, Town Hall, Post Office, Law Ourts, Custom House, 
 University, Museum, Free Library, National Gallery, clubs, 
 theatres, and other public institutions are worthy of specig,! 
 admiration. The banking corporations are settled in build- 
 ings which would adorn Threadneedle-street. The wharfs on 
 the banks of the Yarra now give accommodation to large 
 ocean-going steamers. The shops and warehouses are equal to 
 those of most cities in the Old World. Everything necessary 
 to make life content and easy can be procured in Melbourne. 
 And the mansions in the fashionable suburbs are only less 
 gratifying evidences of the prosperity of the people than the 
 thousands of pleasant cottages which one sees on every road 
 within a few miles of the city. Any visitor to the colony 
 must be struck with the perfect arrangements for water supply. 
 There is hardly the smallest cottage without its bath-room. 
 The most important reservoir is the Yan Yean, which is an 
 artificial lake at the foot of the Plenty Ranges, nearly 
 19 miles from Melbourne proper. The numerous parks 
 and reserves and public gardens in and around Melbourne 
 are heritages sacred to the health and enjoyment of the 
 people, which astonish the " new chum " from crowded Euro- 
 pean cities, where one is taxed for space to breathe. This is 
 above all a place for the people. In no large town of the 
 world has a working man so many enjoyments as in Mel- 
 bourne, or so many privileges. There is no State Church 
 here, but free State schools give secular instruction to 
 children whose parents may be willing to accept it. Children 
 between the ages of six and fifteen who do not attend the 
 State schools must give evidence that they are educated at a 
 private school up to a given standard. The whole country, 
 as well as the metropolis, is dotted with State schools. The 
 Free Library, Museum, and Picture Galleries, and the 
 Botanic and Zoological Gardens afford free recreation and 
 instruction to the lal)Ourer and mechanic, as well as to the 
 clerk or shopman. Melbourne is plentifully furnished with 
 provident, charitable, literary, scientific, and social institu- 
 tions to suit all classes and creeds. In the matter of amuse- 
 ment, the inhabitants of the metropolis are furnished with 
 four theatres and several music-halls. At the Exhibition 
 Building and at the Town Hall grand concerts are frequently 
 given. But theatre and concert loving as are the Victorians
 
 20 
 
 generally, it is in outdoor sports that they chiefly relax. 
 Cricket, lawn tennis, football, rowing, yachting, and bicycle 
 riding are the most popular amusements. In cricket our 
 native youth have made their mark against the Gentlemen 
 and Players of England at Lord's. There are no more 
 perfect arrangements of the kind in the world than those at 
 the MelV)Ourne Cricket Ground, where the members' pavilion 
 is not only a " grand stand," but possesses dining, billiard, 
 and bath rooms. Football is as popular here as in some 
 parts of England. Next to cricket, horse-racing absorbs 
 the affections of the Victorian people. In any new township 
 a race-course is one of the first things laid out. Young 
 Australian natives of both sexes are as much at home in the 
 saddle as Arabs or Comanche Indians. Melbourne possesses 
 two first-class race-courses within a few minutes' ride by rail 
 from the city. At riemiogton the greatest race in Australia, 
 the " Melbourne Cup," is run early in November (our spring). 
 From every part of the continent people of all classes then 
 flock to Victoria's metropolis. The *• Cup Week " is the 
 Carnival of Australia. If Flemington is like Epsom, Caul- 
 field course may be said to be the Ascot of 3Ielbourne. The 
 stranger at the Cup meeting will perhaps get a better sample 
 of Victorian customs than anywhere else. There is an annual 
 attendance of nearly 100,OOU jjeople on Cup Day, yet the 
 *' new chum "" will be surprised to see that itolicemen are 
 conspicuous by their rarity, that there is scarcely a trace of 
 drunkenness, and that amongst the vast crowd, the members 
 all well dressed, and Avith money in their pockets, nothing 
 but good-humoiu'ed order prevails. Here, where every one's 
 working hours are so much shorter than in other parts of 
 the world, the toiler with hand or brain has no temjitation 
 to make a Saturnalia of his holiday. There is less drunken- 
 ness in Victoria and as Little crime as any where in the world. 
 
 The City of Ballarat. 
 
 Victoria, however, should not be judged only by its 
 metropolis. The inland townships deserve mention. Ballarat, 
 the second city in the colony, is situated exactly 74 miles 
 from Melbourne. It well bears the title of the' " Golden 
 City." In the early days, the gold-yielding powers of 
 Ballarat were simply marvellous. No district in the world 
 produced so much gold in such a short space of time. It 
 has been stated that, in many instances, "claims" not more
 
 21 
 
 than 8 feet square, and about the same depth, yielded from 
 £10,000 to £12,000 each. At the Prince Re,o-ent mine men 
 made as much as £16,000 eacli for a few months' work. At 
 one claim a tubful of dirt yielded £3,325. Those days have 
 gone, but Ballarat, as it is now, is still more wonderful than 
 when gold was, in very truth, "more plentiful than black- 
 berries." when it was " scattered a thousand times like seeds 
 upon the earth." Anthony Trollope, some 24 years ago, 
 said with justice, of Ballarat, that it struck him with more 
 surprise than any city in Australia, that " in point of archi- 
 tectural excellence, and general civilized city comfort, it is 
 certainly the metropolis of the Australian gold-fields." 
 Sturt-street, the principal thoroughfare, is a mile and a half 
 long, 200 feet wide, and has a fine double row of trees in the 
 centre. The principal buildings on either side are the City 
 Hall, Post Office, Mechanics' Institute, banks, theatre, 
 hospital, and several large churches. The population is 
 46,158. The reservoirs from which the water supply is 
 obtained have a storage capacity of 600,000.000 gallons. 
 These works cost £300,000. Lake Wendouree now adds to 
 the charming aspect of the city ; hundreds of small yachts, 
 miniature steamers, and rowing boats in numbers float on 
 the lake, which is stocked with perch, trout, and carp. The 
 Botanical Gardens, on the other side of the lake, are prettily 
 laid out and well kept. The finest wool in the world is 
 produced near Ballarat, and on the late Sir William Clarke's 
 estate, a few miles from the town, and on the small farms in 
 the Forest of Buugaree, s])lendid crops are grown. Ballarat 
 is now not only "a city of gold," but is an important inland 
 centre. 
 
 The City of Bendigo. 
 
 Bendigo is a little over 100 miles from Melbourne. It 
 has a population of about 40,000. In 1851, shortly 
 after the first gold discovery, Bendigo was found to con- 
 tain that precious metal in such abundance that in a short 
 time it became famous for the number of its immense 
 nuggets, the best known of which was the " Victoria 
 Nugget," which was bought by the Victorian Government 
 and presented to Her Majesty. In 1872, Bendigo took rank 
 as a principal Victorian city. It is certainly equal to any 
 European city of the same size. The most prominent 
 buildings are the Post Office, the Masonic Hall, the Town 
 Hall, and hospital, together with a very fine theatre. The
 
 22 
 
 streets of Bendigo are beautifully planted with Eng-lish trees, 
 the cool shade of which is as pleasant to visitors as to the 
 residents. In the centre of the town is a public fernery 
 tnown as " Rosamond's Bower." Pall Mall is the prinripal 
 business thoroughfare. The streets have a total length of 
 ^bout 100 miles. Bendigo is rich in other ways besides 
 gold. The district produces yearly more than 1,000,000 
 bushels of grain, 17,000 tons of hay, and some 60,000 gal- 
 lons of good wine. Fruits of all kinds grow most luxuriantlv 
 in the surrounding districts. 
 
 Schools of Mines have been established at Bendigo and 
 Ballarat, to which are attached museums, containing geo- 
 logical and technological specimens, models of mining 
 machinery and mining plant, sections of mines, and geologi- 
 -cal maps and plans. At these schools instruction is given 
 not only in the various branches of science connected Vith 
 mining operations, in the theory and practice of mining 
 -and safe conduct of mining works, mining surveying and 
 mining engineering, but also in many other subjects not 
 necessarily connected with mining. Students at the Bendigo 
 school number about 3.^0, and at the Ballarat school about 
 oOO. The annual income of the two institutions is about 
 £5,900, of which all but £1,900 is granted by Government. 
 Schools of Design have also been established at twenty-five 
 other places in Victoria, in connexion \^^th a Royal Com- 
 mission for promoting technological and industrial instruc- 
 tion. There are over 2,800 pupils on the rolls of these 
 schools. An exhibition of the works of pupils is held yearly 
 in Melbourne, and local exhibitions are held in other towns. 
 
 Othee Towns. 
 
 Geelong, which takes rank as fourth in Victorian cities, 
 is picturesquely situated on CJorio Bay. At one time it was 
 thought it would continue to rival Melbourne, and from its 
 fine harbor, position, and rich back country there was a 
 good foundation for the idea. But an idea it remains, 
 although Geelong is ever ready to come to the front. Some 
 important woollen factories are situated here, and •' Geelong 
 tweeds" are celebrated in the colonies. In the Western 
 District of Victoria there are many important towns, Warr- 
 nauibool being the chief centre as well as an important 
 shippin? port. Belfast and Portland rank next to Warr- 
 nambool as sea-port towns. Hamilton, nearer to the South
 
 ^i 
 
 Ur- '- 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^
 
 MURRAY BRIDGE, ECHUCA.-MuRRAY River. 
 
 A BUSH HUT.
 
 23 
 
 Australian border, is tlic capital of a fine pastoral district. 
 In the east, Sale is the chief town in Gippshind, an 
 extensive and prosperous division of the colony, which was 
 discovered by Mr. Angus MacMillan in 1839. Echuca, on 
 the Murray, is the principal city in the north of Victoria. 
 In the old days this was a crossing-place for stock from 
 New South Wales. From Ecliuca there is a vast river traffic. 
 
 The Murray River. 
 
 During the winter months, when the Murray's waters 
 are swelled by the thousand tributaries from the Australian 
 Alps, steamers ply to Albury on the one hand, and to South 
 Australia, New South Wales, and ftir inland rivers on the 
 other. Echuca, a river port, is only second to Melbourne in 
 the amount of its shipping tonnage inwards and outwards. 
 The most beautiful thing in Echuca is the park, chiefly be- 
 cause nature has been encouraged, educated in fact. Sitting 
 here on the logs in careless happy indolence, watching the 
 river in its ever-flowing passage to the sea, and listening to 
 the sweet warbling of the l)irds overhead, every sense is 
 pleased, " drinking delights from the murmur of streams 
 and the flutter of wings." The railway bridge at Echuca is 
 the finest thing of the kind in the Southern Hemisphere. 
 Of iron (over 4,000 tons being used in its construction), 
 it is 1,905 feet long, and cost £124,000, having been 
 built at the joint expense of the two colonies. It was 
 opened in March, 1879. The Murray is for nearly 1,000 
 miles the northern boundary of Victoria. It was dis- 
 covered and crossed in 1824 by Hume and Hovell. But 
 Captain Charles Sturt, in 1830, was the first to explore 
 this splendid river. From New South Wales he traced the 
 Lachlau to the Murrumbidgee, and tlie latter to its c/6'/;(9^<- 
 chure into a magnificent stream of 350 feet wide, and from 
 15 to 20 feet deep, which, in honour of the then Colonial 
 Secretary, Sir George Murray, he gave its present name. 
 Leaving the main body of the expedition in depot on the 
 Murrumbidgee, Captain Sturt started down the river in a 
 whale-boat and a small skifi', built in seven days. Ca])tain 
 Sturt overcame all obstacles — dangers from snags as well as 
 from the hostile natives on shore — and in 32 days arrived at 
 a large but shallow lake, where, finding it impossible to 
 force a passage through the dangerous navigation of Lake 
 Alexandria to the sea, he turned back. The return journey 
 was one of suffering, as the stock of provisions were all but
 
 24 
 
 exhausted. Brave Charles Stiirt lost the use of his eyes 
 through blight and lack of proper treatment on these 
 journeys. He died iu England, in 1869. Few men have 
 done so much good work for Australia and received such a 
 pittance of reward and honour. Until 1851 the mighty 
 father of Australian waters, the Murray, was almost an aqua 
 incognita. Xo sounds, save, perhaps, the " coo-ee " of some 
 wandering blackfellow, or the screech of a wildfowl, flying 
 startled from its nest among the reeds, awoke echoes in the 
 quiet bends. The pelicans and the beautiful blue and white 
 cranes lazily flapped their wings above the river's surface 
 unmolested. The fish in its waters multiplied, unheeded by 
 all except the natives and the hungry shags, whose descen- 
 dants to this day haunt dead trees along the banks. The pant 
 and thud of a river steamer, retarded by a hea^'ily-laden 
 barge, ne'er, as now, caused a "mob" of kangaroos to pause, 
 curious for a moment, and then to scamper across an arm of 
 land till lost to sight in the bush. In 1853, Captain Francis 
 Cadell, in the little steamer Lady Augusta, navigated the 
 Murray for a distance of over 1,300 miles from its mouth. 
 A true Argonaut was Captain Cadell, for he exploited the 
 land of the real Golden Fleece, opening up a vast extent of 
 country for pastoral purposes. The Murray would be one of 
 the most useful rivers in the world if the channels of its 
 head-waters were locked, and a supply stored for navigation 
 during the dry season. 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 It is but 64 years since the first settlement was made 
 in Victoria ; now it possesses over a million of inhabitants. 
 The country is traversed by a network of over 3,000 miles of 
 railway, and dotted with ])rosperous townships. Victorians 
 are j)roud of their colony, but they are also proud 
 of being Australians of British blood. More than 95 
 per cent, of our Vi(;torian population is British, or of 
 British parentage. England and Great Britain are yet 
 sjioken of as " home " here. In spite of the establishment 
 of the Melbourne University, which grants every degree 
 except those in divinity, a large number of Victorian youths 
 are yearly sent " home " to school and college. Yet there 
 is room liere for many of our race ; for although, by the 
 side of the flocks and herds of the squatter, one sees the 
 corn-fields and potato-patches of the small farmer, and the 
 vineyards of the wine-maker, there is plenty of forest yet to 
 be cleared and bush laud to be cultivated.
 
 25 
 
 Those early pioneers I From Henty and Batman and 
 Fawkner and Robertson to the men of the last decade, farmer 
 or sailor, or trader or miner, they were all the very salt of 
 the earth ! Durino- the gold fever, the brains and the blood, 
 the mental courage, as well as the bone and muscle, of 
 Euroj^e flocked hither ; and the fittest survived. Victoria 
 has ever been essentially a pioneer colony. It owed nothing 
 to Government aid ; in fact, its early prosperitv was 
 retarded by Government interference. ^ It was founded 
 solely by individual energy ; and its people have ever 
 remained pioneers. It is in their blood. Victorians — Burke 
 and Wills — were the first to cross the continent in 1860. 
 They lost their lives, but made their names immortal. A 
 massive monolith of granite was placed over their graves in 
 Melbom-ne Cemetery, and a fine bronze statue of the two 
 explorers, from a design by Charles Summers, was for 
 years the chief sight of Collins-street— an oljject-lesson for 
 our youth. It has now been removed to a more retired spot 
 to make room for the cable tramway. The Burke and 
 Wills expedition cost the people of Victoria £57,000. The 
 end justified it, for within two years of the death of the 
 leaders from starvation, " tierces of beef were displayed in 
 Melbourne, salted down from cattle pasturing on the spot 
 where they perished." Far away in the " back l)locks " in 
 the centre of the continent, in the sugar lands of the North, 
 on every new gold-field, Victorian muscle and energy and 
 capital are to be found. In the South Sea Islands, in the 
 pearl fisheries of Torres Straits and Western Australia, 
 Victorian pioneers are foremost ; and Victorian enterprise 
 has done much towards the exploration of New Guinea. 
 Although they claim Victoria to be the richest, the most 
 populous, the most prosperous, and the most energetic of all 
 the Australian colonies, yet Victorians were the first to 
 raise their voices for the Federation of the Colonies, the 
 Political Unity of Australia. Then the peoples of all the 
 provinces, at present divided by absurd local prejudices and 
 jealousies, will be joined together for defence, and, if need 
 be, for defiance ; and some day in the future, following out 
 the manifest destiny of the British race, with the dear Old 
 Mother Country, and her eldest-born the United States of 
 America, will be linked together in a strong bond, ruling 
 land and seas and giving laws to all the ^^orlA.— Julian 
 Thomas.
 
 26 
 
 THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF VICTORIA. 
 
 The Colony of Victoria has no " National Debt." There 
 have been no wars, earthquakes, or other vrealth-destroAdng 
 disasters to involve the community in national indebtedness. 
 Victoria, however, has a '■ Public Debt," which is a very- 
 different matter. All prosressive communities of limited 
 population, occupying new countries, have adopted a system 
 of making use of the public crecUt for the purpose of 
 financing large national undertakings of a reproductive 
 character. Under this system loans are raised from time to 
 time by the Government, for the carrying out of public 
 works, and a Public Debt is thus created. It is evident 
 that in such cases a country's financial position is not 
 to be judged so much by the amount of the Public Debt as 
 by the character of the works upon which the borrowed 
 money has been expended. The Public Debt of Victoria is 
 small, and 94 per cent, of the entire amount represented has 
 been expended in revenue-producing public works. The 
 remaining 6 per cent, has been expended, for the most part, 
 upon harbor improvements, bridges, public buildings, schools, 
 and defence works, so that even this small balance may be 
 considered as representing expenditure which is indirectly 
 reproductive. 
 
 Balance-sheet. 
 
 The Public Debt of the colony amounts in round figures 
 to 45 millions sterling, and of this amount 35^ millions 
 have been expended on railways, and 5 milhons on water 
 supply and irrigation works. The balance is represented 
 by expenditure upon docks, harbor improvements, public 
 buildings, and other permanent works. If the railways be 
 valued at the cost of their construction, the estimate will be 
 a moderate one, for their earning power is destined to 
 increase witli the development of the country which they 
 serve. The unsold Crown lauds of the colony constitute a 
 tangible agset, which, at the lowest valuation, is worth 
 30 millions sterhng. "When it is remembered that £1 per 
 acre is the price received for the lands which are oflfered 
 by the Government as a special inducement to homestead
 
 settlement, it will be admitted that for the remaining 
 30 million acres, which include the valuable State forests 
 and the rich auriferous and other mining' reserves, the valua- 
 tion is well under the mark. A deficit of £2,GU0,0U0, which 
 accumulated during the recent period of universal depression, 
 has to be reckoned among the colony's liabilities. The 
 following are the tabulated figures : — 
 
 Assets. 
 
 Railwavs ... ... £38,294,191 
 
 Waterworks ... ... 4,909,707 
 
 Crown Lands ... ... 30,000,000 
 
 £73.203,898 
 
 Liabilities. 
 
 Loans ... ... ... £45,170,164 
 
 Deficit ... ... ... 2,604,346 
 
 Assets Balance ... ... 25,429,388 
 
 £73,203,898 
 
 Upon these moderate estimates the public account shows 
 a credit balance of over 25 millions sterling. No account 
 has been taken of the remunerative investment represented 
 by the Yan Yean Waterworks supplying the city of Mel- 
 bourne, this being under the control of the Metropolitan 
 Board of Works. If we accept the estimate of Mr. Hayter, 
 late Government Statist, as to the private wealth of the 
 colony, viz., £407,000,000, we have a total surplus of 432 
 millions. 
 
 Details of Expenpituee, 
 
 If the whole of the capital represented by our Public Debt 
 had been lost in war it is evident, from the amount of our 
 national wealth, that the colony could, by the ordinary 
 methods of taxation, readily provide for the liability, but as 
 94 per cent, of the sum has been expended upon reproductive 
 works, taxation is only required to make up the deficiency 
 between the amount payable as interest and the income
 
 28 
 
 accruing from the railways and other State-conducted ser- 
 Tlie loan moneys have been expended as follows : — 
 
 vices. 
 
 Railways ... 
 Country Waterworks 
 Defences ... 
 
 Yan Yean (taken over by Me- 
 tropolitan Board of Works) 
 Graving Dock 
 Law Courts 
 Schools 
 
 Parliament House . 
 Yarra Bridge 
 Public Offices 
 Harbors ... 
 Country Tramways . 
 Mining, &c. 
 
 It will be observed that in estimating the assets of the 
 colony no account was taken of any of the above public 
 works except railways and country waterworks, although 
 they uncj^uestionably possess a high value. 
 
 £35,490,451 
 
 4.900,707 
 
 98,299 
 
 3.142,578 
 
 341,818 
 
 347,322 
 
 1,063,507 
 
 242,463 
 
 106,258 
 
 162,430 
 
 303,995 
 
 60,000 
 
 14,658 
 
 the assets 
 of the above 
 
 Eevenue and Expenditure. 
 
 As expenditure upon the railways has absorbed by far 
 the largest part of the capital borrowed by the colony, 
 the revenue of the railway system is a matter of first 
 importance in connexion with the public finances. The 
 primary object of the State railways being rather to develop 
 the resources of the country than to make profits, it is not 
 surprising that many of the lines should at the outset be 
 unremunerative, nor is it to be wondered at that during 
 times of great general prosperity an expensive system 
 of management should have been developed. The rail- 
 ways were certainly extended somewhat beyond the 
 existing requirements of the population, and the character 
 of the management suffered the consequences of a long 
 period of unusual prosperity. The results were a serious 
 annual deficiency when the colony was struck later on by 
 the world's period of commercial depression. The railway 
 deficit for a time seriously afi'ected the general revenue of the 
 colony, but among the several methods adopted by the 
 Government of Sir George Turner for balancing the National 
 Ledger was a new system of railway management, which
 
 A STREAM IN THE MOUNTAINS.
 
 29 
 
 has already made considerable progress towards placing the 
 lines upon a satisfactory financial basis. The profits over 
 expenses made by the railways for the year ending 30th 
 June, 1897, amounted to £1,052,130, and, as the amount 
 payable by way of interest on railway loans is £1,447,452, 
 the deficiency to be made up from the general revenue of the 
 colony is £395,322. Although the various methods of 
 reducing the cost of working have not yet had time to 
 produce their full effect, the position already reached is that 
 the railways yielded for the year mentioned a net revenue 
 of 2| per cent, on their total capital cost, or 3 per cent, on 
 the debenture capital expended in their construction. Con- 
 sidering that a large expenditure would be necessary on 
 roads and bridges if it were not for the railways, and that 
 the lines have greatly increased the value of land and other 
 property, the indirect profits of the system far outweigh the 
 apparent temporary loss of £395,000 per annum. The rail- 
 way traffic is showing a satisfactory increase, so that, with 
 the working out of the economies in management which 
 have been instituted, this first-class public asset, the indirect 
 cause of so much wealth, may be expected at no distant 
 date to cease being any charge upon the general revenue of 
 the colony. 
 
 In considering the general revenue and expenditure of the 
 colony, it is well to note how small a sum requires to be 
 annually raised by taxation for the ordinary purposes of 
 government. About 65 per cent, of the interest on the 
 public debt is provided by the earnings derived from public 
 works, while a large proportion of the annual expenditure 
 represents the working expenses of these State undertakings. 
 The total annual interest on loans is £1,823,343, of which 
 £92,446 is provided by the Metropolitan Board of Works. 
 The estimated income for the current year from railways 
 and other reproductive works is £1,176,526, leaving 
 £554,371, or a little over half-a-million, only to be 
 derived from taxation and land revenue, on account of 
 interest. 
 
 As only 50 per cent, of the general revenue for all pur- 
 poses is raised by taxation, it would be easily j^ossible for 
 the Government to provide for much larger responsibilities 
 than have yet been undertaken. So far, however, from 
 undertaking larger responsibilities, the policy of the Govern- 
 ment during recent years has been to considerably reduce 
 the public expenditure. A lengthened period of national
 
 30 
 
 prosperity broucflit about a system of la^^sh Government 
 expenditure, which in 1889-90 reached £9.535,151, When 
 the succeeding depression in the commercial world touched 
 the colony, retrenchment of the ci\al service, restricted 
 expenditure on public works, and general economy ot 
 government were inaugurated, which, without resorting 
 to severe taxation, brought the public expenditure ^\-ithin the 
 amount of the revenue. The expenditure, which for the 
 year 18U6-7 was £6,564,843, may be considered as having 
 come do^Ti to its normal and proper dimensions. In 1872 a 
 4 per cent. Victorian Government Stock was erected, redeem- 
 able in 25 years, and under this authority over £2,000,000 
 was raised locally. Last year Parliament determined upon 
 its redemption, and at the same time created a new stock 
 bearing interest at 3 per cent., holders of the first stock 
 being given the right of conversion at par. This privilege 
 was availed of in full, with the exception of about £120,000, 
 and for this amount public tenders were recently called, 
 with the result that it was locally disposed of most success- 
 fully, a premium of £3 8s. per cent, being obtained. 
 
 According to the Budget statement of the Treasurer and 
 Premier, Sir George Turner, the Estimates of Revenue and 
 Expenditure for the year 1897-8 show a surplus of £166,364, 
 vdthout taking into account the sum of £250,000 re<|uired 
 for retiring Treasury-bonds ; the statement is as follows : — 
 
 Revenue. Kxpenditure. 
 
 Taxation ... £3,453,239 ... £2,317,720 
 
 Public Estate ... 452,895 ... 257,437 
 Pailwavs and other 
 
 Public Works 2,897,062 ... 4,061,675 
 
 £6,803,196 £6,636,832 
 
 Surplus ... ... £166,364 
 
 As an evidence of the increasing prosperity of the colony, 
 it may be noted that the number of depositors in the Govern- 
 ment Savings Banks increased last year by 9,602, while 
 there was an increase of £322,553 in deposits. Nearly 
 30 per cent, of the population (men, womeo, and children) 
 arc depositors in these banks. The Savings Banks fulfil 
 another usei'ul mission liesides serving as a perfectly safe 
 investment for the people's savings — under the Credit 
 Foncier system the Commissioners lend to farmers at 4^ per 
 cent.
 
 31 
 
 Summary. 
 
 Of the public debt, 94 per cent, has been expended in 
 directly reprodnctive works ; the most of the remainder 
 upon indirectly reproductive permanent improvements. 
 
 The public balance-sheet shows a credit of £25,000,000, 
 making-, with the private wealth of the colony, a credit of 
 £432,000,000. 
 
 The earnings of the railway system are increasing, and 
 already the profits over working expenses are equal to 3 per 
 cent, interest upon the debenture capital expended, 
 
 A period of exceptional depression has been successfully 
 passed through, and all financial engagements have been 
 met, without resorting to severe measures of taxation. 
 
 The revenue of last year was more than sufficient to meet 
 the expenditure, and a surplus is shown upon the Budget 
 statement for the current year. 
 
 The yield of gold shows a steady increase, that for 1896 
 being 805,087 ounces. This quantity is considerably greater 
 than that produced in any other Australian colony. The 
 total yield to the 30th June, 1897, is 01,394,150 ounces. 
 
 Various other sources of national wealth are dealt with 
 in the difterent chapters of this volume.
 
 32 
 
 NOTES ON THE MINING INDUSTRY OF 
 VICTORIA. 
 
 By James Stirling, Government Geologist. 
 
 Althouo-h territorially Victoria is the smallest State in 
 Australasia, covering an area of 87,889 sqnare miles, yet its 
 variety of physical features, climatic conditions, soils, &c., 
 and more especially the proved stability of its splendid 
 anriferous resources, render it at once the premier colony of 
 the continent. When it is stated that since the early gold 
 discoveries in 1851-2 no less a sum than £246,400,000 has 
 been won — the bulk of this from a relatively small portion 
 of the proved auriferous area — and that the gold-mining 
 industry is only approaching a condition of permanency, 
 through a l»etter hnowledge of auriferous matrices, economic 
 methods of mining and treating the ore, it will not be 
 difficult to realize how important a factor the mineral 
 wealth, both actual and potential, has been, and will con- 
 tinue to 1)6, in stimulating all other forms of production. 
 Not only in the higliest altitudes, over 6,000 feet above sea- 
 level ; in the deep recesses of the vaHeys, only a few feet 
 above sea-level ; but at depths of over 3,000 feet from the 
 surface — or 2,000 feet below sea-level — are mining opera^ 
 tions being profitably carried on. New discoveries in the 
 depth of the dense forest-clad mountainous areas, as tracks 
 are being cut into their secluded recesses, are constantly 
 being made. Deep leads, concealed beneath extensive 
 basaltic flows, are being traced over hundreds of miles of 
 territory l)y boring operations. And as the areas over 
 which tlie metallic substances are extended, and the methods 
 of production cheapened, together with a constantly in- 
 creasing feeling of greater stability in the mineral resources 
 as fields for investment, so will the j^rogress and prosperity 
 of the colony proceed pari passu with the development of 
 its gold-mining industry. 
 
 Physical Features. 
 
 Fully two-thirds of the colony consists of mountains and 
 undulating ranges, traversed by perennial streams and 
 covered by a vigorous arboreous vegetation. The Main 
 Dividing Range, which traverses the colony from N.E. to
 
 <> 
 
 ^-Ol 
 
 -i^ 
 
 *? ~r 
 
 DISH WASHING OR PANNING.
 
 33 
 
 S.W,, vises to altitudes of (3,100 feet, while lateral water- 
 shed lines, formed by high ridges and elevated plateaux, 
 rise to still higher levels — as Mount Feathertop, 6,300 feet, 
 and Mount Bogong, 6,507 feet. The deviated talile-lands, 
 which are formed as extensions of the lateral water-shed 
 lines both to the north and south of the ]\Iain Divide, com- 
 prise the Snowy High Plains, covering an area of 400 
 square miles ; Dargo High Plains, 200 square miles ; 
 Nuninyong and Gelantipy, 500 square miles ; and the 
 Bogong High Plains, about 160 square miles. 
 
 Gold-bearing Formations. 
 
 The principal gold-bearing formations, covering fully one- 
 half of the entire area, consist of silurian slates and sand- 
 stones, which have been intraded upon by plutonic rocks, 
 such as granite, porphyry, diorite, &c., and w^hich are over- 
 lain in the western portion of the colony by extensive lava 
 flows — the basalts of tertiary age. Roughly speaking, there 
 are X!9,000 square miles of exposed silurian rocks, which are 
 almost everywhere intersected by auriferous quartz veins or 
 covered in the valley by auriferous drifts, while there can- 
 not be less than 15,000 miles of silurian sedimentary rocks 
 concealed beneath the tertiary lava flows or tertiary sedi- 
 mentary rocks. In short, the older gold-bearing palaeozoic 
 rocks extend from the western portion of the colony, in the 
 Glenelg Valley, to the boundary of the colony on the east, a 
 distance of over 500 miles. In the eastern part of the 
 colony the silurian formations are in places overlain by 
 massive Devonian rocks, and in the southern by Jurassic 
 rocks ; while in the west are remains of an extensive forma- 
 tion — the Grampians — whose age is still uncertain. With 
 the exception of one locality in the Devonian area of limited 
 extent, these formations are not known to be auriferous. 
 
 The relative areas covered by the different rock masses at 
 the surface may be estimated as under : — 
 
 vSedimeutary formations: Paleeozoic Devonian, lower, 
 middle, and upper, 8,500 square miles; carboniferous, '100 
 square miles. Cambrian, 100 scj^uare miles; silurian, upper 
 and lower, 28,300 square miles. 
 
 Mesozoic : Triassic, -200 square miles : Jurassic, 3,684 
 square miles. 
 
 ];i59. c
 
 34 
 
 Tertiary : Eocene or oligocene, miocene, pliocene, pleisto- 
 cene, recent, 30,000 square miles. 
 
 Plutonic and Igneous rocks: Basalt, 11,000 square miles ; 
 granite, 4,000 square miles : porphyries, diorites, 2,000 
 square miles. 
 
 Bendigo Gold-field. 
 
 The principal reefs in this field occur in the fissures pro- 
 duced by the arches formed by a buckling of the strata into 
 a series of folds ; or, in other words, the prominent feature 
 of the field consists of numerous more or less parallel axial 
 lines, luning a strike of N. 16 deg. W., along the course 
 of which the great mass of slate and sandstone rocks are 
 bent over into a series of auticlinals, with corresponding 
 synclinals or troughs between. The dip of the beds to the 
 east and west is about 60 feet. These axial lines or centre 
 country do not continue horizontal for any distance, but 
 have an end-long dip or pitch. The reefs are called saddles, 
 and thicken and diminish in size as they are traced along 
 the axial lines. The eastern and western extensions are 
 called legs. The saddles are often from 20 to 50 feet across, 
 while the legs are from 1 to 4 feet, but frequently become 
 attenuated in depth. 
 
 A succession of such saddles occurs at ditterent levels, not 
 generally immediately below the other, but listed to one 
 side, jtriufipally to the west. In a limited area of about 7 
 miles in length by 3 miles in 'width, there are no fewer than 
 twelve distinct lines of saddle reefs, known as centre country. 
 Mining operations have extended to a depth of over 3,000 
 feet with profitable results. No less a quantity than 
 £18,009,150 worth of gold has been won from this limited 
 area, and from the Bendigo district up to date £53,063,356. 
 The deepest shafts on the field include : — 
 
 Feet. 
 
 LaIl^t•li■s ifcU Mine ... ... ... 3,350 
 
 New (Jliuni Consolidated ... ... 3,267 
 
 Ijazarus Co. ... ... 3,210 
 
 New Chum Kaihvay ... ... ... 3,037 
 
 New Chum and Victoria ... ... 3,l00 
 
 Shamrock ... ... ... ... 3.000
 
 35 
 
 The enormous wealth realized from a few of the Bemligo 
 saddle reefs may be estimated from the following figures : — 
 
 The Carlisle Company (now amalga- 
 mated with North Garden Gully, 
 Carlisle, and Pass By) has produced 
 over 350,000 oz., value £1,400,000 
 
 Garden Gully United, 346,000 oz., 
 
 value 1,384,000 
 
 Johnson's Reef, 281,u00 oz., value... 1,124,000 
 
 Great Extended Hustler's, 235,000 oz., 
 value 940,000 
 
 Catherine Reef (on New Chum line, 
 
 Eaglehawk), 162,000 oz., value ... 648,000 
 
 Although the reefs in the central area of Bendigo occur in 
 the form of saddles, yet to the north-west, as at Marong ; 
 north, at Sebastian, Raymond, &c. ; or south, at Mandu- 
 rang, they assume different forms. At Marong, wher(^ gold 
 occurs in the slates near the surface, slightly inclined or 
 even vertical veins occur, in places forming irregular seams 
 of quartz in a band of sandstone. At Mandurang, towards 
 the Crusoe reservoir, fiat veins occur ; and where such veins 
 intersect a particular band of strata which (contains a thin, 
 almost parallel band or seam, of slightly different mineral 
 composition to the enclosing strata, the richest gold is found. 
 I have no hesitation in affirming that there is work for 
 centuries to come, not only in exploiting the saddle forma- 
 tions down to as great a depth as 4,000 feet,* but in tracing 
 the auriferous belt to the north and south, or developing 
 such parallel belts as Ellesmere to Axedale on the east, or 
 Marong to Lockwood on the west. It is estimated that, 
 making due allowance for the increased cost of haulage and 
 deep sinking, quartz containing 5 dwt. of gold to the ton 
 can be made to pay in the deep levels at Bendigo. 
 
 AuEiFERous Contact Zones. 
 
 The influence exerted on the silurian strata by the eiior- 
 rnous masses of eruptive rocks, such as granites, porphy- 
 rites, diorites, felsites, &c., and which now appear as bosses 
 and apophyses, known as dykes, &c.; and the structural and 
 
 * Recent temperature observations tend to show that at the rate of 
 increase measured by 1 deg. Fahr. for every 137 feet, mining will be 
 possible at 4,000 feet, so far as the heat of the rock is concerned.
 
 36 
 
 chemical changes of tlie mineral components along the 
 planes of the contacts has for some time been the subject of 
 critical research : but it was not until the relation l^etween 
 the t>ccnrrence of auriferous quartz veins formed at or near 
 the contacts, both in the eruptive rocks, and to a greater 
 extent in the sediments they invaded, that the attention of 
 practical miners was drawn to the value of following out the 
 contacts in the field as a guide to prospecting operations. 
 To Mr. A. ^y. Howitt, F.G.S., the Victorian mining com- 
 munity is indebted for first scientifically directing attention 
 to the importance of such contact zones, by liis classic i)etro- 
 logical investigations of the rocks of the Australian Alps. 
 For instance, it was shown that, at Swift's Creek, in the 
 Tambo Valley, certain intrusive granites, diorites, pori)hy- 
 rites, ttc, luul invaded the silurian sediments at places where 
 these rocks were both metamori)hosed and unaltered, and had 
 converted the sediments into hornfels rocks in one ])]ace and 
 mica schists in another ; and that the auriferous lode forma- 
 tions are found to be connected with the contact action of the 
 intrusive rocks. Similarly in the Dargo Valley, auriferous 
 contact lodes have been generated by the intrusion of diorite 
 masses into the silurian sediments. Mr. Howitt's exact 
 descrii)tiou of this contact ])henomena has undoubtedly paved 
 the way for mining exploration in many other districts where 
 such features occur. In the north-eastern district, in an 
 area hardly yet touched by systematic prospecting, it is esti- 
 mated that there are fully 300 miles of contact rocks inter- 
 sected l)y auriferous ([uartz veins. Two of the older gold- 
 fields where some phases of contact metamorphism of the 
 sedimentary silurian rocks and their associated auriferous 
 veins may be studied are Maldon and Stawell. 
 
 Maldon. 
 
 The Maldon gold-fiehl is principally to the east of the 
 granitic rocks at Mount Tari'engower. The alteration of the 
 sediments lias produced rocks of tlie hornfels type. A well- 
 define<l elvan dyke traverses the field, and iu the case of the 
 Derliy mine is flanked on either side by auriferous veins. 
 Fully 47 reefs have been described on this field, which strike 
 N. ]'2 to N. 30 W. Several of the mines are now approach- 
 ing a depth of 2,000 feet. Such examples of permanency as 
 the S«.iitli (Jerman, i^c, may be referred to as illustrating the 
 stability of mining on the field, whicli. witliin a small area, 
 has already jiroduced £'J, 300,620 worth of gold.
 
 37 
 
 Stawell. 
 
 At Stawell the auriferous (quartz veins intersect a belt of 
 country margining the granite of the Black Range. The 
 rocks are very much indurated or altered by contact meta- 
 morphism, and the sediments are jJenetrated by numerous 
 dykes of porphyrite and diorite. The auriferous quartz veins 
 strike from south-east to north-west, and generally underlie 
 to westward at an angle of 45 degrees. In almost every 
 instance, except the Magdala-cum-Moonlight, a flat reef has 
 been found abutting against the vertical on the eastern side, 
 with a northerly underlay, and the richest quartz has for the 
 most part been found at no great distance eastward from the 
 line of junction. The principal mines include the Magdala, 
 Oriental, Sloane and Scotchman, Perthshire, Hampshire, 
 New Chum, Cross, &c. From this group of mines no less a 
 sum than £4,0lbi,(S84 worth of gold has been won. 
 
 A considerable amount of boring has been carried on over 
 this field, and auriferous quartz veins proved in advance of 
 the actual workings. There is no reason why the reefs should 
 not extend still further to the north-north-west of present 
 workings. 
 
 At present the Magdala, Oriental, and North Magdala are 
 working at a depth of 2,409, 1,832, and 1,640 feet respec- 
 tively. 
 
 It would not be difficult to multiply instances in other 
 parts of the colony in order to show that the granitic intru- 
 sions have largely affected the metalliferous character of the 
 adjacent strata, but to elucidate all the gold-fields which 
 impinge on the areas occupied by the plutonic rocks would 
 be beyond the scope of this article. I must therefore pass 
 on to another class of auriferous veins, viz., those directly 
 connected with the dyke formations. 
 
 DioEiTE Dykes. 
 
 In this case the principal bed rock is of upper silurian 
 age, and the dykes intersect the strata both with and across 
 the line of strike. The quartz veins traverse the dyke in 
 various ways, either vertically from wall to wall across the 
 dyke parallel to it ; either along the wall or in the body of 
 the stone, and horizontally or nearly so from wall to wall. 
 In places where the dyke stone is> absent, the space between 
 the walls is filled with broken-up rubbly shale or slate with 
 thin quartz leaders.
 
 38 
 
 Typical examples of such dykes are seen at Wood's 
 Point, Wallialla, Foster, Tanjil, Raspberry Creek, Coster- 
 field, kc. 
 
 Walhalla. 
 
 At the celebrated Long Tnnnel mine, Walhalla. the dyke 
 trends parallel -w-ith the strike of the strata west of north. 
 It is impregnated more or less Avith iron and arsenical 
 pyrites. 
 
 Two qnartz lodes meeting in an apex or cap accompany 
 the dyke along or near to its walls on either side, while others 
 intersect the body of the dyke. The shoots of auriferons 
 quartz dip northerly, the underlie being westerly. This mine 
 is a splendid instance of the permanency of the auriferous 
 veins associated with the dykes ; it has yielded over 631,344 
 oz., or in value £2,525.376, and has been carried to a depth 
 of nearly 2,UO0 feet. 
 
 The whole of the belt of coimtry extending northerly 
 from '\^'alhalla through the heads of the Jordan and over the 
 Dividing Range at Matlock to Wood's Point, and still farther 
 northerly to Jamieson, is auriferous and of similar charac- 
 ter, although on the Dividing Range, near Matlock, there is 
 probably a junction of the upper and lower silurian beds, 
 from the occurrence of fossil graptolites found there by my 
 colleague, Mr. Ferguson. 300 feet or more below the saddles. 
 
 Ballarat, 
 
 At Ballarat there are at least four well-defined lines of 
 reef, such as the Guiding Star, Star of the East or Consols, 
 the Indicator on the Llauberris and Speedwell line, and the 
 Fire Brigade line. It is l)elieved that the Indicator belt of 
 coimtry on the eastern side of the field will be found to 
 extend past Creswick and Allandale towards the Moolort 
 Plains. Some idea of the enormous value of the gold mines 
 within a limited area in the Ballarat district may be gleaned 
 when it is stated that the }ield of gold up to the present has 
 been £71,886,080. One mine alone, the Star of the East, 
 carrie<l to a depth of 2,000 feet, has yielded over £52U,00U 
 worth of gnld, declaring dindends of about £220,000 ; while 
 the liand and Albion, with which is now incorjjorated several 
 smaller mines, has produced £2,078,325, and declared 
 £900,000 in dividends. The silurian slates and sandstones 
 of the liallurat field difler slightly in composition from 
 those at Bendigo, and are intruded upon by granitic and
 
 39 
 
 felsitic dykes in places. The folds in the strata are not 
 so readily distinguished as at Bendigo, and there is a 
 marked absence of the fossil graptolites which characterize 
 the Bendigo slates. 
 
 Other Indicators. 
 
 A few of these " indicators " may he referred to : — 
 At Eokewood Junction it is a soft slaty hand, somewhat 
 ferruginous, frequently soft and clayey, varying from brown 
 and grey to nearly black in colour, in contact with the 
 hanging wall of the reef. The gold occurs in most abundance 
 in an inch or two of friable stone in contact with the slaty 
 band, and generally in masses up to several ounces an 
 weight. 
 
 At Creswick, Nuggety Gully : The indicator consists of a 
 yellowish-brown fine-grained soft earthy shale, of somewhat 
 soapy texture, with thin brown ferruginous veins. At the 
 intersection of the quartz with this band the richest deposit 
 of gold occm's. 
 
 At Wedderburn the indicators consist of an orange- 
 coloured streak about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, 
 scarcely distinguishable from the slates in which it occurs. 
 Again, it resembles a miniature reef, sometimes laminated. 
 The principal one, which has been followed for over a mile, 
 consists of three parallel veins of ironstone or grit, about 
 one-eighth of an inch in thickness and 4 inches apart. On the 
 Champion reef the indicator consists of a thinly laminated 
 unctuous clay of dark-grey colour, al^out 5 to 7 inches thick. 
 The quartz veins crossing this are very rich, the gold in 
 coarse nuggety pieces. 
 
 At Korong Vale, Nil Desperandum : A band of nodular 
 micaceous schist, from a few inches to 2 feet in width, 
 between walls of hard sandstone, constitutes the indicator. 
 
 At Elaine it is a thin band of highly pyritous black shale. 
 When the lode intersects it, the latter carries gold. In 
 another place a band of yellowish-white concretionary 
 nodules, with gold on the face of the concretions, is con- 
 sidered as an indicator. 
 
 At Welcome Gully, near Daylesford : Wherever the 
 quartz veins come into contact w)th a small slate band of 
 soapy textm'e, usually of an olive colour, but often grey to 
 black, and more or less ferruginous, the former is highly 
 auriferous.
 
 40 
 
 At Glenpatrick Creek : The indicator is a soft jDug, with 
 a well-defined foot-wall, intersected with small flat veins of 
 quartz. 
 
 At Reedy ( "reek, Nugg-ety Gully : A thin continuous seam 
 of soft tough steatic mineral, coinciding with the bedding 
 j)lanes, forms the indicator. 
 
 At Cami>belltown : A series of })arallel faults, filled with 
 an ironstone conglomerate, form the indicator. The faults 
 are irregular, and intersect the quartz veins nearly at right 
 angles. Wliere the quartz strikes the latter portion of the 
 fault the veins are very rich. 
 
 At Gaffney's Creek : A sandstone band, crossed nearly at 
 right angles by quartz leaders ; contain gold only when 
 crossing the sandstone 1)and. 
 
 My object in dwelling somewhat upon the different 
 " iuiUcators " is to direct the closer attention of practical 
 miners to their value as an aid to prospecting operations 
 in newly-discovered gold-bearing districts. The axiom, 
 " Like produces like," is as true in geology and mining as 
 it is in other activities. 
 
 In addition to such indicators, there are in many districts, 
 especially in areas covered by the upper silurian shales and 
 sandstones, various eruptive dykes having a special local 
 significance. Those belonging to the diorite and diabase 
 class may be referred to. It may be inferred from the fact 
 of nuggety or lumps, slugs, &c., of gold occurring in associa- 
 tion with these " indicator " bands, that in those districts 
 where heavy alluvial is found indicators may be searched 
 for. My colleague, Mr. E. Lidgey, has recommended such 
 districts as from Beaufort, through Redbank and Stuart 
 Mill, to St. Arnaud, the Scarsdale and Smythesdale district, 
 Enfit'ld. Ballarut, Creswick, and on to Wedderburn. 
 
 Wood's Point. 
 
 The Morning Star dyke, which trends on the surface 54 
 deg. west of north, is intersected by quartz veins, which are 
 nearly horizontally disposed, inclining but slightly to north- 
 west. They penetrate the adjacent slates, and are richest 
 near the contact. Several bores were put down, which 
 proved floors of quartz at lower levels, and show that the 
 quartz veins occur to great depths in the dyke masses.
 
 41 
 
 Foster. 
 
 Auriferous (juartz veins penetrate into tlie adjacent rocks 
 beyond the porpliyritic dyke whicli intersects the sihirian 
 rocks at this ])hice. Other localities where the dykes have 
 associated with them auriferous quartz veins are numerous 
 in the country occupied by the upper siluriau beds, as at 
 Alexandra, heads of Big River, Tanjil, Cassilis, Ovens 
 Valley, Queenstown, &c., &c. 
 
 Meridional Belts of Reefs. 
 
 A feature which is common both to the lower and upper 
 Silurian beds, no matter what the amount of local variation 
 in the direction or formation of the quartz veins may he, is 
 the meridional belts which come into view when the posi- 
 tion of the quartz veins are plotted on the map — i.e., there is 
 a general meridional trend of the gold-bearing portions of 
 strata. This significant fact was drawn attention to by 
 Captain Panton, P.M., and C. W. Ligar, ex-Surveyor- 
 General, during 1858 — by the former in the Mining Journal, 
 and by the latter in the Transactions of the Mining 
 Institute. In the latter publication the following preg- 
 nant remarks were made : — " With reference to the great 
 national importance of the quartz reefs of the colony, every 
 circumstance tending to illustrate the general law under 
 which they have been called into existence must be of 
 interest. . . To the casual observer the relative position 
 of the groups of what are termed paying quartz reefs . . 
 appear to be scattered over the country in an indiscriminate 
 manner. . . I consider there is reason for supposing that 
 such is not the case, but that they exist in lines running 
 north and south in the magnetic meridian, and that these 
 lines have generally a very remarkable equal relative 
 distance from each other in an east and west direction. If 
 80. significant facts are established for future exploration, 
 and it may be that remunerative reefs will be discovered by 
 a careful examination of these meridional lines within cer- 
 tain limits of deviation to be determined on after future 
 investigation. In this way reefs of great value may be 
 brought to light which evade the eye."' 
 
 Several of such lines were shown on a map accompanying 
 the article to which I have referred. 
 
 Now, these remarks are suggestive, and my predecessor, 
 Mr. R. A. F. Murray, was able to direct special attention
 
 4a 
 
 to their importance by defining a nnmber of anriferons 
 lielts or zones (vide Physical Geography and Geology oj 
 Victoria). 
 
 Later discoveries go to confirm the prediction of Messrs. 
 Panton and Ligar in a remarkable degree, so that now fally 
 thirty of such auriferous belts may be mentioned. I can 
 only refer to the localities intersected by them as an instance 
 of the fact without attempting a description of the local 
 details. Of course, in tracing these belts on the map their 
 continuity will be found to be broken in places by the 
 granite, basaltic, and upper palaeozoic rocks. 
 
 Commencing from the western portion of the colony, the 
 first belt extends south from Balmoral, where alluvial 
 auriferous deposits occur, but as yet no reefs. 
 
 Xo. 2 is on the Upper Glenelg, on the east of the 
 Black Range, where several reefs have been prospected. 
 
 No. 3. On the eastern side of the Grampians a belt may 
 be traced from Moyston to Fr}i.ngpan, where both quartz 
 and alluvial workings occur. 
 
 No. 4. From Ararat, through Great Western, to Stawell, 
 comprising both alluvial leads and auriferous quartz veins. 
 The Hopkins Valley lead originates within this belt. 
 
 No. 5. East of Stawell a belt extends from Navarre, in 
 the Pyrenees, southward to Buangor. (There is good scope 
 for loaming along the western slopes of the Pyrenees within 
 the limits of this belt.) 
 
 No. 6. From St. Arnaud (where there is a group of 
 three well-defined lines of reef — one of these, the Lord 
 Nelson, being mined to a depth of over 1,600 feet with highly 
 payable results) an auriferous belt extends south through 
 Stuart Mill to Redbank. Moonambel, Percydale, and from 
 the Avoca Valley across the Dividing Range past Elmhurst 
 to Beaufort, and still further south to Lillie Plains, where 
 deep al hi vial ground occurs right across to the Skipton 
 diggings. 
 
 No. 7. Still further east a belt may be traced from north 
 of Bealiba through Homebush and Avoca leads to Wansford, 
 Carngham, Scarsdale, and Pitfield Plains. (In the latter, 
 recent borings suggest that a deep lead may be found to 
 extend beneath the hasiiltic plains towards Lake Corangamite 
 on the west.) 
 
 No. 8. From Ballarat a belt extends nortlierly through 
 Creswick, Clunes, Maryborough, Carisbrook, Majorca, and 
 Timor, Duuolly, Tarnagulla, Moliagul, to Wedderburn.
 
 43 
 
 Referring to this belt, Mr. Murray remurks that within this 
 great auriferous zone he would include the gold-fields of 
 Inglewood, Tarnagulla, and Kay's diggings, nortli of the 
 plains of the Loddon VaJley, and to the south the gold-helds 
 of Smeaton, Kingston, Creswick, Ballarat, Buniuyong, and 
 the Durham, the last-named localities being continuous 
 with one another as regards auriferous character, there 
 being no break from Durham to Smeaton, a distance ol 
 25 miles north to south in the alluvial gold workings, over 
 a width of about 4 miles from east to west. The belt of 
 the Leigh River has been })roiitably worked 20 miles 
 south from Durham, and auriferous gravels have been 
 traced from its banks under the plains south of Mount 
 Mercer, where the fm^ther continuation of the Durham lead 
 is sure to exist. It is, therefore, Mr. Murray thinks, quite 
 likely that the belt of silurian rocks extencUng soutliward 
 from Ballarat may be found to have regained its auriferous 
 character, and that the deep ground resting on it beneath 
 the basalt may be as rich in gold as those to the northward. 
 As regards the portion between Smeaton and Tarnagulla, 
 there is every reason to believe that the belt retains its 
 character from the Madame Berry line, a distance of 30 
 miles to Tarnagulla, and that all the alluvial leads in its 
 com'se will jjrove profitable. On a smaller scale, the flat 
 alluvial country along the Bui Bui Creek, between Tarna- 
 gulla and Inglewood, is likely to prove auriferous in the 
 vicinity of a line between these two places. 
 
 No. 9. From Inglew^ood (where a number of reefs have 
 been worked to shallow depths, four distinct lines being 
 traceable for a distance of 4 miles) a belt of auriferous 
 country certainly extends through Newbridge, Baringlmp, 
 Campbelltown, Bullarook, and east of Mount Buninyong to 
 Elaine. 
 
 No. 10. From Maldon south through Muckleford, 
 Daylesford, Ballan, and Steigiitz (several of the mines at 
 Daylesford have been carried to a depth of 1,800 feet, and 
 there are no geological reasons why a highly auriferous zone 
 should not be met with at lower levels than the present 
 lowest workings). Similarly, the Steigiitz gold-field, Avhich 
 has produced £763,316 worth of gold, should yield profit- 
 able returns as deep as that now worked at Ballarat. Two 
 mines alone (the United Albion and New Mariner) gave 
 the following returns : — United Albion, depth 1,050 feet, 
 £54,000, declaring £15,000 in dividends, on a cajutal of
 
 44 
 
 £0,00<) : New Mariuer. £liJ9,00U, dividends £56,000, on a 
 capital of £ -,uOu. 
 
 No. 1 1 . A very important belt extends southerly from 
 BemliiTO, through Castlemaine, Chcoton. Elphinstone, and 
 Blackwood, towards Bacchus Marsh. Castlemaiue. which has 
 produced £1,80::^, 604 worth of gold, has long been known for 
 its surtacc auriferous wealth ; and it is believed that deep 
 mining will reveal, between the 1,000 feet and 3,000 feet 
 levels, a payable aiu-iferous zone, and that at these deep 
 levels saddles, similar to the Bendigo field, may be met 
 with. Of course, the structural feature of the reefs will 
 dei)end on the direction and extent of the comj)ressive 
 forces acting on the strata. It is probable that the granite 
 masses between Castlemaiue and Bendigo have played an 
 important part in the genesis of the reef formations. 
 
 No. 12. East of Bendigo recent mining developments are 
 disclosing the existence of a belt extending from Goornong, 
 through Ellesmere (Fosterville) to Axedale, and further 
 south to Redesdale, and on towards Macedon, intersecting 
 the basaltic leads to the east of Kyneton and Malms- 
 bury. 
 
 No. 13. From Runnymede, through Heathcote — where 
 gold has recently been found in C|uartz veins intersecting 
 a diabase dyke, near the junction of lower and upper 
 Silurian formations, which rest upon still older Cambrian 
 rocks — to Lancefield, Romsey, and Riddell's Creek. 
 
 Xu. 14. An important belt, characterized by the occur- 
 rence of antimony ore in association with the auriferous 
 quartz veins passed from Redcastle, Costerfield, Py along, 
 Kilmore (where scheelite has been found), on towards the 
 Moraug district, near Melbourne. 
 
 Xo. 15. Another similar antimony-bearing belt extends 
 from Rushworth (where cross, i.e., east and west, lines of 
 reef occur) through Whroo, Mitchelstown, Reedy Creek 
 (Broadford), Whittlesea, west of Queenstown, east of 
 Oaklci^di, and on to Tabberabbera, on the ]Mornington 
 Peninsula, where quite recently gold was found in granitic 
 rocks. 
 
 No. 10. From Murchison south through Yea and on 
 to Enweald, east of the Dandenong Ranges. 
 
 Xo. 17. From Merton to Alexandra, Marysville, and 
 soiitli f.. \. .rim. intersected bv dvke formations.
 
 45 
 
 Xo. 18. Au important belt extends from Uookie, where 
 ironstone de])Osits occur, south through Maindaniple, 
 Darling-ford, Frenchman's Creek, on the Big- River, through 
 the heads of the Yarra, to tlie west of Mount Baw Baw, and 
 on to the Tangil, extending also, in all prohalnlity, heneath 
 the South Gippsland mesozoic beds to Foster's and Wilson's 
 Promontory. 
 
 Xo. 19. Another, and perhaps the most interesting of all 
 the Ijelts, extends south from Benalla, through Toombullup, 
 Jamieson, Lauraville, AVood's Point, Matlock, Jericho, and 
 Walhalla. 
 
 This is, par excellence, the belt of dioritic dykes, extend- 
 ing uninterruptedly for over 70 miles. The dykes run at 
 various angles, with the strike of the enclosing strata. 
 When they are parallel, or nearly so, the reefs are more 
 persistent," and the shoots of gold longer, than in those 
 cases where the dyke cuts the strike of the strata nearly 
 at right angles. At present, between Walhalla and 
 Toombon, at least 50 leases are being worked. Such 
 mines as Long Tunnel, Long Tunnel Extended, Great 
 Long Tunnel South, Toombon, Loch Fyne, the Hope, &c., 
 may be referred to. 
 
 In the east of the Walhalla am-iferous belt there is a 
 large area covered by Devonian rocks, which have not yet 
 proved payably gold-bearing. Although two minor belts 
 may be traced — one from Cameron's Creek on the Howqua 
 River, south to the east of Mount Useful and on the 
 Siaton, and the other from near Briagolong (Gladstone 
 Creek) northerly through the Wonnangatta Valley to the 
 heads of the Buffalo River. 
 
 No. 20. From Rutherglen, wdiere deep alluvial leads 
 occur, a belt may be traced in a S.S.E. direction through 
 Everton, Myrtleford, Buffalo River, across the Dividing 
 Range, to tlie Wongungarra Valley and Crooked River. 
 
 No. 21. From Barnawartha, through Woorragee to the 
 east of Beechworth, on to Bright (the yield of gold for 
 the Bright district being £2,294,556), Harrietville, west 
 of Mount Hotham, to the head of the Dargo, over 
 the Dargo High Plains to Grant and Lower Dargo. It is 
 on this belt that the highest altitude at which auriferous 
 veins have been found is attained, as ''on the western side 
 of Feather top ridge, at 6,000 feet above sea-level.
 
 46 
 
 No. 22. Still further east u very extensive belt stretches 
 from Bethang:ii, on the Murray, through Eskdale, Snowy 
 Creek, and Mount Wills, Livingstone (the yield of gold for 
 the Omeo district being £1,203,732), Cassilis, Haunted 
 Stream, and to Monkey Creek, near Bruthen. 
 
 No. 23. From Granya, through the head of the Dark 
 River, to the Gibbo River, and in all probability through 
 the head of the Tambo, southerly towards Mount Tara. 
 
 No. 24, From Corryong through Wheeler's Creek and 
 Buckwiug, to the Limestone River, and heads of the 
 Buchan River. 
 
 No. 25. On the eastern side of the Snowy River recent 
 mining exploratioDs suggest several auriferous belts, as 
 under : — From McLachlan's Creek, on the border line 
 between New South "Wales and Victoria, through Deddick, 
 Mount Bo wen, and the heads of the Yalma, west of Mount 
 EUery, and on to Cabbage Tree Creek. 
 
 No. 26. From Bonang, through Boulder Creek, to Club 
 Terrace, Lower Bemm, and Rearl ]\Iount, on the coast. 
 
 No. 27. From Mount Delegate, through Bendock, over 
 the coast range, to the eastern heads of the Bemm and 
 western heads of the Cann River valleys. 
 
 No. 28. On the extreme eastern portion of the colony, 
 from Mallacoota Lilet, across the Genoa Valley, into New 
 South Wales. 
 
 Enough has been stated to demonstrate beyond the 
 possibility of doubt the enormous extent of the gold-bearing 
 belts of strata, and that there is practically an inexhaustible 
 supply of gold yet to be won ; in not only following the down- 
 ward prolongations of the reefs already discovered, but in 
 renewed search for further surface outcrops along the exten- 
 sion of the belts I have indicated. No theoretical specula- 
 tions respecting the genesis of gold-bearing veins need militate 
 against successful mining enterprise in those districts where 
 the downward prolongations of the auriferous reef formation 
 is at present a matter of conjecture. The fact remains that 
 from the highest surface altitudes to a depth of 3,000 
 feet below sea-level gold-bearing strata undoubtedly exists. 
 The permiinency of Victoria's gold-mining industry is an 
 established fact so far as the quartz-bearing formations 
 are concerned.
 
 HAND DOLLYING.
 
 Alll-vial Deposits and Leads. 
 
 There is hardly a single river in Victoria which does not 
 contain alluvial auriferous deposits along some portion of 
 its com'se. These detrital deposits have been classed as 
 "surfacing," comprising earth or thin layers of clay, rubble, 
 and decom2)osed rock on the slopes or summits of hills com- 
 posed of silm'ian rock. The gold is found free, or associated 
 with fragmentary quartz, from the surface earth down to 
 chinks and crevices of the bed-rock. 
 
 River, Creek, and Gully Workings. — Deposits of gravel, 
 drift, &c., resting on the silurian bed-rock, or on the banks 
 of water-courses ; in some cases terraces are met with on the 
 rocky slopes high up above the present river beds. 
 
 Leads. — Gravels, conglomerates, &c., deposited in the 
 beds of ancient rivers, in some cases only covered by recent 
 accumulations, and in others by several layers of basalt. 
 The beds of these ancient rivers are in some localities above, 
 and in others below, those of the existing streams, as the 
 Dargo High Plains and Chines or Ballarat districts res2)ec- 
 tively, and are worked by tunnels or shafts accordingly. 
 
 In addition to the above there are widespread deposits of 
 gravels, conglomerates, &c., believed to be due to estuarine 
 or marine action ; the gold is more patchy in its occurrence, 
 though sometimes found in deiined runs ; not necessarily in 
 the deepest hollows of the bed-rock, but often on the ridge 
 or slopes thereof. Some of these deposits cap hills of silurian 
 rock ; others constitute reef washes, beneath the basalt, but 
 at higher levels than the deep lead gutters. 
 
 Localities of Lead Systems. 
 
 Commencing at the western end of the colony, the first is 
 that along Mather's Creek, south of Balmoral, although there 
 is a limited extent of slightly auriferous gravel south-west 
 of Harrow, on the Glenelg. The Stawell leads comprise the 
 deep lead and its tributaries, situated from 3 to 5 miles 
 north-west of the town ; and the Commercial-street lead and 
 its tributaries, commencing at the reef and terminating 
 at Seventy Foot Hill, about 3 miles west of the town. 
 These leads may still be traced further afield. The Great 
 Western lead, from which over £100,OuO worth of gold has 
 been obtained, has been worked for over 2 miles to a width 
 which exceeds in places 1,200 feet. Gold occms principally 
 in fine scales. Ararat : A number of shallow leads trend
 
 4S 
 
 towanls the llu})kins Valley, where they coinbiue iuto one 
 iiiaiu lead, which extends southerly beneath the basalt. The 
 bcirinofs put down prove that this lead system extends in 
 all probal)ility for at least 8 miles, with a covering of 
 from 230 to :}0() ieet of basalt. Landsborongh : This ex- 
 tends northerly from Barkly, past Landsborongh, to Navarre, 
 and on towards the Wiinmera Valley. The tributary leads 
 at Navarre were very rich ; ihe depth of sinking from 5U to 
 over 100 feet. 
 
 Beaufort. — This lead, kl]o\^^l as Fiery Creek, has been 
 worked from the head of Fiery Creek, through the town of 
 Beaufort, in an easterly direction, to its junction with the 
 AVaterloo lead. It is believed that fi-om this \)oh\t the 
 lead will be found to extend easterly through Windermere, 
 and probablv junction with the extension of the Haddon 
 lead. 
 
 Smythesdale. — Rising in the Hard Hills, the Linton lead 
 trends southerly to its junction with the Standard lead, and 
 beyond that it is called the Happy Valley lead, which, trend- 
 ing rajjidly to the east, enters the main Smythesdale lead, 
 which rises near Nintingbool, and trends southward through 
 Piggoreet, Cape Clear, and on to the Pitfield Plains. Many 
 of the tributary leads to this system have been very rich. 
 The continuation of the deep ground of the Stanley, near 
 Cape Clear, remains to be proved. It is thought tliat the 
 Victoria Mint Com})any is near it. The Snake Valley lead 
 falls northward from the Hard Hills, and junctions with the 
 Preston Hill lead. It is probable that these two leads will 
 eventually join with the Haddon lead, and the latter junction 
 with the Midas leads. As an instance of the richness of 
 [Hjrtion of these leads, the ^lagnum Bouum claim, covering 
 an area of 12 acres, yielded at a depth of 102 feet 6,639 oz. 
 of gold, value £26,5.56. 
 
 Ballarat. — Here several lead systems trend southerly, 
 westerly, and north-westerly, noted for their richness and for 
 the occasional discovery of large nuggets in such tril)utary 
 leads as Little Bendigo, Canadian and Hiscock's — such 
 nuggets as The Welcome, found at Bakery Hill, which 
 realized .-£0,325 : the Lady Hotham, at Canadian Gully, 
 £3,000; the Nil Desperandum, £1,050; and another at 
 Canadian Gully of £5,532. During 1855-6 such loads as 
 Iiikerman, lied Streak, Frenchman, Esmonds, Malakoff, 
 Milkmaids, an<l Redan were opened out and lu-oved very rich. 
 It is estimated that as much as 1,637 oz. of gold was obtained
 
 /» 
 
 ^ 
 
 A 
 
 / 
 
 J 
 
 u 
 
 
 ^: 
 
 ^ 
 
 .vr
 
 49 
 
 from one day's washing at the Band of Hope. My colleague, 
 Mr. Lidgey, who has made a detailed survey of the field, 
 estimates that from twenty mines £5,902,050 has been won ; 
 that dividends to the extent of £2,500,000 have l)een paid ; 
 the total amount of calls only reaching £594,014. The 
 tracing out of the Bailarat lead systems to tlie west, nortli- west, 
 and south-west still ofi'crs a field for mining develo|)ment. 
 
 Rokewood. — The extension of the Break o'Day lead, 
 already worked through the township of Kokewood, still 
 further south, remains to be proved. 
 
 Bet Bet Valley Leads. — This extends from Lexton, through 
 to Caraliilup, Lilicur, and Bung Bong to Rathscar, in the 
 Avoca Valley. The course of this lead is unmistakably 
 marked by a strip of basalt, from 1 to 2 miles in width, 
 which follows the valley, and is bounded on the east and 
 west by ledges of outcropping silurian rock. The course 
 of the lead goes northward about 3^ miles into Rath- 
 scar, where it turns westward, and in al)out 2 miles 
 further is joined by the Homeluish lead. Beyond here it 
 passes into and down the Avoca Valley, where it is joined by 
 the Avoca lead system. It probably extends past Archdale 
 and beyond St. Arnaud. 
 
 There is thus an average length of over 40 miles of main 
 trunk lead traversing auriferous rocks fed by rich tributary 
 leads and with numerous rich shallow workings in tlie l)order- 
 ing country on either side. That portion extending from 
 the southern line of a series of bores put down at boundary 
 of Lexton to the Homebush leads, a distance of 20 miles, 
 deserves special attention, being well defined by borings and 
 being bordered by rich auriferous country. 
 
 Amherst and Maryborough Leads. — A series of leads from 
 Amherst, Daisy Hill, Alma, and Maryborough nearly all 
 trend towards Timor, where the course of the main lead is 
 marked by the deep leads worked by the various Duke com- 
 panies. The continuation of this lead either north-westerly 
 towards tlie Avoca Valley, or north-easterly towards the 
 Loddon, is now being tested by boring operations to the 
 south-west of Bet Bet. 
 
 Sadowa Lead. — The Sadowa lead extends for several miles 
 towards Talbot. Its course is apparently interru^ited by a 
 basaltic dyke. 
 
 Loddon Valley Lead.— This lead system, with its tribu- 
 taries, is j)robably the most important yet worked in the 
 colony, extending from the Midas and Dowling Forest group 
 1359. D
 
 50 
 
 of mines, a ilistuuce of 10 miles of mi worked ground; 
 then tlie marvellous Berry group of mines, with 4 miles of 
 tmworked ground. 
 
 Northerly from the junction of these two lead systems as 
 far as the parallel of Carisbrook, the ]\rount Greenock, 
 Majorca, and Carisbrook leads come in from the west, and 
 the Loddon leads from the east. The boring near Moolort 
 proved a large and well-detined trunk lead, which extends 
 close to Eddington where the Bet Bet system probably joins 
 it. In tlie total length of this system there are 60 miles of 
 nnworked leads, 
 
 Dunolly and Burnt Creek Leads. — Leads trending down 
 the Bet Bet Valley, such as Cliiuamau's Flat and Four-mile 
 Creek, were very rich, 
 
 Daylesford Leads. — These leads are all above the level of 
 the present stream. The most noteworthy are the Wombat 
 Hill lead, Deadman's lead, Italian Hill lead, O'Hara Burke 
 lead. Fern Tree lead, and Jim Crow Creek lead. 
 
 Bendigo Leads. — The rich alluvial gullies fed by the 
 Bendigo reefs tend toward Bendigo Creek into a main lead 
 near the White Hills, which has been traced a length of 
 7 miles. Several tributaries enter below the White 
 Hills from the westward, trending northerly towards 
 Huutlv. It is estimated that for a distance of 6 miles from 
 tlie White Hills the lead yielded £2,000,000 worth of gold. 
 Its course from Huntly has not yet been definitely ascer- 
 tained, although it is believed to trend north-easterly through 
 Bagshot towards Goornong, and to be enriched by a tributary 
 lead system coming in from the east, A minor lead system 
 extends north-westerly along the Myers Creek Valley, re- 
 ceiving tributary leads from Eaglehawk on the east. Still 
 further north a lead system extends for several miles past 
 Neil borough. 
 
 Heathcote Leads. — Mclvor Creek has been worked for a 
 numbi-r of leads ; most of the gold occurs in nuggets — one 
 of these Weighed G58 oz. Several of the tributary gullies 
 are still being worked, 
 
 Castlemaiue Leads. — Extensive gullies have been worked 
 at ( Ihewton, ilaldnn, ( 'astlemaine, and down through Yandoit 
 to Nowstead. 
 
 Mahushury aud Coliban Valley Leads. — This system of 
 leads extends from the Main Dividing Range between Tren- 
 tham and B.lackwood. It is fed by various tributaries from 
 Treuthain, Lauristcjn, Taradale, and Malmsbury, A line of
 
 51 
 
 bores near Carlsruhe proved deep ground iit 348 feet from 
 the surface. Four aud a half miles northward, near Lauris- 
 ton, a lead was proved, and 2 miles further north a third 
 series of bores proved wash at a depth of 371 feet. Near 
 Malmsbury, the Taradale lead junctions with the main lead. 
 Following down the valley of the Coliban, borings at Redes- 
 dale proved the bed rock to be 223 feet from the surface, the 
 fall of the surface from Kyneton to Redesdale being evidently 
 greater than that of the lead. From Trentham to Axedale, 
 on the general course of the lead system, the distance is fully 
 50 miles, and from near Carlsruhe to a little beyond Redes- 
 dale the distance is 25 miles. 
 
 Plenty River Leads. — Rising in the Plenty Ranges^ 
 where several creeks and gullies have been worked with 
 satisfoctory results, notably Jack's Creek and Deep Creek, 
 the lead extends to Whittlesea, while at South Morang a 
 tributary lead has been worked for some years by means 
 of tunnels. Boring is now being carried on to prove the 
 position of the lead, whicli it is thought might extend still 
 further south towards Collingwood. 
 
 Tanjil Leads. — Here -a lead has been traced for several 
 miles along the valley of the Tangil to a higher level than 
 the present stream A number of tributary lead systems 
 exist at higher levels in the valley. 
 
 Neerim Lead. — A sub-basaltic lead extends for a distance 
 of about 20 miles along the water-shed between the Tarago 
 River and the Latrobe. 
 
 Moondarra. — This lead system extends along the plateau 
 between the Tyers and the Thompson Rivers for a distance 
 of 16 miles. 
 
 Rutherglen Leads. — There are two main deep leads now 
 being worked — the Great Southern, which is a continuation 
 of the Chiltern Valley Lead, and the Great Northern. The 
 principal companies now at work include the Great Southern^ 
 Southern and Chiltern Valley United, Great Southern No. 1, 
 Prentice United, North Prentice, Great Northern Extended, 
 and the Wahgunyah. The yield of gold for the Chiltern 
 and Rutherglen districts has been £2,282,384. 
 
 Ovens River. — The Ovens River and nearly all its tribu- 
 taries below Porepunkah have proved auriferous. In the 
 higher levels terrace washes, and in the lower there is evi- 
 dence of a very extensive deep lead system, now being proved 
 near Palmerston by boring. Similarly, from the neighbour- 
 hood of Beechworth in the highly auriferous plateaux situate
 
 on the water-slied line between the Ovens and the Little or 
 Kiewa runs, a number of lead systems radiate towards the 
 main valleys on either side, as the Eklorado, Woolshed, and 
 Staghorn Flat, and numerous others. 
 
 Dargo High Plains — Kound the edge of this basaltic 
 plateau, at an altitude of between 4,00U and 8,000 feet, gold 
 has been found and partially worked for many years. 
 Recently tunnelling operations by Ryan and Co. have dis- 
 closed what appears to be a deep lead system extending for 
 a distance of over 20 miles. "Whether there is more than 
 one lead remains to be })roved by boring o])eratiuns across 
 the plateau. In the Kiewa Valley there are miles of terraces 
 which should repay mining exploration. Similarly in the 
 Mitta Valley and all its tributaries allmial deposits and 
 leads occur. Towards the head of the Murray, Buckwoug 
 Creek, and Limestone Creek, along the Tambo Valley, 
 terrace washes occur in the Mitchell and all its tributaries, the 
 Wongungarra, Dargo, AVentworth, Crooked River, Wouuan- 
 gatta River, the Bemm River in East Gijjpsland, the heads 
 of the Broadribb, the Mackenzie — in short, the heads of the 
 Yarra, Goulliurn, and all streams to the east rising in the 
 Main Dividing Range — contain auriferous deposits, either as 
 creek and gully alluvium or as terraces, the former being 
 more readily worked, even with the most primitive appli- 
 ances, while the latter require the expenditui-e of capital for 
 the construction of high-level races to sluice the deposits. 
 
 Who will dare to venture the assertion that Victoria's 
 alluvial deposits and leads are worked out in the face of such 
 overwhelming evidence to the contrary ? When we realize 
 how small a portion of the proved auriferous ground has 
 really been worked as compared with that awaiting develoj)- 
 ment, there can be but one feeling, and that of unbounded 
 coulidence in tlie future mining prospects of the colony. In 
 one s<juare mile of ground in the Madame Berry area gold to 
 the value of £1,586,758 has been raised, £^4n,:(j0 jjaid in 
 divi<lends, £433,000 in wages, and £130,000 in royalty. 
 There is no sjtecial reason why other jiortions of the unworked 
 leads should not yield similar returns. They intersect 
 similar belts of known auriferous territory, and when the 
 location of the known quartz-bearing auriferous belts are 
 mapped out, and also the courses of the leads which inter- 
 sect them, a new mining era will evolve, and science and 
 practice go Inind in hand towards a more rapid industrial 
 progress and contiuucjus prosperity.
 
 53 
 
 FACTS AND FIGURES. 
 
 By James J. Fenton (Assistant Government Statist). 
 Area and Population. 
 
 Area. 
 
 Victoria, although small as compared with the other 
 Australian colonies, occupying- no more than the thirty- 
 fourth part of the whole Australian Continent, is nearly 
 as large as Great Britain, about half the size of Spain, 
 three-fourths of that of Italy, or equal to Denmark, 
 Belgium, Holland, and Poland combined. 
 
 Population. 
 
 N^otwithstandiug its size, the colony now contains one- 
 third of the inhabitants of the whole continent, and is more 
 ])opulous than any other colony except New South Wales 
 (which is three and a Jialf times the size), its density of 
 ]iopulation being 13*4 persons to a square mile as com- 
 })ared with 4^ in New South Wales, and a little over 1 in 
 Australia as a whole. The population at the last census, 
 which was taken on the 5tli April, 1891, was 1,140,405. 
 Between that period and 31st December, 1897, the inhabi- 
 tants are estimated to have increased to 1,176,238, con- 
 sisting of 595,402 males and 580,836 females. These 
 numbers show an average of about 97 females to 100 
 males. Inclusive of the suburbs, Melbourne, the capital of 
 the colony, and the most populous city in Australasia, con- 
 tained 458,610 inhabitants at the end of 1897. 
 
 Nationalities. 
 
 According to the census of 1891, 97 per cent, of the 
 colonists are British subjects by birth, and only 3 per 
 cent, are foreign born. The native Victorians numbered 
 about 714,000, or 63 per cent, of the population ; the 
 natives of other Australian colonies numbered 80,000 ; the 
 English, 163,000 ; Irish, 85,000 ; Scotch, 51,000 ; Germans, 
 11,000; (Chinese, 8,000; Swedes and Norwegians, 3,200; 
 Americans (U.S.), 2,900 : Italians, 1,700 ; Danes, 1,400 ; 
 French, 1,300; Swiss, 1,300 ; Russians, 1,200 ; and the 
 natives of other countries, about 15,000.
 
 r)4 
 
 Aborigines. 
 
 At the first colonization of the district now called Vic- 
 toria, the Aborigines were officially estimated to number 
 about 5,000 ; but according to other and apparently more 
 reliable estimates they numbered at that time not less than 
 15,000. When the colony was separated fr.»m Xew South 
 Wales in 1S51 the number was officially stated to be 2,693. 
 In 1891 the number had become reduced to 565, viz., 325 
 males and 240 females. The existence of the few that still 
 remain alive has no political or social significance what- 
 ever. The race is rajndly becoming extinct. 
 
 Religions. 
 
 The religions of the people, as returned at the census 
 of 1891, were as follow : — Protestants, n37,0O0 ; Roman 
 Catholics, 248,000 ; Jews, 6,400 ; Buddhists, c^'C, 7.Mf lO ; 
 persons of other sects or of no denomination or religion, 
 about 19,000 : and unspecified, 23,000. 
 
 Occupations, 
 
 The occupations as returned at the census are ^ first 
 classified under two main di\-isions, viz.: — Breadwinners, 
 numbering 494,000, including 114,200 females; and de- 
 pendants, 629,800, including 425,500 females. The former 
 were again sul)dinded into Professional classes, 29,600, 
 including 9,7oO females; Domestic, 57,000 (42,431 females); 
 Commercial (distributors), 98,500 (9,300 females); Indus- 
 trial — including commercial and industrial combined (modi- 
 ^^/-.s), 167,100 (2 8, 700 females); Primary Producers (grazing, 
 agriculture, mining, <fcc.), 124,0o0 (10,900 females) ; and 
 Indefinite (pensioners, &c.), 17,800 (13,300 females). These 
 figures are exclusive of Chinese, Aborigines, and the un- 
 specified. 
 
 Marriages, Births, and Deaths. 
 
 Marriages in Victoria numbered 7.454 in 1897, or 6*36 
 to every 1,000 of the jjopulation. Births in 1897 numbered 
 31,302,' or 26-69 j.er 1,000 of the poimlation. Both the 
 marriage rate and the birth rate are at i^resent below the 
 average, chiefly in consequence of a temporary deficiency in 
 the adult male jiojmlation at marriageable ages. Deaths in 
 1897 numbered 15,128, or 12-90 per 1,000 of the population, 
 which is an exceedingly low proportion as compared with
 
 55 
 
 European countries. For instance, in Sweden and Norway 
 the death rate averages about 17 per 1,000 ; in England 
 and Wales and Denmark, 19 per 1,000 ; in Belgium and 
 Holland about 20 ; in France, 22 per 1,000 ; and in Ger- 
 many, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, from 2-4- to 30 per 1 ,000. 
 
 Finance. 
 
 Revenue and Expenditure. 
 
 The State revenue of Victoria, in the financial year ended 
 with the 30th June, 1896, was £6,4.58,682, and the expen- 
 diture £6,540,182. The revenue per head was £5 9s. 3d., 
 and the expenditure per head was £5 10s. 8d. The amount 
 raised by taxation was £2,691,009, or nearly 42 per 
 cent, of the whole revenue, the principal item under this 
 head being Customs duties, which yielded £1,733,672 ; 
 next to which came Excise duties £297,030, Income tax 
 (with exemption up to £200) £168,088, Probate and 
 Succession duties £148,432, and Land tax (on large 
 pastoral estates) £127,178. The land revenue amounted 
 to £410,143, of which £295,200 was from land sales ; 
 and the railway revenue to £2,394,475. Of the ordinary 
 expenditure in 1895-6, £1,419,000 went to defray the 
 cost of working the railways, and £503,000 the posts 
 and telegraphs ; whilst £1,893,000 was paid as interest 
 on the public debt, incurred chiefly for the construction 
 of railways and other reproductive works ; £571,000 was for 
 free public instruction, including contributions towards the 
 maintenance of various educational institutions ; £255,000 
 was granted towards the maintenance of public and private 
 charitable institutions, &c., and £155,(JOO to assist and 
 encourage the agricultural and mining industries ; whilst 
 the cost of general administration absorbed £1,157,000. 
 For economic reasons the colony has of late years consider- 
 ably restricted its loan expenditiu-e, and only £219,000, 
 derived from the proceeds of loans, w^as expended during 
 the year on railways and waterworks. In 1896-7 the 
 revenue amounted to £6,630.217, and the expenditure to 
 £6,564,852. Omitting the receipts from the sale and 
 occupation of land and from railways, in order to make 
 the figures comparable with tliose of other countries, the 
 balance of revenue in 1895-6 was £3,654,064, or a larger 
 amount in proportion to population than is raised in any
 
 56 
 
 coniiTry in the world out of Australia, except Germany or 
 France. The amount per head was £3 10s. as against 
 £3 9s. 6d. in Germany (with States) ; £3 7s. in France ; 
 £2 13s. 7d. in the United Kingdom: £2 18s. in Italv ; 
 £2 7s. :d. in Belgium: £2 6s. 3d. in Holland : £2 5s. m 
 Switzerland; £2 2s. 3d. in Austria-Himgary : £1 13s. 7d. 
 in Spain ; and £1 10s. 9d. in the United States. 
 
 Local Kevenue and Expenditure. 
 
 The whole colony is di%dded into 20>' municipalities, whose 
 revenue consists of amounts received from rates, licences, dnes, 
 (tc. supplemented by a State subsidy. In 1896 their total 
 revenue amounted to £1.157,838, of which £111,967 was 
 from Government and £905.458 chiefly from local taxation ; 
 and their expenditure to £1,098.336 (exclusive of loans). 
 The State subsidy, which is divided amongst the different 
 municipalities, with certain exceptions, according to a scale 
 based upon the amount they respectively le^y from rates, is 
 at present £100.000 per annum. There are also otliei local 
 bodies, viz., a Harbor Trust (Melbourne), with a revenue 
 of £125,000 ; a Water and Sewerage Board, with one of 
 £167,000 ; besides several waterworks and irrigation trusts, 
 two tire boards, »i:c. 
 
 Public Debt. 
 
 On the 3<Jth June, 1897, the State debt of Victoria 
 amounted to £47,029,321, which is equivalent to a propor- 
 tionate indel)tedness of £4(J 3s. 9d. to every man, woman, 
 and child in the colony. In order to place the colony on a 
 sound financial footing, the borrowing poUcy has been dis- 
 continued for the present, and no further loans will be con- 
 tracted unless they can be economically utiKzei in develojjing 
 the material resources of the colony. Of the existing debt, 
 nearly four-fifths was borrowed for the construction of rail- 
 ways, three-ftjurths of the remainder for waterworks, and the 
 lialance for school buildings, defences, docks, and other pubUe 
 works. It will be observed that the debt, unlike the national 
 debts of most of the countries of the Old World, was not 
 incurred to defray tlie expense of war or for other unjjroduc- 
 tive objects, but for the prosecution of works of a permanent 
 character, necessary for the development of the colony, 
 from which amounts are already received sufficient to go a 
 long way towaids payment of the interest on the loans, and 
 liy which succeeding generations will lie largely benefited.
 
 0< 
 
 The annual interest payable amounts to £1,832,837, equiva- 
 lent to an average rate of 3* 88 ])er cent., and the loans have 
 an average currency still to run of 16 years ; but as the loans 
 mature and are replaced by 3 or 2^ per cents., there will 
 eventually be an annual saving of at least £430,000 per 
 annum. Even in the present depressed times the railways 
 are returning an annual profit of 2f per cent. 
 
 Debts of Local Bodies. 
 
 Besides the State debts, loans have been contracted for the 
 construction of public works from time to time by various 
 local bodies throughout the colony. The following amounts 
 were outstanding in 1 896 : — Municipalities, £3,569,904 (ex- 
 clusive of Government loans, £342,656) ; Melbourne Harbor 
 Trust, £2,000,000 ; Metropolitan Board of Works (Sewerage 
 and Water Supply), £3,084,065 (exclusive of £2,359,157 
 lent by the Government, and included in the public debt) ; 
 Fire Boards, £130,000. The total of these is £8,783,969. 
 As against the municipal debt, there is a sinking fund of 
 nearly half-a-million sterling. The loan of £1,650,000 con- 
 tracted by the Melbom-ne Tramway Trust is not taken into 
 account, as the principal and interest are repayable to the 
 trust by the Melbourne Tramway Company. 
 
 Monetary Institutions. 
 
 Royal Mint. 
 
 The Melbourne branch of the Royal Mint was established 
 in 1872. From the time of its opening to the end of 1896, 
 17,998,016 ozs. of gold had been received thereat, valued 
 at £71,713,761. Gold is issued from the Mint as coin or as 
 bullion. The former, with the exception of 884,584 half- 
 sovereigns, has consisted entirely of sovereigns, which have 
 numbered 65,477,718. The bullion issued has amounted to 
 1,393,164 ozs., valued at £5,790,791. 
 
 Bankb . 
 
 There is no State bank in Victoria, but there are eleven 
 joint-stock banks of issue, of which six are Victorian institu- 
 tions, with about 420 branches within the colony. According 
 to the sworn returns of these Ijanks, their note circulation 
 dm'ing the last quarter of 1896 was £979,460, and the 
 amount on deposit was £29,973,000 ; whilst on the other 
 hand the advances amounted to £37,935,000, and the coin
 
 58 
 
 and bullion to £8,900,000. The paid-np capital of the eleven 
 banks doing business in the colony was 19 millions ; but 
 their business is not confined to Victoria. Although the 
 banks have suffered considerably from the recent financial 
 crisis, they are gradually regaining their former prestige. 
 
 Savings Banks. 
 
 Every facility is afforded in Victoria to persons desirous 
 of investing their savings securely and profitably. Trustee 
 savings lianks were established in 1842, and jjost-office 
 savings banks in 1865. but in 1897 these were merged into 
 one institution, controlled by Commissioners, and guaranteed 
 by the State. According to the returns for 1897, the 
 number of depositors in the institution was about 360,000, or 
 about 31 to every 100 of the population, who had to their 
 credit £7,944,800, or an average of £22 to each depositor. 
 Most of the depositors belong to the working classes. The 
 rate of interest allowed to depositors in 1896 was 2^ per cent, 
 for the first £100, and 2 per cent, for any excess over that 
 amount up to £250. No interest is allowed on amounts over 
 £250. 
 
 State Advances to Farmers. 
 
 In order to aid and encourage the agricultural community, 
 which has for years past been hampered by the high rates oi 
 interest charged on private loans, a special department 
 under the Commissioners of Savings Banks was created, 
 by an Act passed in 1896, for the purpose of making 
 advances to farmers at the low rate of 4^ per cent, interest, 
 repayable, principal and interest, by annual instalments 
 extending over a long series of years (maximum 31^ 
 years). In the first year of its operation (1897), £365,000 
 was so advanced, and applications for a further sum of 
 £183,000 were approved. The maximum advance allowed 
 is £2,000, but the average amount agreed to be advanced to 
 each of the 1,100 successful a])plicants was not quite £500. 
 By this measure it is anticipated that the rate of interest 
 on private advances will also be greatly reduced. 
 
 Moneys on Deposit. 
 
 The moneys on deposit in banks, savings banks, and 
 building societies, at the close of 1896, amounted to 
 £39,71 1,043, of which £31,217,091 was in banks, £7,638,682 
 iu savings banks, and £855,270 in building societies. Other
 
 69 
 
 institutions, such as deposit hanks and some of the insur- 
 ance companies, also receive deposits, hut of these no returns 
 are furnished. 
 
 Life Insurance and Friendly Societies. 
 
 Ample provision is made by the colonists against old age 
 and sickness, as, in 1896, the numher of life policies in force 
 in the colony was 132,684, assuring £22,757,000. Thus 11 
 in every 100 of the population (men, women, and cliildren), 
 were assured for an average amount of £171 per policy. 
 Moreover, the Friendly Societies, which provide against sick- 
 ness and disablement, and also hand over, in the event of death, 
 a funeral donation, have a membership of 80,691 members, 
 equivalent to over one in every four males between the ages 
 of 20 and 60 ; they have an annual revenue of aljout 
 £310,000, whilst their present annual expenditure is 
 £270,000 ; they have accumulated funds amounting to 
 £1,165,400 — equivalent to an average of £14 6s. 5d. per 
 member. 
 
 Trade and Commerce. 
 
 Impo7'ts and Exports. 
 
 In 1897, the declared value of goods imported into Vic- 
 toria was £15,454,482, and that of goods exported therefrom 
 was £16,739,670. The excess of exports over imports was 
 thus £1,285,188, and the total value of external trade was 
 £32,194,152. Per head of population, the average value 
 of the imports was £13 3s., and that of the exports £14 5s., 
 or together £27 8s. These proportionate values are higher 
 than corresponding amounts in most other countries in the 
 world. In the latest year of which returns are at hand, the 
 value per head of the external trade of Holland, which is 
 larger than that of any other independent country, was £43, 
 whilst that of Belgium was £35, that of Switzerland £22, 
 the United Kingdom £19, Denmark £15, Uruguay £13, 
 Chili £11, France £10, Argentine £10, Sweden and Norway 
 £8, Germany £7, and the United States £6. About three- 
 sevenths of the total trade is with the United Kingdom 
 and two-fifths with the neiglil)ouring colonies — principally 
 New South Wales. 
 
 Principal Imports. 
 
 It is a matter of considerable difficulty exce])t in the case 
 of dutiable articles, to ascertain the imports for home
 
 60 
 
 consumptiou. The following, however, may be regarded as 
 the values of the principal of such imports in 1897: — 
 
 Imports for Consumption^ 1897. 
 
 Cotton piece goods and manufactures £847,420 
 
 Sugar and molasses ... ... 625,162 
 
 Iron and steel ... ... ... 562,794 
 
 Woollen piece goods ... ... 478,758 
 
 p 1 / Official value ... ... 228,647 
 
 '^^^^t Actual ., ... ... 304,000 
 
 Tea ... ... ... 238,415 
 
 Silk and silk manufactures ... ... 301,457 
 
 Paper (iucludiug hags) ... ... 250,657 
 
 Timher ... ..." ... ... 243,214 
 
 Apparel and slops ... ... 171,586 
 
 Spirits ... ... ... ... 186,579 
 
 Tobacco ... ... ... ... 146,242 
 
 Hides ... ... ... ... 122,577 
 
 Beef and muttou* ... ... ... 113,762 
 
 Principal Exports. 
 
 The exports of Victorian staple products 
 dependent on mining, grazing, and agriculture, 
 ing were the leacUu"' items in 1897 : — 
 
 are largely 
 The follow- 
 
 Exports of Principal Home Products, 1897. 
 
 Wool 
 Gold 
 Butter 
 
 Quantity 
 Value 
 
 { 
 
 Breadstuflfs 
 
 Quantity ... 
 Value 
 
 ( Quantitv as wheat 
 
 \ Value 
 
 I -eat her 
 
 Hay and cliaft" 
 
 Skins 
 
 Tallow 
 
 Horses 
 
 43.678,294 lbs. 
 £2.035,082 
 £4.379.264 
 22,167,0(12 lbs. 
 
 £884.976 
 
 -22,471 bushelst 
 £57,955 
 
 £327,029 
 
 £193,744 
 
 £190,922 
 
 £116,163 
 
 £104,898 
 
 Skipping. 
 
 The vessels entered and cleared at Victorian ports in 1897 
 numbered 3,280, of an aggregate burden of 4,59^,515 tons. 
 
 * Kither in the form of sheep and cattle, or meat, 
 t Net import in quantity — a most exceptional circumstance, 
 years the average annual exportation was 5,000,000 bushels. 
 
 During the previous six
 
 61 
 
 and carried about 168,000 men. About five-sixths of the 
 vessels, embracing over eight-ninths of the tonnage, and 
 carrying over ten-elevenths of the men, were steamers. 
 
 Agriculture, Grazing, and Mining. 
 Settlemeyiit on Crown Lands. 
 
 Land suitable for agricultural purposes may be obtained 
 from the Crown in Victoria under the following conditions : — 
 
 The best unsold portions of the public estate have been 
 divided into " grazing areas " of various sizes up to 1 ,000 
 acres, each of which is available for the occupation of one 
 individual, who is entitled to select, within the limits of his 
 block, an extent. not exceeding 320 acres for purchase in fee 
 simple at £1 per acre, payment of which may extend over 
 twenty years, without interest. The selected portion is 
 termed an " agricultural allotment," and of it the selector 
 is bound within the first six years to cultivate 1 acre in 
 every 10 acres, and make other improvements amounting to 
 a total value of at least £1 per acre. The unselected portion 
 of the original area is intended for pastoral purposes, and 
 for this the occupier obtains a lease at a rental of from 2d. 
 to 4d. jier acre, an allowance up to 10s. per acre being made 
 the lessee for any improvements he may have effected calcu- 
 lated to improve the stock-carrying capabilities of the laud. 
 Residence is compulsory if an agricultural allotment has 
 been selected, but not otherwise ; or by paying twice the 
 amount of purchase money, and expending upon improve- 
 ments £2 instead of £1 per acre, residence may be altogether 
 dispensed with. The area at present available for selection 
 is about 6,000,000 acres. 
 
 Private Land. 
 Persons desirous of purchasing farms already improved 
 can always do so from private individuals at prices ranging 
 from £2 per acre upwards, according to the quality of the 
 soil and value of improvements effected. The area of all 
 private lands is about 23,100,000 acres, equal to two-fifths 
 of the area of the whole colony, of which 18,000,000 acres 
 are held in fee simple, and 5,100,000 acres are in process of 
 alienation under the system of deferred payments. 
 
 J^and in Cultivation. 
 
 Only 5| per cent, of the whole area of the colony, or 
 
 14 per cent, of that of the private lands, has as yet been 
 
 brought under cultivation. In the season 1897-8 the area 
 
 under tillage was 3,242,600 acres, and the number of
 
 62 
 
 cultivators 34,00'». The principal crops are : Wheat, 
 which covered 1,638,000 acres ; oats, 294,500 acres ; 
 barley, 36,500 acres ; potatoes, 42,800 acres ; and hay, 
 578,400 acres. There were also 120,900 acres under per- 
 manent artificial grass ; 22,300 acres under green forage ; 
 36,300 acres under gardens and orchards ; 25,300 acres 
 under vines ; 12,700 acres under peas and beans ; 10,8' )< » acres 
 under maize ; 8,100 acres in market gardens ; and 15,500 
 acres under rye, vegetables, hops, tobacco, sugar-beet, 
 and a few other crops of minor importance ; whilst 
 400,500 acres were lying fallow. The produce of wheat was 
 10,426,000 bushels, or an average of 6^ per acre ; that of 
 oats, 4.844,000 bushels, or 16^ per acre ; that of barley, 
 756,000 bushels, or 13 per acre ; maize, 516,000 bushels, or 
 48 per acre ; jDotatoes, 61,700 tons, or 1^ per acre ; hay, 
 648,000 tons, or over 1 ton per acre. The yields of most of 
 the crops, more especially wheat and potatoes, were adversely 
 affected by di'ought. It should also be pointed out that the 
 greater proportion of the wheat-growing area is in the dry 
 northern districts, where the yield is restricted by the amount 
 of rainfall; in ordinary seasons the yield of wheat is about 
 10 bushels })er acre. 
 
 Wheat. 
 During the last twenty years, with but one exception, the 
 colony has produced more than enough breadstutfs for its 
 own consumption. Of the quantity produced in the season 
 1897-8, viz., 10,426,000 bushels, about 3,000,000 bushels 
 will be available for export in 1898. 
 
 Fruit. 
 Fruit of all kinds could be produced, if required, in almost 
 unlimited quantities : l)ut owing to its perishal)le nature, 
 and the waut of economical, as well as efficient, means of 
 preser\ ation and transport, bat little has as yet found its way 
 to European markets. In 1896-7 the number of orchardists 
 was about 4,100 ; and the quantity of large fruits gathered 
 for sale was retiu*ned at 1,100,000 cases, consisting chiefly 
 of a])ples, apricots, pears, and plums. The quantity of small 
 fruits, sucli as raspberries, strawberries, goosel)erries, currants, 
 (fee, was 21,114 cwt.: and that of nuts — almonds, walnuts, 
 filberts, <fcc. — 52,226 lbs. Fruit-drying is carried on chiefly 
 at Mildura — an irrigation settlement on the lliver Murray ; 
 the quantity produced in orchards in 1896 was 226,750 lbs., 
 consisting chiefly of apricots, peaches, and figs; and in vine- 
 yards 11,276 cwt. of raisins, and 762^ cwt. of cmrants.
 
 63 
 
 Wine. 
 
 The wine industry, which promises to be of great im- 
 portance to the colony, has made rajjid progress during 
 the last eight years, the area under vines having increased 
 from less than 13,000 acres in 1888-9 to nearly 28,000 
 acres in 1896-7, the wine made from 1,200,000 gallons to 
 2,822,000 gallons, and the quantity exported from about 
 200,000 gallons to 354,000 gallons. In 1890-7 tlie quantity 
 of grapes gathered was 601,000 cwt., of which 434,000 cwt. 
 was made into wine ; and the numbtir of vine-growers was 
 2,600. The State has given special attention and encourage- 
 ment to the industry by the founding of a School of Viti- 
 culture ; by the establishment of Wineries, three of which 
 have already been started ; and l)y offering special induce- 
 ments for the opening up of foreign markets, 
 
 Suffcir. 
 
 One of the latest industries started in the colony is the 
 manufacture of sugar from beet, for the growth of which the 
 soil and climate of certain j^arts of the colony are believed to 
 be especially adapted. One factory, equipped with the most 
 modern machinery, has already commenced operations under 
 favorable auspices. The only encouragement given by the 
 State is in the form of a loan, at 4 per cent, interest, of about 
 two-thirds of the caj)ital invested in buildings and machinery, 
 but this has to be repaid by instalments extending over a 
 period of 23 years. One of the conditions antecedent to 
 granting the Government advance was that occupiers or 
 owners of suitable land should undertake to cultivate for 
 three years at least 1,500 acres of sugar beet in the vicinity 
 of the factory. The best sites for factories are reported to 
 be MafFra, in Gippsland, where the present factory is 
 located, and Port Fairy (formerly named Belfast), in the 
 western district. A further Government advance has been 
 authorized, and is available, for the establishment of a 
 second factory. 
 
 Special ProiJacts. 
 
 There is also unlimited scope for the cultivation of maize, 
 tobacco, the opium poppy, the olive, and other oil jjlants, 
 flax and hemp — for oil seed and fibre, grass and clover 
 seeds, scent and essential oil plants ; l)at these have as yet 
 received but little attention.
 
 64 
 
 Grazing and Live Stock. 
 
 The area of Crown lands occ-npied for pastoral purposes 
 was 19,5u0,00u acres, or 35^ per cent, of the area of the 
 whole colony, and there are besides freehold grazing lands to 
 the extent of close on 20,000,000 acres. The Crown lands 
 are held by about 22,000 lessees or licensees, who pay the 
 State an annual rental of £78,000 for the use of the land. 
 According to the latest returns, the live stock in the colony 
 consisted^ of 431,547 horses ; 1,826,435 horned cattle (in- 
 cluding 457,924 milch cows); 13,180,943 sheep; and 
 337,5SN pigs. The number of dairy farmers was 27,000, 
 of whom all but about 1,400 are also cultivators. 
 
 Wool. 
 
 Wool is one of the staple products of the colony, and the 
 quantity produced in 1897 was 54,567,742 lbs., of the value 
 of £2,105,936. With the exception of a small projiortion 
 manufactured in the colony, the whole of this is exported — 
 about three-fourths being sent to the United Kingdom, and 
 most of the remainder to the Continent of Em-ope. 
 
 Batter. 
 
 The dairying industry, for which Victorian pasttu-es are 
 well adapted, has made rapid strides during the last few 
 years, owing to the opening up of markets in the United 
 Kingdom, rendered possible by the incorporation of freezing 
 chambers in ocean-bound vessels, and stimulated in the first 
 instance by bonuses granted by the State. As, however, the 
 bonuses have for some time past been discontioued, the 
 industry now stands on its own merits. The industry has so 
 far been mainly confined to butter, the manufacture of 
 cheese on a large scale having attracted but little attention. 
 The followimi" fitrures, showing an increase in the exports of 
 butter from 1,000,000 lbs. in' 1889 to over 22,000,000 lbs. 
 in lb97, speak for themselves : — 
 
 
 Export 
 
 of Victorian 
 
 Lbe. 
 
 Butter. 
 
 £, 
 
 1889 
 
 . . . 
 
 1,010,220 
 
 
 37,447 
 
 1891 
 
 • . «. 
 
 4,652.344 
 
 ... 
 
 226,326 
 
 1»93 
 
 . . . 
 
 13,975,633 
 
 
 573.107 
 
 1897 
 
 ... 
 
 22,167.U12 
 
 ... 
 
 884,976
 
 65 
 
 Frozen Meat. 
 A considerable trade has also been established l)v the 
 export of frozen mutton. In 1897 over 19,000,000^ lbs., 
 valued at £178,227, was exported, of which, however, about 
 one-third came from New South Wales. 
 
 Gold. 
 Nearly one-third of tlie world's annual production of gold 
 is raised in the Australasian Colonies, and of these Yictoria 
 still holds the premier position, notwithstanding the recent 
 rapid development of the gold-lields of Western Australia. 
 The quantity raised in Victoria in 1897 was 812,765 ounces, 
 valued at £3,251,060, which was by far the largest yield in 
 any year since 1882 ; whilst the total quantity raised since 
 the first discovery in the colony in 1851 was 61,773,000 
 ounces, valued at al)out 247 millions sterling. The number 
 of gold miners is about 26,000, of whom 2,500 are Chinese. 
 
 Coal. 
 
 Coal deposits of commercial value have only recently been 
 discovered, but they are being rapidly opened uj), and in 
 1897 the quantity raised was 236,777 tons, or nearly one- 
 third of the colony's total requirements. Besides coal 
 there exist in various localities immense beds of black and 
 brown peat and brown coal, the latter varying from 60 to 
 200 feet in thickness, which when freed from moisture and 
 converted into briquettes forms an excellent fuel, as has 
 been proved by experiment. This industry, however, still 
 awaits development. 
 
 Value of Productions. 
 
 In Victoria the annual value of the principal products of 
 agriculture is about 5 millions sterling ; grazing (including 
 butter and cheese), about ~\ millions ; mining, about 3^ 
 millions ; manufacturing industry, 10 millions (exclusive of 
 cost of raw material); and poultry farming, about 2^ millions ; 
 making a grand total of 28;^ millions sterling. 
 
 Manufactukes. 
 
 Manufactories, Works, ^'c. 
 
 Manufacturing enterprise in Victoria has for years past 
 
 been stimulated by protective duties. Great difference of 
 
 opinion exists as to the wisdom of such a policy ; but, 
 
 whether in consequence or in spite of these imposts, there 
 
 1359. E
 
 66 
 
 can be no doubt tliat Victoria, as a mannfacturiuo^ country, 
 now occupies a higher position than any other colony of the 
 Austrahisian group. Statistics of manufactures and works 
 in operation are collected annually. The collectors are 
 instructed to ol)tain returns only from establishments 
 employing foiu" hands or upwards, or those with less than 
 foiu- hands when machinery worked by steam, gas, electric, 
 wind, or horse-power is used. No attempt is made to 
 enumerate mere shops, although some manufacturing indus- 
 try may be carried on thereat ; were this done, the manufac- 
 tories of the colony might be multi})lied to an almost 
 indeiinite extent. 
 
 In 1896, the total number of establishments returned was 
 2,810, employing 50,448 hands, viz., 37,779 males and 
 12,669 females, in which capital was invested to the amoimt 
 of over 12:^ millions sterling — £4,983,000 in machinery and 
 plant. £4,376.000 in building and imjjrovemeuts, and 
 £2,921.000 in land. In 1,252 of the establishments steam 
 was used, in 478 gas, in 5 electric, in 19 water, in 6 wind, 
 in 86 horse-power, and in 964 manual labour only was 
 employed ; and the engines in use were worked to an 
 aggregate horse-power of 29,000, and had a full capacity of 
 38,543 ; whilst over three-fourths of the hands were engaged 
 in factories using machinery worked by steam, gas, electric, 
 wind, or horse-power. The factories may be divided into two 
 main classes, those occupied with the partial or crude treat- 
 ment of raw materials, which numbered 459, and employed 
 4,547 hands ; and those engaged in manufactm-ing finished 
 articles of consumption, which numbered 2,351, and employed 
 45,901 hands. Of the total number of industries, 227, with 
 1,802 hands, were working in animal, and 124, with 3,262 
 hands, in vegetable and mineral foods ; 237, with 3,097 hands, 
 in drinks and narcotics : 474, with 15,768 hands, in dress and 
 textile lal)rics ; 120, with 1.696 hands, in furniture; 124, 
 with 1,598 lumds, in building materials: 240, with 3,237 
 hands, in road, railway, and water vehicles, and other 
 ajjparatus for transportation: 13u, with 2,235 hands, in 
 animal matters ; 391, with 3,934 hands, in wood and other 
 vegetable substances ; 62, with 676 hands, in oils and fats 
 (animal and vegetalde) ; 334, with 6,263 hands, in metals 
 and minerals ; 34, with 428 hands, in gold, silver, and 
 precious stones; 57, with 7.^7 hands, in heat, light, and 
 energy ; 203, with 4,654 hands, in ]irinting, account books, 
 and stationerv ; and 53, with 1,011 hands, in other industries.
 
 The princi})al })i'0(lucts mamifuctured during the year were 
 as follow : — Flour, 122,541 tons ; beer, 14^ million gallons ; 
 spirits, 410,0<JU gallons (proof) : sugar and molasses refined, 
 783,162 cwt.; tobacco, 985,811 lbs.; butter, 29,676,097 lbs.; 
 bacon and hams, 7,817,977 lbs.; soap, 140,792 cwt.; candles^ 
 51,552 cwt.; woollen cloth, flannel, &c., 2,180,704 yards ; 
 blankets, 9,519; hides, tanned, 439,291; skins, tanned, 
 2,147,169; boots and shoes, made, 2,598,387 pairs; timber 
 (Victorian), sawn, 31,973,743 super, feet; gas, 1,477,130,510 
 cubic feet; electric energy supplied, 4,916,171 Brit, units ; 
 bricks, 55,682,110. In freezing works, moreover, 271,79(> 
 carcasses of sheep and 860,904 of rabbits were treated for 
 export. 
 
 Railways. 
 
 The Railways in Victoria are exclusively the property of 
 the State, whose policy has been not only to systematically 
 open up the interior and keep pace with the development of 
 the country, but also to anticipate settlement ; and although 
 in the past they were not, nor were intended to be, worked 
 on strict commercial principles, still the whole community 
 has derived from them incalculable benefits, and it is believed 
 that few railway systems in the world could show from their 
 inception so favorable a record. Their success would have 
 been still greater, but for the construction of a large number 
 of political lines, the heavy cost of construction — due to the 
 sudden rise in the price of land immediately it was known 
 to be required for railway purj30ses, and the high rate of 
 interest on public loans. All these things, however, are now 
 changed. The railways have been removed from political 
 control, and an attempt is being made to work them on 
 commercial principles ; unreasonable prices are not now 
 paid for land, which is indeed in many cases obtained free of 
 cost ; whilst the cnrrent rate of interest on loans, formerly 
 as high as 6, 5, and 4 per cent., has fallen to 3 per cent., which 
 will result in a considerable saving as the loans mature. 
 
 On the 30th June, 1897, 3,112 miles were open for traffic, 
 about 300 miles of which were laid with double lines. The 
 cost of construction of lines open for traffic was, inclusive of 
 rolling-stock, £38,325,517, or an average of about £12,315 
 per mile ; of this amount about £35,521,777 was raised 
 by means of loans, and the remainder — or about 7 per 
 cent. — was contributed from the general revenue. The
 
 68 
 
 train mileage daring the year was 9,228,687. The total 
 receipts amounted to £2,615,935, and the working expenses 
 to £1, 563,806. The net income was thus £1,052,129, which 
 is equivalent to a return of 2J per cent, on the mean eapital 
 cost, or close on 3 j)er cent, on the debenture capital. This 
 must be considered a satisfactory result, considering the 
 adverse effect on the revenue of the failure of the harvest, 
 and seeing that at the present time the average rate of 
 interest payable upon the railway loans is between 3| and 4 
 per cent. 
 
 Posts and Telegraphs. 
 
 Post-offices. 
 
 A very efficient postal system exists in Victoria, and 
 post-oflSces are established throughout the length and 
 breadth of the colony; 1,572 of such institutions now exist, 
 as against 1,342 twelve years since. In the year 1^96 the 
 letters passing through the post numbered 84,124,347, in 
 addition to which there were large numbers of newspapers, 
 packets, and parcels. The postage on letters to places in 
 any of the Australasian colonies is twopence per ounce, and 
 on newspapers one halfpenny each. The postage on letters 
 to the United Kingdom is twopence halfpenny, and on 
 newspapers one penny. 
 
 Money Orders. 
 
 Money-order offices in Victoria in connexion with the post- 
 office have been established in 443 places, and the system is 
 being rapidly extended by the opening of fresh offices. 
 Besides the issue and payment of money orders at these 
 places, such orders are issued in favour of Victoria, and 
 Victorian orders are paid, not only at places in Great Britain 
 and Ireland and in the various Australasian colonies, 
 but also in the principal British possessions and foreign 
 countries throughout the world. The nucnber cif money 
 orders issued during the year l.s96 was 217,878, of 
 an aggregate value of £66b,8?52. The commission on 
 money orders for supis not exceeding £5 is 6d. to places in 
 Victoria; and 6d. for sums under £2, and Is. for those under 
 £5, to places in the other Australasian colonies ; and so on 
 proi)orti(>nately for larger sums up to £20. To the United 
 Kingdoui and other countries, the charge is on a scale
 
 69 
 
 averaging about Is, for every £2, with a further rate 
 varying- from 3(1. to 9d. for orders passing through the 
 London office. The limit for a single order is £20 to places 
 in the Australasian colonies, ( -hina, Italy, (Tcrmany, and the 
 United States, and £10 to other places. Money orders may 
 be made payable in all the Australasian colonies by telegraph 
 on payment of the minimum charge for a telegram in 
 addition to the above rates, except in the case of New 
 Zealand, in which instance the charge for a money-order 
 telegram is 5s. 
 
 Postal Notes. 
 
 Postal notes are also issued, chiefly for use within the 
 colony, for any amounts not exceeding £1, at charges rang- 
 ing from ^d. to 3d. The number of such notes paid 
 during 1896 was 944,028, having a total nominal value of 
 £385,403. 
 
 Electric Telegraphs. 
 
 Telegraphs in Victoria are Government property, and are 
 worked in connexion with the Post-office. Telegraphic 
 communication exists between 791 stations within the 
 colony, and the Victorian lines are connected besides with 
 the lines of New South Wales, and by means of them with 
 Queensland and New Zealand. They are also connected 
 with the lines of South Australia, and by their means wath 
 Western Australia, and with the Eastern Archipelago, Asia, 
 Europe, and America. They are likewise united with a sub- 
 marine cable to Tasmania. In 1896 the miles of line along 
 which poles extended numbered 6,977, of which 3,140 miles 
 belonged to the Railway Department, and the miles of wire 
 14,389, including 5,018 miles used for railway purposes ; the 
 telegrams transmitted numbered 1,872,615, of which 64,281 
 were on Government business. To places within Victoria, 
 telegrams containing not more than nine words are sent for 
 9d., Id. extra being charged for each additional word. To 
 New South AVales the charge is Is. for ten words; to South 
 Australia and Tasmania, 2s. ; to Western Australia and 
 Queensland, 3s. ; and to New Zealand, 3s. 6d. For each addi- 
 tional word 6d. is charged to the last named, 3d. to Queens- 
 land, and 2d. to the other colonies. To England or the 
 Continent of Europe, the rate is 4s. lOd. j^er word ; to 
 India it varies from 4s. lOd. to 5s. Id.: and to the United
 
 70 
 
 States, from 5s. lOd. to 6s. 6d. In the case of telegrams to 
 places on the Australian Continent, names and addresses 
 are not charged for ; to places in Tasmania they are not 
 charged for unless they exceed ten vrords. but all words 
 above that number are charged for as part of the message. 
 In the case of telegrams to Xew Zealand. England, the 
 Continent of Europe, India, and the United States, the 
 names and addresses of both sender and receiver are charged 
 for as part of trie message. 
 
 Telephones. 
 
 During the last few years, telephonic has in a large 
 measure superseded the less expeditious postal and tele- 
 graphic communication in the chief centres of population, 
 and the telephone system has been rapidly extended to meet 
 public requirements. At the end of 1896, there were thirteen 
 public exchanges, having 2,754 subscribers, whilst the length 
 of wire used exceeded 1U,UU0 miles. A few bureaux for the 
 use of the public have already been established. 
 
 Education. 
 
 University. 
 
 The Melbourne University, which has been established 
 since 1855, is empowered to grant in any faculty except 
 <li\-inity (no religious test being permissible) any degree, 
 d.ii)loma, certifieate, or licence which can be conferred in 
 any university in the British dominions ; and by Royal 
 letters patent, under the sign-manual of Her ^Majesty Queen 
 Victoria, issued in 1859, it was declarcMl that all degrees 
 granted bv the Melbourne Universitv should be recoirnised 
 as academic distinctions and rewards of merit, and should 
 be entitled to rank, precedence, and consideration in the 
 United Kingdom and in British colonies and possessions 
 throughout the world just as fully as if they had lieen granted 
 by any university in the United Kingdom. The institution 
 at present receives an annual endowment of £12,250 from 
 the general revenue. On the 22nd March, 1 Ht<<), the Univer- 
 sity was thrown open to females, and they can now be admitted 
 to all its corporate privdleges. Affiliated to the Univer- 
 sity are three colleges in connexion with the Episcopalian, 
 the Presbyterian, and the Wesleyan Church resjjectively, 
 and named Trinity, Ormond. and Queen's. Ormond
 
 71 
 
 College, named after the late Hon. Francis Ormond, M.L.C., 
 who contriLuted nearly £82,000 towards its erection and 
 endowment. The University Hall, built at a cost of about 
 £40,000, is called the Wilson Hall, after the late Sir 
 Samuel Wilson, who contributed the greater portion of the 
 funds for its erection. Since the opening of the University, 
 4,040 students matriculated, and 2,452 degrees were 
 granted — including al)0ut 100 to lady graduates, of which 
 2,066 were direct, and 386 ad eundem. The students who 
 matriculated in 1896 numbered 129 — of whom 16 were 
 females ; and the graduates in the same year numbered 123 
 — of whom 31 were females. 
 
 State Education. 
 
 The State educational system of A^ictoria, the basis of 
 which is that secular instruction shall be provided, without 
 payment, for children whose parents may be willing to 
 accept it, but that, whether accepted or not, satisfactory 
 evidence must be produced that all children, up to the age 
 of 13, are educated up to a given standard, has been most 
 successful in its operation. In 1872, just before the present 
 system came into operation, the number of children returned 
 as on the rolls of State schools was 130,055, whilst in 1896, 
 after the system had been in force for twenty-four years, 
 the number had increased to 235,617, or by 73 per cent., 
 the increase of population in the same period having been 
 only 52 per cent. It has been estimated that the propor- 
 tion of children attending school for not less than 40 days 
 in each quarter amounts to about 47 j^er cent, of the numbers 
 on the rolls. 
 
 Private Schools. 
 
 Besides the State schools, which are attended by five- 
 sixths of the children under instruction in the colony, there 
 are, according to the latest returns, 939 private schools, 
 attended by 49,996 scholars. Some of these private 
 schools are attached to religious denominations, as many as 
 220, with 23,562 scholars, being connected with the Roman 
 Catholic Church. Six are called colleges or grammar 
 schools, two of which are connected with the Church of 
 England, two with the Roman Catholic, one with the 
 Presbyterian, and one with the Wesleyan Church. In these,
 
 as well Jis in some of the other private schools, a very high 
 class of education, almost if not ([uite eijual to that obtained 
 in the best public schools in England, is given. 
 
 Results of Victorian School System. 
 
 It has been officially estimated that of the children in 
 Victoria between the ages of six and thirteen (the school age), 
 all but a very small proportion receive education during 
 some portion of each year. The results are shown in the very 
 large proportion of educated children comprised in the 
 population. According to the returns of the census of 1891, 
 of every 10,OijO children at the school age, 9,389 could read, 
 8,770 of whom could also write, and only 611 were unable 
 to read. The proportion of instructed children indicated 
 by these figures is far higher than the proportion prevailing 
 in any of the other Australasian colonies, and is equalled 
 in few, if in any, other coimtries. 
 
 Clergy and Churches. 
 
 Clergy. — There l)eing no State religion in Victoria, and 
 no money voted for any religious oljject, the clergy are 
 supported by the efforts of the denomination to which they 
 are attached. The clergy, ministers, &c.. num1)er 1,615, of 
 whom 236 belong to the Church of England, 198 to the 
 Roman Catholic Church, 237 to the Presbyterian Church, 
 218 to the Methodist Churches, 59 to the Independent 
 Church, 52 to the Baptist Church, 38 to the Bible Christian 
 Church, 474 to the Salvation Army, 95 to other Christian 
 churches, and ?^ to the Jewish Church. Besides these there 
 are other officials connected with some of the sects who, 
 without being regularly ordained, perform the functions of 
 clergymen, and are styled lay readers, lay assistants, local 
 preachers, mission agents, &c. The number of these is not 
 known, but it no doubt materially swells the ranks of 
 religious instructors in the colony. 
 
 Churches and Chapels. — The buildings used for public 
 worship throughout Victoria number at the present time 
 about 4,809, of which 2,651 are regular churches and 
 chapels, and 2,158 public or private buildings. Accommoda- 
 tion is provided for 650,000 persons, but the number attend- 
 ing the principal weekly services is said not to exceed 
 500,000. About 350,000 services are performed during 
 the vear. Of the whole nnml)er of buildiims used for
 
 73 
 
 religious worship, 1,081 belon.o- to the Church of Eng- 
 land, 570 to the Roman Catholics, 947 to the Presbyterian^s, 
 1,386 to the Methodists, 819 to other Christiaus, and 
 to the Jews. 
 
 Prices. 
 
 The following are the quoted prices of the principal 
 articles of consumption, also of live stock, in Melbourne 
 during the year ls96. In country districts the cost of 
 groceries, tobacco, wines and spirits, &c., is naturally some- 
 what higher, and that of agricultural and grazing produce, 
 firewood, &c., somewhat lower, than in Melbourne : — 
 
 Prices in Melbourne, 1896. 
 
 Aniclet^. 
 
 Prices. 
 
 
 Agricultural Produce. 
 
 
 Wheat 
 
 ... per bushel 
 
 4s. 2d. to Gs. 
 
 ^M^^°' ::; - ' - 
 
 3s. to 4s. 9d. 
 2s. 8d. to 3s. 8d. 
 
 Oats ... 
 
 ... 
 
 2s. to 3s. 8d. 
 
 Maize 
 
 )) 
 
 3s. to 4s. 
 
 Ilran ... 
 
 ,, 
 
 S^d. to Is. 2d. 
 
 Hay ... 
 
 per i(in 
 
 £2 10s. to £6 5s. 
 
 Flour, first quality ... ... „ 
 
 £9 to £15 
 
 Bread 
 
 ... per 4-Ib. loaf 
 Grazing Produce. 
 
 4^d. to 8d. 
 
 Horses — 
 
 
 
 Medium 
 
 to heavy draught ... each 
 
 £17 to £23 
 
 Saddle 
 
 xod light harness ... ,, 
 
 £10 to £35 
 
 Butchers' 
 
 meat — 
 
 
 Beef 
 
 per lb. 
 
 3d. to Cd. 
 
 Mutton 
 
 ... 
 
 Hd. to 41. 
 
 Veal 
 
 
 •2d. to 6d. 
 
 Pork 
 
 ,'' 
 
 3d. to 6d. 
 
 Lamb 
 
 ... per quarter 
 Dairy Produce. 
 
 Is. to Is. 9d. 
 
 Butter 
 
 per lb. 
 
 8d. to Is. 3d. 
 
 Cheese 
 
 ... 
 
 6d. to lOd. 
 
 Milk ... 
 
 ... per quart 
 Farm-yakd Produce. 
 
 3d. to 5d.* 
 
 Geese 
 
 ... per couple 
 
 4s. to 10s. 
 
 Ducks 
 
 ,, 
 
 2s. 6d. to 6s. 
 
 Fowls 
 
 
 3s. to 6s. 
 
 Rabbits 
 
 
 6d. to Is. 
 
 Pigeons 
 
 ... ,, 
 
 Is. to 2s. 
 
 
 * In the country the price is onlj 3d. per ga 
 
 Ion.
 
 Peicks in Melbouene. 1896 — continued. 
 
 Articles. 
 
 Prices. 
 
 Farm- YARD Prodcce — continueH. 
 
 
 Turkeys 
 
 each 
 
 5 s. to 20s. 
 
 Sucking pigs ... 
 Bacon 
 
 per lb. 
 
 5s. to lOs. 
 7d. to 9d. 
 
 Ham ... 
 
 
 9d. to Is. 
 
 Eggs ... 
 
 per doz. 
 
 6d. to Is. 9d. 
 
 Garden Produce. 
 
 
 Potatoes 
 
 per cwt. 
 
 2s. to 8s. 
 
 Onions, dried ... 
 
 ,, 
 
 3s. to 14s. 
 
 Carrots 
 
 l)cr dozen bunches 
 
 3d. to Is. 
 
 Turnips 
 Radishes 
 
 yy 
 
 3d. to 9d. 
 3d. to 5d. 
 
 Cabbages 
 
 per doz. 
 
 6d. to 2.S. 6d. 
 
 Cauliflowers ... 
 
 ,, 
 
 Is. to 5s. 
 
 Lettuces 
 
 ... , , 
 
 3d. to 9d. 
 
 Green peas, retail 
 
 per lb. 
 
 Id. to 3d. 
 
 MiSCELLANEOCS 
 
 A RTICLES. 
 
 
 Tea ... 
 
 per lb. 
 
 Is. to 2s. 
 
 Coffee 
 
 ,, 
 
 Is. 3d. to 2s. 
 
 Sugar, refined ... 
 
 )) 
 
 2fd. 
 
 Rice ... 
 
 ... J , 
 
 3d. 
 
 Tobacco 
 
 
 3s. 6d. to 58. 
 
 Soap, common 
 Candles — Sperm 
 Salt ... 
 
 ,, 
 
 2fd. 
 
 5d. to S^d. 
 
 fd. to Id. 
 
 Coal ... 
 
 per ton 
 
 16s. to 20s. 
 
 Firewood 
 
 ,, 
 
 I5s. to 20s. 
 
 Gas (in IS98) ... 
 
 ... per 1,000 ft. 
 
 5s. 
 
 Wines, Spirits, etc. 
 
 
 Ale — English ... 
 
 per doz. 
 
 8s. to 10s. 6d. 
 
 ,, Colonial 
 Porter — English 
 
 1 
 
 1 per quart 
 per doz. 
 
 5s. 6d. 
 
 6d. 
 
 8s. 9d. tolOs. 6d. 
 
 Brandy 
 
 ... per bottle 
 
 4s. 6d. to 6s. 
 
 Whisky 
 
 ,, 
 
 48. to 5s. 6d. 
 
 Wine (Colonial) 
 
 per doz. 
 
 1 2s. to 20s. 
 
 " 
 
 per gall. 
 
 3s. to 7s. 6d. 
 
 Wages. 
 
 The following table contains a statement of the average 
 rates of wages paid in res])ect to engagements made in 
 Melbourne in 1806. The quotations are without board and
 
 75 
 
 lodging, unless otherwise expressly stated. Througliout 
 Victoria, the recognised working day for artisans and 
 o-eneral labourers is eight hours : — 
 
 Description of Labour. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 1. — Domestic Servants (with Board and Lodging). 
 
 Males. 
 Coachmen, footmen, ~| , 
 
 grooms, gardeners j *^ 
 Butlers.., 
 
 Cooks ... 
 Laundresses 
 Housemaids ■ 
 Nursemaids 
 General servants 
 Girls ... 
 
 Females. 
 per annum 
 
 per week 
 
 20s. to .30s. 
 20s. to 30s. 
 
 £40 to £7.5 
 £40 to £52 
 £.30 to £40 
 £30 to £40 
 £20 to £35 
 8s. to 10s. 
 
 2. — Hotel Servants (with Board and Lodging). 
 Males. 
 
 Barmen 
 
 per week 
 
 Waiters 
 
 ., 
 
 Boots ... 
 
 
 Ostlers ... 
 
 y^ ... ... 
 
 Cooks ... 
 
 » 
 
 
 Females. 
 
 Barmaids 
 
 per week 
 
 Waitresses 
 
 „ 
 
 Housemaids 
 
 per annum 
 
 Cooks ... 
 
 ,, 
 
 
 3. — Farm Servants. 
 
 
 Males. 
 
 Ploughmen 
 
 per week, and found 
 
 Farm labourers 
 
 >* 9) -•• 
 
 Milkmen for dairie 
 
 s „ „ 
 
 Cheesemakers ... 
 
 )> >» • • • 
 
 Keapers * 
 
 per acre, ,, 
 
 Mowers * 
 
 yy 9* ■** 
 
 Threshers* 
 
 per bushel, ,, 
 
 Cooks ... 
 
 per annum, „ 
 
 Dairy milkmaids 
 Cooks ... 
 General servants „ 
 
 Married couples) 
 
 (generally useful)/ " 
 Hop-pickers ... per bushel 
 Maize-pickers ... per bag 
 
 Females. 
 per annum, with board and lodging 
 
 20s. to 30s. 
 20s to 30s. 
 1 5s. to 25s. 
 15s. to 20s. 
 20s. to 65s. 
 
 15s. to 25s. 
 15s. to 20s. 
 £30 to £35 
 £50 to £100 
 
 15s. to 20s. 
 12s. 6d. to 15s. 
 lOs. to 15s. 
 25s. to 40s. 
 10s. to 15s. 
 4s. to 6s. 
 5d. to 7d. 
 £50 to £60 
 
 £30 to £35 
 £30 to £40 
 £20 to £30 
 
 £50 to £60 
 
 2d. to 3|d. 
 4d. to 6d. 
 
 The greater part of the reaping, mowing, and threshing is being done by machinery.
 
 7(i 
 
 Wages ix Melbolrxe, 181»6 — continued. 
 
 Description of Labour. 
 
 Boundary riders., 
 Shepherds 
 Stockmen 
 Cooks ... 
 Labourers 
 Drovers 
 
 Sheepwashers . . 
 Shearers 
 
 Cooks ... 
 General servauts 
 Married couples 
 
 4. —Station Servants. 
 
 Mates (with rations). 
 .. per annum 
 
 per week 
 
 per 100 sheep shorn 
 
 Females. 
 per annum, with board and lodging 
 
 per annum, with rations ... 
 
 5. — Workers in Books, etc. 
 Printers — 
 
 Compositors ... per 1,000 
 
 Machinists ... per week 
 Lithographers ... „ 
 
 Binders 
 
 Paper rulers ... „ 
 
 Sewers and folders) 
 
 (females) 
 
 J 
 
 6. — In Watches, Jewellery, and 
 
 Watchmakers ... per week 
 Manufacturing \ 
 jewellers /" " 
 
 Precious Metals 
 
 per dav 
 per week 
 
 7. — In Metals other than Gold and Silver. 
 Blacksmiths 
 Die-sinkers 
 Engravers 
 Farriers — Firemen „ 
 
 „ Floormen „ 
 
 Hammermen ... per dav 
 Fitters ... ... ^^ ' 
 
 Turners 
 
 Boilermakers and platers, per day 
 
 Riveters ... per day 
 
 Lamp-makers ... per week 
 
 Pattern-makers ... per day 
 
 Moulders 
 
 Brassfinishers, coppersmiths, per day 
 
 Tinsmiths ... per week 
 
 Japanners 
 
 Ironworkers 
 
 Galvanizers 
 
 Plumbers, L'asfittf-rs 
 
 Rate. 
 
 £-10 to £60 
 £36 to £5-2 
 £50 to £60 
 £60 to £70 
 15s. to 20s. 
 25s. to 40s. 
 15s. to 25s. 
 15s. to 16s. 
 
 £30 to £60 
 £30 to £36 
 £50 to £70 
 
 Is. 
 
 £2 12s. to £3 
 £2 10s. to £3 10s. 
 
 £2 10s. to £4 
 £2 10s. to £3 10s. 
 
 12s. 6d. to 27s. 6d. 
 
 £2 to £3 
 £1 10s. to £4 
 
 9s. to lis. 
 
 £2 108. to £4 10s 
 
 £1 15s. to £3 
 
 £2 to £2 5s. 
 
 £1 15s. to £2 2s. 
 
 6s. 6d. to 7s. 
 
 9s. to 10s. 
 
 I 9s. to 10s. 
 
 . lOs. to lis. 
 
 los. to lis. 
 
 £1 15s. to £3 
 
 8s. to lOs. 
 9s. to lOs. 4d. 
 
 8s. to 10«.. 
 £2 to £2 14s. 
 £2 to £2 I As. 
 £2 to £3 6s. 
 £2 to £3 6s. 
 £1 10s. to £3
 
 Wages in Melbourne, 1896 — continued. 
 
 Description of Labour. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 8. — In Carriages and Harness. 
 
 Smiths... ... per week 
 
 ... 
 
 £2 to £3 
 
 Body makers ... „ 
 
 
 £2 to £2 1 Os. 
 
 Wheelers ... „ 
 
 
 £2 to £2 lOs. 
 
 Painters ... per day 
 
 
 6s. to 8s. 4d. 
 
 Trimmers ... per week 
 
 
 £2 to £2 14s. 
 
 Vycemen ... „ 
 
 
 £1 lOs. to £2 
 
 Collar-makers ... „ 
 
 
 £1 5s. to £3 
 
 Harness-makers... ,, 
 
 
 £1 5s. to £3 
 
 Saddle-makers ... „ 
 
 
 £1 5s. to £3 
 
 Saddle-tree makers „ 
 
 
 £1 15s. to £2 lOs 
 
 Whip-makers ... ,, 
 
 
 £1 10s. to £3 108 
 
 9. — Ships and 
 
 Boats. 
 
 
 Sailors — 
 
 
 
 Sailing vessels... per month, 
 
 and found 
 
 £3 to £4 
 
 Steam-ships „ 
 
 X 
 
 £6 
 
 Ship carpenters, shipwrights (steam), per month, and found 
 
 £9 
 
 Stevedores' men,^ . 
 lumpers | P'^'' ^^^^ 
 
 
 
 Ss. to 10s. 
 
 10. — In Houses ane 
 
 Buildings. 
 
 
 Masons ... ... per day 
 
 
 8s. 
 
 Plasterers ... „ 
 
 
 6s. to 7s. 
 
 Bricklayers ... „ 
 
 s. . ... ... 
 
 6s. to 8s. 
 
 Slaters ... „ 
 
 
 7s. to 8s. 
 
 Carpenters ... „ 
 
 
 6s. to 8s. 
 
 Labourers ... „ 
 
 
 5s. to 6s. 
 
 Painters and glaziers „ 
 
 
 5s. to 8s. 
 
 Signwriters ... „ 
 
 
 7s. to 8s. 
 
 Paperhangers ... „ 
 
 
 5s. to 7s. 
 
 11. — In Furnit 
 
 DRE, ETC. 
 
 
 Cabinetmakers ... per week 
 
 
 £1 5s. to £2 10s. 
 
 Carvers ... „ 
 
 ... 
 
 £2 5s. 
 
 Turners ... „ 
 
 
 £2 58. 
 
 Uphol.sterers ... „ 
 
 
 £2 to £2 15s. 
 
 Polishers ... ,, 
 
 
 £2 to £2 IDs. 
 
 Coopers ... per day 
 
 
 7s. to 9s. 
 
 12.— Workers 
 
 IN Dress. 
 
 
 Tailors ... ... per hour 
 
 
 lOd. to Is. 
 
 , ... ... per week 
 
 
 £2 to £3 10s. 
 
 „ m factories „ 
 
 
 £2 to £3 
 
 Mantlemakers ... „ 
 
 
 10s. to 26s. 
 
 Milliners — 
 
 
 
 First class ... „ 
 
 
 £3 to £4 
 
 Second class ... „ 
 
 ... 
 
 158. to £2 5s.
 
 78 
 
 Wagks rs Melbouene, 1896 — continued. 
 
 
 Description of I^abour. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 12. — ^YoKKEES IN Dress — continued. 
 
 
 Dressmakers 
 
 per week 
 
 128. to 25s. 
 
 Needlewomen 
 
 >» 
 
 12s. to 25s. 
 
 Bootmakers 
 
 riveting, per pair — 
 
 
 
 children's 
 
 5d. 
 
 
 hoys' 
 
 "i to 9d. 
 
 
 women's 
 
 8d. to Is. Id. 
 
 
 men's 
 
 lid. to Is. 9d. 
 
 » 
 
 machine sewing, per pair — 
 
 
 
 children's and boys' 
 
 6d. to 9d. 
 
 
 women's 
 
 Is. Id. 
 
 
 men's 
 
 Is. 5d. 
 
 ,, 
 
 making Wellingtons to order, sewn, 
 
 1 3s. 6d. 
 
 »> 
 
 pegged 
 
 8s. 6d. 
 
 ,. ■>. 
 
 making elastics to order, sewn 
 
 10s. 
 
 ,, 
 
 „ ,, pegged . 
 
 7s. 6d. 
 
 „ Machinists, per week 
 
 lOs. to 25s. 
 
 Hatters- 
 
 
 
 Gossamer trade— 
 
 - 
 
 
 Bodymakers — 
 
 silk hats, per dozen 
 
 lOs. to 22s. 
 
 Finishers 
 
 perdozen 
 
 12s. to 24s. 
 
 Shapers 
 
 ,, 
 
 4s. to 12s. 
 
 Crown sewers 
 
 J) ••* • • • ••- 
 
 3s. 6d. to 4s. 
 
 Trimmers 
 
 
 6s. to 9s. 
 
 Felt Hat Trade- 
 
 _ 
 
 
 Body makers 
 
 per week 
 
 £3 5s. 
 
 Blockers 
 
 
 £3 
 
 Finishers 
 
 ,. 
 
 £3 
 
 Sliapers 
 
 „ 
 
 £3 
 
 Binders (females) „ 
 
 24s. 
 
 Trimmers ,, 
 
 ,, 
 
 20s. 
 
 Clothing Factories- 
 
 _ 
 
 
 Cutters 
 
 ,, ... ... 
 
 £2 10s. 
 
 Pressers 
 
 
 30s. to 40s. 
 
 Tailoresses 
 
 „ 
 
 12s. 6d.to 27s. 6d. 
 
 ^^achinists 
 
 ,, 
 
 1 2s. 6d. to 25s. 
 
 Shirtmakers ... 
 
 ,, 
 
 14s. to 408. 
 
 Drapers' assistants 
 
 , carpet salesmen, per week 
 J.-i.— 1.\ Food. 
 
 £1 10s. to £5 
 
 Bakers — 
 
 
 
 Foremen 
 
 per week 
 
 £2 5s. to £3 10s. 
 
 Second hands ... 
 
 „ 
 
 £2 to £2 10s. 
 
 Butchers — 
 
 
 
 Shopmen 
 
 „ 
 
 £2 5s. to £2 10s. 
 
 Slaufjhtermen... 
 
 „ 
 
 £2 10s. to £3 10s. 
 
 Boys... 
 
 „ with board 
 
 £1 to £1 12s 6d. 
 
 Small-goods men 
 
 ., „ 
 
 £1 10s. to £2 10s. 
 
 Maltsters 
 
 
 
 £2 2s. to £2 15s. 
 
 i
 
 79 
 
 Wacjes in Melbourne, IbOG — continued. 
 
 Description of Labour. 
 
 Rate. 
 
 14. — In Animal Matters. 
 
 Brush-makers ... per week 
 
 ,, Female drawing hands, per week 
 
 Curriers ... per week 
 
 Tanners ... „ 
 
 Beamsmen ... „ 
 
 Shedsmea .. „ 
 
 Fellmongers ... „ 
 
 Portmanteau, "| 
 
 Trunk-makers J " 
 
 15. — In Vegetable Matters. 
 
 Basket-makers ... per week 
 Broom-m;ikers ... „ 
 
 Cigar-makers ... „ 
 
 Tobacco (plug) makers „ 
 Cork-cutters ... ,, 
 
 16. — In Stone, Clay, etc. 
 Brickmakers — 
 
 Clay-hole men ... per 1,000 
 
 Setters ... „ 
 
 Drawers ... ,, 
 
 Burners 
 Potters 
 Quarry men 
 Labourers 
 Stonebreakers 
 Tarpavers 
 Asphalters 
 
 per week 
 per hour 
 per day 
 
 per cuhic yard 
 per day 
 
 17. — In Mines. 
 
 General managers per week 
 Legal „ 
 
 Mining ,, ,, 
 
 Engineers ... ,, 
 
 Engine-drivers ... ,, 
 
 Pitmen ... ... ,, 
 
 Blacksmiths ... ,, 
 
 Carpenters ... ,, 
 
 Foremen of shift ,, 
 
 Miners ... ,, 
 Surfacemen-Labourers^,, 
 
 Boys ... ... ,, 
 
 £\ 10s. to £3 
 15s. to 25s. 
 
 £2 2s. to £3 
 30s. to 36s 
 40s. to 45s. 
 30s. to 40s. 
 28s. to 40s. 
 
 £1 158. to £2 5s. 
 
 £2 to £2 10s. 
 
 30s. to 40s. 
 
 30s. to 40.«. 
 
 £2 to £4 
 
 3Cs. to £2 15s. 
 
 Is, 9d. 
 
 8d. 
 
 8d. 
 
 £2 
 
 lOd. to Is. 
 
 6s. to 8s. 
 
 5s. to Cs. 6d. 
 
 is. to 3s. 
 
 6s. 6d. 
 
 10s. 
 
 £3 to £10 
 
 £5 to £6 
 
 £2 10s. to £& 
 
 £2 8s. to £5 
 
 £2 5s. to £3 
 
 £2 to £3 10s. 
 
 £2 to £3 lOs. 
 
 £2 2s. to £3 ISs. 
 
 £2 5s. to £3 6d. 
 
 £2 to £2 10s. 
 
 £1 10s. to £2 10s. 
 
 10s. to £2
 
 80 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 The agricultural resources of the colony, although only 
 yet developed to a comparatively limited extent, have con- 
 tributed in a marked degree to place Victoria in its present 
 proud position, and the best guarantee for its future progress 
 is to be found in the agricultural expansion capable of 
 resulting from its rich soil, genial climate, and various other 
 advantages. What has already been accomplished is the 
 best indication of what may be expected in the future. 
 
 Pioneering Work Done. 
 
 In the past all the difficulties connected mth carrying on 
 agricultural operations in a new country have had to be 
 overcome. The pioneer farmer had to learn the peculiarities 
 of the soil and the special conditions of climate vnih which 
 he_had to cope in an unknown and untried country, and all 
 this had to be done under special difficulties. Seeds, plants, 
 tools, and implements had to be imported from distant 
 countries ; horses, cattle, sheej), swine, and poultry had also 
 to be brought from abroad, while the breeds best suited to the 
 new conditions, and the peculiar treatment necessary, had 
 to be learned by experiments more or less expensive. In 
 establisliiug agriculture amidst all these difficulties there 
 were other obstacles which had to be overcome. There were 
 Init few large towns, so that the markets for produce were 
 limited, and it frequently happened that when a successful 
 harvest was obtained tlie farmer would lind the port glutted 
 with foreign products. Not only were markets limited, but 
 they were difficult of access. There were no roads through 
 the forests, over the hills, or across the plains. Rivers had 
 to be bridged and roads had to be made before the farmers' 
 produce could l)e taken to market. All this u})-liill work 
 had to be carried on liy farmers who were far from schools, 
 churches, and social institutions. 
 
 Prosperity Assured. 
 
 Those who commence farming now, either upon Crown 
 lands or upon farms purchased from settlers, have none of 
 these diffic;ulties to overcome. The large cities provide 
 markets for produce, and sai)ply iin])lements and machinery 
 of the most approved kind, niuuufai'tured locally and in 
 Euroj)e and America ; seeds and plants of every kind have
 
 #>>'. 
 
 
 t5 
 
 *X
 
 
 STRIPPING WHEAT 
 
 STRIPPING WHEAT
 
 81 
 
 3een brought from all parts of the world ; all the best breeds 
 )f live stock are available ; aud the conditions of soil and 
 dimate have been so well ascertained that all branches oi' 
 igriculture can be carried on with a complete knowledge of 
 ;he most suitable treatment to be pursued. Roads have 
 3een made in every direction, the rivers have been bridged 
 it all necessary points, and railways have been extended 
 ;o all settled portions of the colony, with the certainty that 
 ;hey will follow the settlers to the districts not yet occupied. 
 Ln addition to all this, schools have been established in the 
 nidst of every group of settlers, churches have been built in 
 jvery village, and even the most distant portions of the 
 iolony enjoy social advantages not sm-passed in any country 
 n the world. 
 
 Eakly Progkess. 
 
 Much has been done in a short time. It is only 64 years 
 since the first white man settled ujion Victorian soil, but a 
 uuch shorter time has elapsed since the march of j)rogress 
 Droperly began with the inrush of population soon after the 
 liscovery of gold in 1851, The development of agriculture 
 lad a still more recent commencement, for at the time of 
 :he gold diggings the land was in the possession of Crown 
 ;enants, who leased it as sheep and cattle runs, and many 
 l^ears passed before the new colonists, attracted by the 
 liscovery of gold, could succeed in passing laws for the 
 :hrowing open of the laud to agricultural settlers. Up to 
 :he year 1860 land could only be obtained at auction, and it 
 ;vas difficult for men of small means to obtain farms ; and 
 ilthough more liberal land laws were passed after that date 
 ^t was not until 1869 that an Act was framed under which 
 agricultural settlement was effectually encouraged. During 
 bhe period intervening between the landing of the first 
 svhite men and the passing of the Land Act of 1869 agricul- 
 bural settlement made very slow progress, but much useful 
 work was done, the beneficial effects of which are still 
 3xperienced. Mr. Henty, the first settler, commenced to 
 3ultivate immediately after arriving, and the plough which 
 he used is preserved in Melbourne as a valual)le historical 
 relic, being the plough which turned the first sod in Victoria. 
 The farms afterwards established near Melbourne, Ballarat, 
 Geelong, Lancefield, Kilmore, Warrnambool, Belfast, and 
 other early towns tested the quality of soils, and made 
 known the peculiar treatment required by different crops in 
 
 1359. F
 
 82 
 
 the climate of the colony. Owing also to the enterprise of 
 the early colonists, live stock of different breeds were 
 imported, so that when the public lauds were thrown open 
 for selection in 1869 the colony was well suj^plied with 
 trained farmers of local experience, stud herds of shorthorn, 
 Hereford, Ayrshire, and Jersey cattle had been established^ 
 as well as studs of the best draught and thoroughbred 
 horses, flocks of merino, Lincoln, and Leicester sheep, wdth 
 well-bred representatives of other kinds of live stock. 
 
 Later Development. 
 
 It was under the above circumstances that the agricultm-e 
 of the colony began a career of remarkable development 
 some 25 years ago. It may be mentioned also that the 
 mining industry had been for some time affording employ- 
 ment to a diminishing number of men, and that many of 
 the miners settled upon land under the liberal provisions of 
 the new Land Act. Under preceding Land Acts the greater 
 portion of the best land in the coast districts had been 
 alienated, many large estates used for grazing purposes 
 having been formed, so that agricultural settlement under 
 the more liberal j)rovisions of the Act of 1869 had to extend 
 mainly over the northern or inland portion of the colony. 
 Settlements were rapidly formed in all parts of the northern 
 areas, and wheat-growing, the most suitable industry for the 
 pioneering stages of such districts, was quickly developed 
 to larger proportions. Three years after the Act came into- 
 force — viz., in 1873 — the land under cultivation amounted 
 to only 964,996 acres, while ten years later, in 1883, the 
 area had increased to 2,215,923, and in 1893 to 3,019,002 
 acres. The total extent of land under the wheat crop in 
 1873 was 349,976 acres, and in 1893 it was 1,469,359 acres. 
 As the production of all otlier farm products also increased 
 during the same ])eri()d, while live stock mulfii)lied, and 
 marked im})rovemeut Avas made in the quality of the various 
 breeds, the natural advantages possessed by the colony for 
 carrnng on the various branches of agricultural industry 
 are clearly manifested by the rapid progress which has 
 taken place. Between 1881 and 1895 the number of sheep 
 in the colony increased from 10,360,285 to 13,180,945, and 
 the number of cattle from 1,286,267 to 1,833,900. AVheu 
 it is taken into account that the population of Victoria is 
 only at present a little over one million, and that important 
 mining, manufacturing, pastoral, and other industries have
 
 
 
 
 ^'iz/rM 
 
 1 -. r» 
 
 i ^ - 
 
 
 
 :\ U-^
 
 83 
 
 l)een carried ou, the development of agriculture which has 
 ;aken place proves conclusively that the soil and climate 
 )f the colony afford special advantages for agricultural 
 pursuits. In a new country the people are eager for large 
 profits, and so mucli attention would not have been given to 
 igriculture had not the favorable conditions of climate and 
 soil made the industry remunerative. 
 
 Fektility of the Soil. 
 
 It was soon discovered that the soil of Victoria was 
 exceedingly fertile. It had all the experience of being rich, 
 md wdien tried it more than realized expectations. Only a 
 'ew years after the landing of the first settlers "Port Fairy " 
 )Otatoes won fame, on account of their superior quality, in 
 )]der-established parts of Australia, and other products were 
 lOon afterwards grow'n with equal success. The potatoes 
 ^ere grown at Belfast and Warrnambool, on the south-west 
 ;oast of the colony, districts still famed for the production 
 )f root crops. The rich soil of this region is of volcanic 
 )rigin, being very friable and of a reddish or chocolate 
 iolour, capable of growing all kinds of crops for many 
 ^ears without manure. A yield of from 12 to 15 tons 
 )er acre of potatoes is sometimes obtained, and 10 tons 
 )er acre is a frequent yield. The Lancefield, Daylesford, 
 Jyneton, Ballarat, and Gippsland districts contain land of 
 he same kind, and all over the colony a large proportion of 
 he soil is exceedingly fertile. Even in those parts of the 
 olony where the yield of the crops is smaller the defect is 
 lot so much in the soil as in the supply of moisture. There 
 .re in the inland northern portions of the colony districts 
 rhich do not enjoy such a liberal rainfall as others. In 
 uch localities the yield of the crops is generally compara- 
 ively light, but the soil is rich, a fact that is proved from 
 he large yield obtained in a moist season. Having extensive 
 xeas of fertile soil in all parts of its territory, and con- 
 equently under different conditions of climate, the j^roducts 
 f the colony are both abundant and varied. 
 
 The Genial Climate. 
 
 " The finest climate in the world." Such is the verdict 
 f all observant colonists who have travelled enough to give 
 weight to their opinion. There is no winter, in the English 
 r American sense of the w^ord. The time called winter is 
 aerely the season in which there is more rain and less heat
 
 84 
 
 than in summer. Very few Australians have ever seen 
 snow. Upon the inland mountain ranges and the elevated 
 land in their vicinity a little snow falls occasionally, but 
 only sufficient to make the ground white for a few hours. 
 The native trees are evergreen, not casting their leaves in 
 the winter, although English trees and others indigenous to 
 cold countries go through the form apparently out of respect 
 to old-established family customs, and altogether the winter 
 is only a modified summer. Stock are neither housed nor fed 
 in the winter. The merino sheep, which j^roduce the finest 
 wool in the world, run out on the pastures all the winter, 
 generally without even a hedge to shelter them ; cattle in 
 the same way are not only able to live on the pastures 
 through the winter, but to fatten fit for the butcher. The 
 dairy cows also are kept milking without being housed or 
 fed. and when horses are not at work they sj)eDd the whole 
 winter in the open fields. Any farmer who knows what it 
 is to provide for housing and feeding his live stock through 
 the winter in England, Scotland, Ireland, or America will 
 be able to understand what special advantages Victoria 
 possesses in its winterless climate. 
 
 The Rainfall. 
 
 In order to obtain a clear idea of the rainfall of Victoria, 
 it will be necessary to take note of the physical feattires of 
 the colony. It will be .observed, by looking at the map, 
 that the eastern coast range of the Australian Continent 
 terminates abotit 100 miles south of the northern boimdary 
 of Victoria, or in the Gippsland district. From the terminal 
 point a spur called the Great Dividing Range strikes ofi" to 
 the westward and extends across the colony of Victoria. 
 This Dividing Range di^'ides the colony into two parts, viz., 
 the northern and southern division, or, if we take the whole 
 course of the mountain chain, iucluding the portion of the 
 eastern coast range of the continent which extends into 
 Victoria, we have the colony divided into the inland and 
 coast districts. On the coast side of the mountains the 
 territory, which averages a little over 100 miles wide, enjoys 
 a copious rainfall, while in the inland country, averaging 
 roughly over 100 miles from the River Murray, the average 
 rainfall is somewhat less. All over the coast districts the 
 rainfall is sutficient for the requirements of cereal and some 
 kinds of root crops. Wheat, oats, and barley are success- 
 fully cultivated, and permanent pastures of English grasses
 
 m 
 
 '^ 
 
 • < 
 
 3.
 
 85 
 
 can also be laid down. Root crops also do well, good crops 
 of potatoes being obtained in many districts ; and, althongh 
 but little success has been obtained with turnips, mang-olds 
 and beets yield satisfactorily. The rainfall of Melbourne, 
 which may be taken as representing the coast districts of 
 the colony, has averaged for 30 years 25-44 inches. This 
 is more than the rainfall of Loudon (24 inches), Nottingham 
 (23*7 inches), and Paris (22-9 inches). In the northern or 
 inland districts the average rainfall is generally below 20 
 inches, and some specially dry localities do not average 
 more than 10 inches. In the less dry sections of the 
 northern districts, where the annual rainfall varies from 
 15 inches to 20 inches, oats, barley, and wheat are cultivated, 
 and satisfactory yields are obtained, but root crops are 
 rarely cultivated with success, while in the drier portions of 
 the inland districts, where the rainfall varies from 12 to 16 
 inches, the wheat crop is the only one that can be depended 
 upon to yield a fair return in average seasons. 
 
 Cheap Methods of Production. 
 
 It is important to note that the largest number of Victorian 
 farmers are settled in the northern or inland districts, and, 
 if the climate may seem to be too dry, it must be remembered 
 that there are special advantages which compensate in a 
 great measure for a deficiency of moisture. The land is 
 generally ready for the plough, and even when some clearing 
 is necessary the work is light and inexpensive. Stock of 
 all kinds thrive remarkably well in the warm climate, and 
 the Australian system of harvesting, viz., " stripping," 
 or reaping and threshing at one operation, by far the 
 cheapest in the world, can be adopted. The climate is, 
 no doubt, drier than might be desired in t'lese districts, 
 but, with the advantages referred to, the farmers are able 
 to carry on their industry successfully. The wheat-growers 
 of the colony of South Australia have to contend against a 
 drier climate and a smaller yield of grain per acre. It is 
 only in the driest sections of the inland districts that oats 
 and barley cannot be successfully grown, so that only a 
 comparatively small number of farmers are compelled to 
 restrict their agricultural operations to the growing of 
 wheat. If we examine the driest sections of Victoria, we 
 find that the settlers are in a prosperous condition, arisiag 
 from other advantages which tend to compensate for the
 
 86 
 
 deficiency of moisture. The cheap system of cultivation and 
 harvesting which is carried on enahles the ftirmer to make 
 good profits from light crops. There is comparatively little 
 timber in the dry districts. Trees enough grow in patclies 
 or belts to provide fencing timber, but every farm contains 
 a large area of open plain land which is ready for the 
 plough. This land is more fertile and as easy tilled as the 
 prairies of Western America, while a cheaper system of 
 harvesting is adopted. The peculiar dryness of tlie air 
 enables the stripper, which is a combined reaping and 
 threshing machine, to be used, while on the American 
 prairies the grain has to be reaped, bound, stooked, carted, 
 and threshed. In the colony of South Australia, where this 
 clieap system of cultivating and harvesting is adopted, the 
 wheat-growers have been able to make a living from crops 
 averaging only 5 bushels the acre. In the dry parts of 
 Victoria the system of farming is similar, and the average 
 yields vary from 10 to 15 bushels per acre. In the dry 
 districts, too, the natural pastures are excellent, and, as the 
 climate is warm, stock thrives well. Farmers in these 
 parts, therefore, make profits, both from cultivation and 
 stock-keeping, and they are generally prosperous and 
 well content with their j^rospects. The system of irri- 
 gation recently introduced will .make some of the arid 
 districts the most productive portions of the colony. (See 
 article upon "Irrigation.") A tract of 11, OUU, 000 acres of 
 laud lying in the northern j)ortioii of tlie colony called "the 
 Mallee,'' owing to being covered with a scrub of that name, 
 is now being extensively cultivated by means of the South 
 Australian scrub roller and stump-jump plough. The wheat 
 grown here is of the highest standard of quality, and this 
 tract has become now the great wheat-i)roducing belt of the 
 colony. 
 
 Crops and Yields. 
 
 The rich soil and warm genial climate combine to render 
 the colony's productions al)undant and varied. In the coast 
 districts, where all kinds of cereals and leguminous and root 
 croj)s are cultivated, the yields obtained from the unmanured 
 land are all that could be desired. The average of the whole 
 colony is always lower than the results obtained by farmers 
 who understand their business. The system of farming 
 carried on stands much in need of improvement. The 
 majority of those upon the land have had no training as

 
 87 
 
 farmers, and the system, like that of all new countries, is 
 not calculated to produce the best results. Farmers who 
 understand their business, and give the land reasonable 
 cultivation, obtain from 35 to 45 bushels of wheat, oats, and 
 barley per acre in districts where the general average is not 
 more than from 15 to L^O bushels per acre. Mucli heavier 
 yields than those stated are frequently obtained, but from 35 
 to 45 bushels per acre are common when the land is well 
 cultivated. With potatoes, mangolds, beets, and peas, the 
 same difference is observed between the average obtained by 
 a rough system of farming and upon land properly cultivated. 
 About 5 tons of potatoes per acre is a payable crop, and 
 from 12 to 15 tons per acre are frequently obtained. Hay, 
 which is made from wheat or oats, yields from 2 tons to 4 
 tons per acre, and English grasses for pasture are success- 
 fully cultivated in all the coast and elevated districts. 
 Maize is a crop which grows well in the more moist 
 portions of the coast districts, and as much as 100 l)ushels 
 per acre is frequently obtained. Owing to the defective 
 system of ftirmiug, many of the crops for which the colony 
 is suitable are much neglected, the tendency of settlers being 
 to neglect rotation and confine their attention to growing a 
 single description of grain. Tlius wheat-growing is carried 
 on more extensively than most other departments of farming. 
 All over the northern or inland districts wheat can be profit- 
 ably produced, while in some sections other cereals do not 
 do so well, and this fact also tends to swell the proportion ot 
 the colony's wheat production. The statistics of the harvest 
 of 1883-4 show that the colony produced 15,570,000 
 bushels of wheat, 4,717,624 bushels of oats, 1,069.000 
 bushels of barley, 117,294 bushels of maize, 701,093 bushels 
 of peas, 161,088 tons of potatoes, 18,906 tons of manoolds. 
 139,540 tons of onions, 433,143 tons of hay, 15,717 cwt. of 
 hops, 9,124 cwt. of tobacco, besides smaller quantities of 
 carrots, turnips, chicory, grass seed, and other products. In 
 1893-4 the wheat yield was 15,255.200 bushels ; oats, 
 4,951,371 bushels ; barley, 1,033.861 bushels ; maize, 
 180,442 bushels ; peas and beans, 1,050,082 busliels ; 
 potatoes, 144,708 tons; mangolds, 19,340 tons; turnips, 
 3,465 tons ; onions, 203,980 tons ; hay, 503,385 tons ; 
 hops, 5,684 cwt. ; tobacco, 8,952 cwt." The three last 
 harvests have come short of these figures owing to excep- 
 tionally unfavorable seasons. The wheat production of the 
 colony is capable of great expansion, but there are more
 
 nnmeroiis opportunities aud larger profits to be made by- 
 developing the various branches of husbandry which are 
 partially neglected by the farmers. 
 
 Wheat. 
 
 The wheat grown in Victoria is the finest in the world. 
 It always brings the highest price in the London market, 
 fetching considerably more than English, Indian, American, 
 or New Zealand wheat. The wheat crop is generally the 
 fi.rst sown by the new settler, as it quickly returns a profit, 
 and brings in resources to keep the farmer going until stock- 
 raising, dairying, or other l)ranches of iuchistry are estab- 
 lished. Many settlers have found continuous wheat-growing 
 upon the rich virgin soil of the colony a profitable business ; 
 but the rule is that the best farmers, after a year or two, 
 add the growing of other crops in rotation, and establish 
 herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, breeding also horses and 
 swine upon the farms. 
 
 Oat8. 
 
 Oats grow well in all the coast districts of the colony and 
 in the more moist of the inland districts. Even in the 
 driest sections of the inland districts good yields of oats are 
 being obtained by adopting the Algerian variety, while the 
 straw is also valuable for fodder. In the moist districts from 
 40 to 50 and up to 60 and 70 bushels per acre are obtained 
 with good cultivation, and the crop is successfully grown in 
 rotation with wheat, barley, and roots. 
 
 Barley. 
 
 As barley requires more moisture tlian wheat, there are 
 dry districts inland from the coast ranges where it cannot be 
 properly grown, but the area of its cultivation is more ex- 
 tensive than that of oats. It yields good returns all over the 
 coast half of the colony, and upon about half of the inland 
 area. English barley grows well, producing a fair malting 
 sample and a good yield, the crop being a profitable one. 
 Those farmers who grow barley in rotation with oat, wheat, 
 and root crops are generally the most successful. 
 
 Maize. 
 
 The maize crop is one which is not understood by the 
 majority of Victorian farmers. Although crops of 100 
 bushels per acre, or as heavy as in any part of America, are 
 obtained, and those who engage in its cultivation make large 
 profits, the majority of farmers do not yet pay as much
 
 89 
 
 attention to the cnltivation of this cereal as they should. In 
 America it is much more extensively cultivated even than 
 wheat, maize beiug, in fact, the staple crop of the country. 
 It is grown as a <2:eueral crop in those States where only 
 from 30 to 4U bushels per acre are obtained, and 'there are 
 but few of the coast districts of Victoria where better yields 
 would not be produced. The cultivation of maize, if attended 
 to by the farmers, would be as profitable in Victoria as in 
 many parts of America. 
 
 Leguminous Crops. 
 Peas are largely grown with most satisfactory results. 
 Good yields are obtained, and the crop is profitable in more 
 ways than one, for it has been found highly valuable in a 
 system of rotation. Lands which had been impoverished by 
 continuous grain growing have been brought l)ack to a state 
 of fertility by sowdng the pea crop, and in limited districts 
 where the merits of the pea crop are understood it plays a 
 leading part in the system of maintaining the productive- 
 ness of the soil. Beans and vetches are also found to do 
 satisfactorily. It is by the cultivation of many of these 
 neglected crops that the agriculture of the colony is now 
 being greatly developed. The comparatively backward state 
 of our farming system offers encouraging- opportunities for 
 an influx of farmers, whose skill would turn om- various 
 unused advantages to account. 
 
 Root Crops. 
 The potato crop has been cultivated in most of the coast 
 districts of the colony, and it yields, as a rule, a much more 
 profitable retm-n than cereals. Farms upon which potato- 
 growing is carried on usually command an exceptionally high 
 value, a fact which bears the best testimony to the profit- 
 ableness of the crop. Mangolds have also been successfully 
 grown, very heavy crops being obtained, but, owing to the 
 defective system of farming, the potato is the only root 
 which has received much attention. Potatoes, being required 
 for human food, find a ready market, and hence their com- 
 paratively extensive cultivation by the farmers; but as 
 mangolds, beets, and carrots are required principally for 
 feeding stock, they receive very little attention. Feeding 
 stock is a system not proi)erly understood in the colony. 
 The rich pastures, and the absence of cold winters, euable 
 farmers to keep their stock in the fields all the year round,
 
 90 
 
 and at the same time cause the business of feeding stock to 
 be neglected. Notwithstanding the richness of the jjastures 
 and the mildness of the winters, much could be done in the 
 way of increasing the profitableness of stock-keeping by 
 producing food, and the neglect of taking advantage of such 
 an opportunity is one of the principal defects of our farming 
 system. Those farmers who grow food for dairy cows, pigs, 
 and other stock find the system profitable, and they are 
 generally more prosperous than their neighbours. Where 
 heavy root crops can be grown, it is not the fault of the 
 country if they are not cultivated. As the system of farming 
 improves, the growing of mangolds and carrots may be 
 expected to increase, and it is believed that the cultivation 
 of beets for sugar-making will ere long become an important 
 industry. Most of the onions used in the Australian colonies 
 are grown in Victoria. The crop in the coast districts yield 
 from 10 to 15 tons per acre, and the soil, which is never 
 manured, shows no sign of exhaustion after more than 30 
 years' cultivation. 
 
 Hay and Grasses. 
 
 Hay, which is extensively grown in the colony, ;is made 
 from oats or wheat, cut just before ripening. The yield is 
 from 2 to 4 tons per acre, the last named being the return 
 ol)tained in the coast districts, and the former in the inland 
 districts. In moist localities, or where irrigation is prac- 
 tised, lucerne is grown for hay, and it is one of the most 
 profitable of crops. From 4 to 6 tons per acre are obtained, 
 the crop yielding from four to six cuttings of about 1 ton 
 each. In all of the coast districts, rye-grass, clover, cocks- 
 foot, fog, foxtail, fesques, and other grasses are successfully 
 cultivated, ami it is the ])ractice to lay down fields in })asture 
 after they have been growing grain for a number of years. 
 Very little manure is used in the colony, letting out the land 
 in cultivated pasture being the most common means of 
 maintaining fertility. In the northern or inland districts 
 the rainfall is not sufficient to render the cultivation of 
 English grasses })rofitable, but in those localities the growth 
 of the natural grass is so rajnd, and the quality of the 
 pasture is so rich, that no inconvenience is experienced from 
 the absence of artificial grasses. After the cereal crop there 
 is good pasture afforded by the self-sown grain, and in the 
 second year the natural grass lias established itself so well 
 as to carry more stock than the unbroken pasture.
 
 ^^ 
 
 STUDENTS PRUNING -LONGERENONG Agricultural College. 
 
 THE BLACKSMITH'S SHOP Dookie Agricultural College.
 
 91 
 Hops. 
 
 Hop eulture has been established in the colony for some 
 years, and there are extensive districts along the coast and 
 near the mountain ranges specially well suited for the 
 industry. Althongli ho]i-gi-owiug was introduced at a com- 
 paratively recent date, and much Ji:ul to be learned as to the 
 cultivation of the plant :ind the treatment of the hops, the 
 industry has already assumed an imi)ortant jmsition. The 
 soil and climate are much better suited for hop-growing than 
 those of England or the eastern states of America, as shown 
 in the higher yields obtained. From 20 to 25 cwt. per acre 
 are frequently obtained from unmanured vii-gin soil, and 
 about 10 cwt. per acre is yielded by yearling hops. California 
 is the only country in the world that can show results in 
 hop-growing equal to those of Victoria. 
 
 Other Products. 
 The tobacco crop is one wliich may be expected to increase 
 as time passes. The soil and climate have been proved to 
 be well suited for tobacco culture, and the cultivation of such 
 a valuable crop may be expected to show develoi)ment with 
 the increase of population and the progress of the (country. 
 Great advantage to this industry has resulted from tlie 
 employment by the Government of an American expert to 
 instruct growers in improved methods. It will have been 
 gathered from what has already been said that the climate 
 resembles that of the South of Europe, and it follows that 
 the various products of France, Si)ain, and Italy can l)e culti- 
 vated in the colony. Tliis is not a matter of theory only, 
 for practical experiments have already been tried "^ which 
 prove tfiat the various rural industries of Southern Europe 
 can be introduced with an assurance of greater success than 
 ever attended them in their native country. Fruits of all 
 kinds — from apples, pears, plums, j^eaches, apricots, and 
 clierries to grapes, oranges, lemons, and olives — have been 
 tried and found to flourish in a manner which astonislies 
 natives of the Soutli of Europe. The mulberry grows luxuri- 
 antly, and the development of silk culture is only a matter 
 of time. The only reason why the colony does not produce 
 more fruits, olive oil, and silk is that it is too prosperous. 
 Wages are so high that other industries involving less lalxnir 
 absorb the attention of tlie population. The state of Cali- 
 fornia, however, the climate of which resembles that of
 
 92 
 
 Victoria, is teaching ns that, by adopting machinery and 
 laboiir-sa%*iug methods of management, many of the indus- 
 tries of Southern Europe can be profitably carried on when 
 the population is limited and the rate of wages high. The 
 attention of colonists has been attracted to the fact that in 
 California fruit-growing has developed marvellously on 
 account of the system which is adopted of drying apples, 
 apricots, prunes, raisins, and currants, and preserving fruit 
 in cans, and some progress is already being made to intro- 
 duce the same system into the colony. Vines and fruit trees 
 of all kinds grow well both in the coast and inland districts 
 of the colony, and those colonists who are engaged in the 
 cultivation of vineyards and orchards are generally even 
 more prosperous than the farmers who grow grain. 
 
 Dairy Farming. 
 
 That the colony is peculiarly well suited for dairy farming 
 follows from what has already been said in regard to the soil 
 and climate. Kich natural pastures covering a fertile soil 
 are sources of wealth in any country, but where the climate 
 is so mild that stock require no shelter even in wdnter, special 
 value attaches to well-grassed land. Just as the sheep 
 farmer or the settler, who fattens cattle for the market, 
 allows his stock to graze all the year round in the open fields, 
 so the dairy farmer will take no special care of his milking 
 cows. There are here and there farmers who take their cows 
 into sheds on winter nights, feeding them upon straw or 
 green fodder, but they are exceptions, the dairy cows in 
 general, as all other stock, finding all their food and what 
 shelter they need in the open fields. Those who had some 
 straw, hay, or green food in the winter are rewarded by extra 
 returns, and larger profits would be made if farmers did 
 more in the way of growing sui)plies of winter feed for dairy 
 cows, but the natural advantages of the country are indicated 
 by the fact that dairying is generally carried on without 
 resorting to any system of artificial feeding. (See article 
 under the heading of " The Dairying Industry."') 
 
 Irrigation. 
 
 The most productive portions of America are those in 
 which the rainfall is so deficient that it has to be supple- 
 mented by means of irrigation. The Government and Press 
 Commissions from this colony to America (see " Victoria
 
 93 
 
 compared with America ") saw no districts in their travels 
 which were so productive, or which were so profitably 
 cultivated or thickly populated, as the irrigated portions of 
 California, Colorado, Utah, ;uid New Mexico ; and their 
 reports established the fact that irrigation can be carried on 
 with great success even in thinly-] lopidated new countries. 
 From this it is predicted that the inland districts of Victoria, 
 in which the rainfall is lighter than on the coast side of the 
 Dividing Range, will ultimately become the most productive 
 and the most thickly populated. At present the land in the 
 inland section is occupied in holdings of from 600 to 1,000 
 acres in extent, upon which a combined system of grain- 
 growing and stock-keeping is carried on, but with irrigation 
 the land will become so productive that subdivision into 
 smaller holdings will take j^lace. The Murray, the largest 
 river in Australia, and the Goulburn and other Victorian 
 rivers only require to be utilized in order to bring about 
 such beneficial changes as have taken place in some of the 
 driest tracts of Western America. Not only is the suitable- 
 ness of irrigation founded upon American experience, but it 
 has been fully proved by considerable practical experience 
 within the colony itself. The Government, a few years ago, 
 completed a scheme of irrigation which made the surplus 
 water of all the princiijal rivers available for apjilication to 
 the land, and the results, wherever the water has been used 
 for irrigation, have been highly satisfactory. Owing to the 
 seasons having been less dry than usual since the completion 
 of the water schemes, and the want of skill in the details of 
 irrigation possessed by settlers, only slow j^rogress has been 
 made in turning such a valuable source of wealth to account, 
 but those farmers who have watered their crops have been 
 richly rewarded. The area under irrigation is now rapidly 
 increasing, a fact which furnishes the best proof that farmers 
 are finding the system profitable. The present farmers, who 
 hold large areas of fi'om 300 to 600 and 1,000 acres, -^dll no 
 doubt soon be glad to subdivide and sell their land in small 
 and moderate-sized holdings, and such dense settlements as 
 Ontario, Pomona, and Riverside, in Southern California, 
 will come into existence, in place of the present extensive 
 wheat farms. Those who buy farms before extensive irriga- 
 tion shows the marvellous productiveness of the soil when 
 supplied with water will have the best chance of obtaining 
 cheap land. (See further remarks on this subject under the 
 heading of "Irrigation Schemes.")
 
 94 
 
 Fruits, Wine, Sugar-beet, and other Products. 
 
 Owing- to different climatic conditions existing in various 
 parts of the colony, from the coast districts to the elevated 
 slopes of the Australian Alps and Dividing Range, to the 
 dry warm plains of the north, the range of productions is 
 wide. In addition to the branches of agriculture already 
 dealt with, such subjects as Orchards, Vineyards, the Beet- 
 sugar Industry, Tobacco, and Oil and Fibre Plants will be 
 treated of in separate chapters. 
 
 Victoria compared with America. 
 North America receives a constant stream of population 
 from the United Kingdom and Europe, and, in most cases, 
 emigrants have l)ettered their condition by going to the 
 newer country. Can Victoria offer equal inducements to 
 the agriculturist who is seeking a new field of operation ? 
 Happily, an authoritative and satisfactory answer can be 
 given to that question. In 1883, the two leading news- 
 papers of Victoria sent special agricultural reporters to 
 America to report upon the condition of farming in that 
 country. The farmers of the colony wished to know what 
 they had to fear from American competition in grain- 
 growing, wool production, and other branches of agri- 
 culture, and to be instructed in the best and cheapest 
 methods of carrying on farming operations. In order to 
 "supply this information, each of the two leading journals of 
 Melbourne sent a special agTicultural reporter to travel all 
 over the United States in the year mentioned. The ^Titer 
 of these pages, who was one of the special reporters thus 
 sent, reported that the colony had nothing to fear from 
 American competition, and dwelt upon the many superior 
 advantages possessed by Victoria. Upon these points the 
 special reporter of the other journal fully agreed with the 
 present writer, and thus the superiority of the colony was 
 testified to by two independent experts. In 1885, a member 
 of the Government, as chairman of a Royal Commission 
 upon Irrigation, visited the United States, and he was 
 accompanied by two rej)orters representing the same news- 
 papers. The reports of the mendier of the Government 
 referred to, and of press representatives who accompanied 
 him, all agreed in testifying to the superior richness of the 
 soil, and the more genial character of the climate, of tliis 
 colony, as compared with those of the United States. The 
 verdict of all those independent and well-qualified witnesses
 
 95 
 
 was that, as far as climate, soil, and other natural condi- 
 tions were concerned, tlie balance of advantages was on the 
 side of Victoria. California was the only state in wliicli 
 the climate was anything like as ftivoraltic to agricultural 
 and pastoral pursuits as that of the colony. The severe 
 winter in the best parts of the Mississippi Valley, or out on 
 the Western Prairies, is a great drawback to the progress 
 of the farmer and stock-breeder. In America the farmer 
 must house and feed his stock in winter, while iu Victoria 
 the custom is almost unknown. The fine-woolled merino 
 sheep, the horse stock, the fattening cattle, and the dairy 
 cows, all thrive throughout the year without shelter upon 
 the open natural pasture lands. The lands in America 
 available for settlement are from 1,000 to 2,(J00 miles from 
 the sea-ports, while the compact colony of Victoria, with its 
 extensive coast-line, lies near its shipping ports, the most 
 distant districts being little more than 300 miles inland. 
 The seasons are opposite to those of the Northern Hemi- 
 sphere, giving the colony command of the great markets of 
 the world, while those of India, China, and Japan are close 
 at hand. What was worthy of imitation in American 
 machinery, and methods of carrying on farming in a new 
 country, was brought under notice, and the latest improve- 
 ments are now being adopted. The farmer in Victoria 
 can adopt the best American methods and labour-saving 
 machinery ; he lives under institutions second to those of 
 no other nation in freedom and liberality, and he carries on 
 his industry upon a soil and iu a climate unsurpassed iu the 
 whole world. 
 
 Agricultueal Education. 
 
 The importance of instructing the youth of the colony in 
 scientific and practical agriculture has long been recognised 
 by thoughtful colonists, but little of importance was accom- 
 plished until 1885, when the Government set apart 150,000 
 acres of land as an endowment for agricultural colleges and 
 experimental farms. The endowment lauds were assigned 
 to three trustees, and a Council of Agricultural Education, 
 representing the Agricultural Societies of the colony and 
 the Government, was appointed. Two colleges have been 
 established, at which students receive a thoroughly liberal 
 English education, combined with scientific agriculture, as 
 well as practical experience of all branches of farming 
 industry.
 
 96 
 
 It is proposed to extend the scojie of agricultural educa- 
 tion Ly the establishment of a Dairy School ; and a Viticul- 
 tural School, whirh will shortly be organized, has already 
 been erected by the Government. Students are also instructed 
 in horticulture at the Government Horticultural Gardens 
 at Burnley, near Melbourne ; and a Government Scent 
 Farm is also carried on to give instruction in scent flower 
 farming. Experts are also employed by the Government to 
 give instruction to settlers engaged in dairying, fruit- 
 growing, viticulture, tobacco-growing, and the cultivation of 
 libre and oil producing plants. The absence, for many years, 
 of any such schools, and the fact that the majority of the 
 settlers have had no previous agricultural experience, 
 accounts for the backward condition of many branches of 
 colonial farming. While this state of things offers special 
 advantages to new-comers with good agricultural training 
 and experience, the new colleges will in time raise the standard 
 of agricultiu'e in the colony. The instruction is free at the 
 agricultural schools, as it is in the ordinary State schools, 
 and the charge for board and lodging, £26 per annum, is as 
 low as the bare paying of expenses will admit of. The 
 existence of such colleges should offer no small inducement 
 to intending emigrants to make a home in Victoria, for a 
 means of practically training one's family for a colonial 
 career, while obtaining their education, is of no small 
 importance. There are institutions in England which profess 
 to give an agricultural education fitting young men for 
 colonial life, but the training obtained under such circum- 
 stances must be very defective. The knowledge of colonial 
 conditions must be wholly theoretical, and the time spent 
 in such institutions is likely to be almost entirely lost. In 
 the agricultural colleges and upon the experimental farms 
 which are established in Victoria, students receive a practical 
 and scientific education, which will fit them for a successful 
 career in any of the Australasian colonies. 
 
 Wages. 
 
 The rate of wages must be studied in connexion with the 
 peculiar condition of agriculture in the colony. The genial 
 climate enables the farmer to dispense with the heavy staff 
 of men needed in the old country. There is no hand feeding 
 of stock, and thus a great deal of labour is saved. The rich 
 virgin soil requires no manure for many years, and hence 
 there is more saving: of labour. Labour haxing: always been
 
 97 
 
 hi^h, all kinds of labour-saving machinery has been 
 introduced, so that, from the double, three furrow, and 
 multi furrow plough to the reaper and binder and Australian 
 stripper, the system tends to keep down the expenditure 
 upon wages. Farm labourers are generally provided with 
 board and lodging, and the wages average as follow : — 
 Ploughmen, per week, 16s. to 2ls. ; ordinary farm hands, 
 13s. to 19s. ; married couples, 21s. ; females, 8s. 6d. to 10s. ; 
 mowers, 24s. to 34s. ; mowers, per acre, 4s. lid. to 5s. 5d. ; 
 reapers, per week, 24s. ; threshers, 6d. to 7d. per bushel ; 
 shepherds, £30 to £40 per annum ; stock-keepers, £40 
 to £60 per annum ; generally useful, 14s. to 20s. per week ; 
 'fiheepwashers, i5s, to 22s. per week; shearers, 14s. to 16s. 
 per 100. The rate of machine labour is as follows : — 
 Reaping, without binding, from 4s. Id. to 5s. per acre ; 
 reaping and binding, about 6s. to 9s. per acre ; mowing, 
 3s. 8d. to 4s. 7d. per acre ; threshing, including winnowing, 
 £1 2s. lOd. to £1 3s. 7d. per 100 bushels ; threshing, with 
 ivinnowing, 14s. 4d. to 20s. per 100 bushels. The cost of 
 machine labour to the farmer who works his own machinery 
 with his own teams is much less than the fio:ures stated. 
 
 Prices of Products. 
 
 In studying the market prices of agricultural produce, it 
 is necessary to remember the circumstances affecting the 
 <;ost of production. In Victoria, while the rate of wages is 
 high, the value of land or rent is low, advanced labour-saving 
 implements and machines are employed in cultivating and 
 harvesting, there is no expenditure for manures, and the 
 taxes are low. In the city of Melbourne, which is connected 
 by railway with all the important producing districts of the 
 colony, wheat is at present (Oct., 1897) 5s. 7d. per bushel. 
 Between 1885 and 1895 the prices varied from Is. lOd. to 
 5s. 9d. per bushel. Prices for oats have ranged dm-ing the 
 last eleven years from Is. Id. to 3s. lOd. per bushel ; malting 
 barlev from 2s. 8|d. to 4s. 2d. per bushel ; maize from 
 Is. 8id. to 4s. lOd. per bushel ; hay from £1 13s. to £5 2s. 
 per ton; potatoes from £1 18s. to £4 per ton, and in one 
 jear reaching £8 3s. 2d. ; mangels from 17s. 9d. to 
 £1 lOs. 7d. i^er ton ; flour, £5 to £13 15s. per ton ; butter 
 (retail), 6d. to 2s. 6d. per lb., since 1892 8d. to 2s. per lb. ; 
 ■cheese (retail), 4d. to Is. 6d. per lb., since 1892 6d. to 9d. 
 
 1359. G
 
 98 
 
 per lb. ; ])eef (retail;, 2d. ro lOd. per lb., since 1892 2d. to 
 8d. per lb.: mutton (retail), l^d. to od., since 1892 Hd. to 
 4d. per lb. ; pork (retail), 3d. to 9d. per lb. 
 
 Prospects of Agriculture. 
 
 From what has already been said, it will be seen that the 
 scope for agricultm-al development in Victoria is almost 
 unlimited. With the exception of wheat-growing, all 
 branches of farming may be considered in their infancy. 
 There is great room for improvement in the system of 
 carrving on each branch of agriculture, and there are rm-al 
 industries caj^able of almost unlimited extension, which have 
 as yet made scarcely any progress. Cultivation has of late 
 years made satisfactory progress, and all the surroundings 
 of the case show that the rate of development will be much 
 more rapid in tlie future. The greatest increase has taken 
 place in the production of wheat, a result which may be 
 accounted for by the suitableness of the product for export 
 and the facilities offered by the crop in the way of giving 
 a quick return to the occupiers of new country. Dairying, 
 fruit-growing, vine-growing, hop culture, the cultivation of 
 tobacco, and other lucrative branches of industry require 
 some extra attention, and hence their progress has been less 
 rapid. These latter industries are now receiving increased 
 attention, and their progress opens up a very wide field for 
 future development. For many years the special industries 
 referred to were kept back through having to depend upon 
 the local markets. The American system of pushing exports 
 of Initter, cheese, hams, and bacon, dried and canned fruits 
 and vegetables, out into the markets of the world had not 
 been yet adopted, and hence prices ruled low for what 
 should have been our most valuable products. Now, how- 
 ever, steps are being taken to organize an export trade in 
 the various products for which our soil and climate are 
 specially favorable. Now, fresh butter made here in our 
 luxuriant spring and summer reaches London to catch the 
 high winter market, and the dairying industry will soon far 
 surpass the production of grain. A few fruit-canning 
 factories have been established, and the increase of these 
 will enable our orchards to be extended in every direction, 
 su]iplying fruit to distant markets, and so on with the 
 varicnis rural industries which at present are subordinate to 
 wheat-o-roNviuij.
 
 99 
 
 A Promising Outlook. 
 
 Those who are now engaging in agriculture will take part 
 in the colony's new career of agricultural progress, and at 
 the present time the colony offers special inducements to 
 new-comers. It would be difficult to find a more promising 
 field for the emigrant with capital, small means, or only his 
 labour to depend upon. Wages are on a liberal scale, living 
 is cheap, and capital commands a comparatively high rate 
 of interest. The capitalist can find a profitable investment, 
 be his resources extensive or limited, and the man who has 
 no money can soon turn his labour into capital. Land being 
 cheap, the freehold of a farm can easily be acquired, and 
 the farmer carries on his industry npon rich soil, in a mild 
 genial climate, under the security of the British flag, and in 
 a country where the rough pioneering system has given 
 place to the comfort and conveniences, as well as the 
 educational and social advantages, of civilized life. 
 
 For further information apply to Mr. J. M. Sinclair, the 
 Representative in London of the Victorian Department oi 
 Agriculture.
 
 100 
 
 THE LANDS OF THE COLONY. 
 
 Cheap Land. 
 
 Free land is generally worthless, and is only obtainable in 
 inaccessible or badly-governed countries, where it can be of 
 little value to the settler. Even in the United States oi 
 America, where homestead farms are given to settlers, there 
 \ are no available State lands near railways which can be 
 taken up for nothing. Every alternate block is granted to 
 the railway companies which have made the lines, and the 
 remaining State lands within the area are raised to double 
 the price of more distant areas. In a word, free laud is not 
 obtainable in any part of the world where railways, markets, 
 and other advantages, without which land is valueless, are 
 provided. As the colony of Victoria has been provided with 
 railways, roads, bridges, schools, local government, and all 
 the advantages of modern civilization, there is no free land. 
 There is cheap land, however, and that is more to the pur- 
 pose. In the United States, Avhere free land is obtainable 
 in distant places far from markets or railways, settlers prefer 
 to purchase from railway companies or private owners near 
 railways, and within reasonable distances of large towns. It 
 is considered better to give £2 or £3 per acre near a railway 
 town, £15 or £20 per acre near large cities, and from £20 
 to £40 per acre in fruit-growing districts supplied with 
 water for irrigation, than to go out into the wilds and settle 
 upon free land. In like manner there are distant portions 
 of some of the Australian colonies where land is nominally 
 much cheaper than in Victoria, but, when its inaccessibility 
 and distance from market are taken into account, it is really 
 dearer. Purchase money is paid once for all, but distance 
 from market means paying annually a heavy tax in the 
 shape of carriage, which would represent the annual interest 
 upon an immense sum of money. 
 
 Land a Good Investment. 
 
 In Victoria land is nominally and really cheap. It gives 
 such a good return upon the market value that it is con- 
 sidered by capitalists one of the best investments. During 
 the last 30 years the Government have been offering the 
 public lands at a low price to i)romote settlement. Land
 
 A BIG TREE IN THE FOREST.
 
 101 
 
 worth from £2 to £3 per acre could be had from the 
 Government for £1 per acre, with from ten to twenty years 
 to pay the purchase money. This fact, together with the 
 rough system of farming carried on, is sufficient to show 
 that land could not rise to its natural value. Had an ad- 
 vanced system of farming been carried on, obtaining the 
 best possible results from the soil, and if no land could be 
 had without purchasing in the open market from holders 
 who knew its worth, land values would have risen to their 
 intrinsic standard. But land of the best quality could all 
 along be obtained at the nominal rate of £1 per acre, with 
 long terms, and the soil has not been developed to its full 
 extent. At the present time purchasers get the advantages 
 of these circumstances. They obtain land near markets, and 
 upon railway lines, at a cheap rate. 
 
 Favorable Opportunities. 
 
 In the inland dry districts, where land is rising in value 
 owing to its productiveness having been tested, good land is 
 sold at from £1 10s. to £3 per acre. Farms with fencing 
 and buildings upon them change hands at from £2 10s. to 
 £4 10s. per acre. These may be taken as average prices. 
 In positions specially convenient to large towns, first-class 
 agricultural land is worth from £20 to £25 per acre, and 
 land which is suitable for the potato crop fetches from £30 
 to £50 per acre, but these are exceptional values. It fre- 
 quently happens that sheep formers give from £2 to £3 per 
 acre for unimj^roved grass land, to be used for grazing 
 purposes alone, and the agriculturist can generallv obtain a 
 much larger return than the keeper of stock. It will be 
 readily understood that the present value of land is low 
 when compared with the returns obtainable from the soil, 
 for the price is regulated by the circumstances of the country. 
 Those circumstances which tend to keep down the price of 
 land are the limited population, the quantity of Government 
 land offered for the nominal sum of £1 per acre, with easy 
 terms, and the absence of a system of high farming. When 
 the Government lands are all taken up, and the growth of 
 population increases, the demand bringing into existence 
 also a system of high farming, laud will command a much 
 higher price than at present. The time is, therefore, a 
 favorable one for obtaining cheap land. Farms are always 
 to be had, as they change hands, and those who purchase
 
 10--2 
 
 Tsithin the next few years will uot only make profits upou 
 their agricultural operations, but at the same time gain 
 advantage by the increasing value of the land. 
 
 Government Land. 
 
 The colony of Victoria is 56,245,760 acres in extent. Of 
 this area about 23,000,000 acres have been alienated to 
 private owners. Of the 30,000,000 acres available for 
 settlement, 11,500,000 acres are what is known as the 
 mallee country, which occupies the extreme north-western 
 portion of the colony. The mallee country was some years 
 ago set apart for occupation under a system of leases from 
 the Crown. The mallee in its original condition being 
 insufficiently supplied with water, and covered more or less 
 with a scrub of small trees and shrubs, was unsuitable for 
 being taken up in farms of the ordinary size. It was 
 accordingly let in large areas for twenty years. At the end 
 of the leases the land reverts to the Crown, and lessees are 
 compensated for permanent improvements. At the expira- 
 tion of the leases, the laud, having being improved, will be 
 suitable for occupation in smaller areas. About 2,000,000 
 acres of mallee land is now availal)le for agricultural settle- 
 ment. 
 
 The exact figm'es are as follows : — 
 
 Area of colony ... ... ... 56,245,760 
 
 Area alienated and in ])rO('ess of 
 
 alienation 23,090,664 
 
 Area neither alienated nor in process 
 
 of alienation 33,155,096 
 
 Area of mallee lands (exclusive of 
 Mildura, 250,000 acres, and roads 
 through mallee country 155,207 
 
 acres) 166,793 
 
 Area of mallee country available ... 2,195,380 
 Area of pastoral lands 
 
 available 1,872,038 
 
 Area of agricultural and 
 
 grazing lands available 6,059,840 
 
 7,932,478 
 
 Pastohal Areas. 
 
 An area of about 7,000,000 acres of Crown lands, apart 
 from the mallee, is now open for settlement under an Act
 
 ". *.^'. '' 
 
 V 
 
 'Mr' 
 
 ■^%. 
 
 , #■
 
 103 
 
 of Parliament })assed in 1890. Tliis area is divided into 
 " Pastoral lands " and '' Agricultiiriil and gruzing- lands.*' 
 These pastoral holdings are leased till the end of 1898, the 
 rent being Is. per head for sheep and 5s. per head for cattle, 
 the carrying capacity of the holding to be determined npon 
 a basis of not less than 10 acres to a sheep. 
 
 Agricultukal Allotments. 
 
 The agricultural and grazing lands are surveyed in blocks 
 of not more than 1,000 acres each. These areas are leased 
 for a term of fourteen years, expiring at the end of 1898, the 
 rents being fixed at not less than 2d. per acre or more than 
 4d. per acre, the valuation, according to quality, being made 
 by officers of the Government. The allotments are sm'veyed, 
 and shown numbered upon a plan. The applicant makes 
 application for a given block, and if there are more than one 
 application, a land board decides which party is to obtain 
 the land. The occupier of one of these allotments can obtain 
 the ownership of 320 acres of it npon easy terms. Any per- 
 son who has not previously taken up land in the colony can 
 select 320 acres of his leased land as a freehold. If an 
 occupier selects a freehold, he must pay for it at the rate of 
 Is. per acre annually for six j^ears. At the end of the six 
 years, he can either continue paying at the rate of Is. per 
 acre until a total amount of 20s. per acre has been paid, or 
 he may pay the balance of 14s. per acre and obtain a Crown 
 grant. The conditions are that the selector must reside 
 upon his allotment or within 5 miles of it, for six years, and 
 within that period put on improvements to the value of £1 
 per acre. All applications for agricultural and grazing 
 lands, whether opposed or not, are heard by local land 
 boards. Non-residence licensees, in addition to paying 
 £2 per acre for their holdings, must also make improve- 
 ments to the value of £2 per acre during the licence 
 term — £1 per acre to be effected within the first 
 three years, and the additional £1 per acre to be 
 made before the expiry of the licence. Under the existing 
 law, also, grazing licences are granted over auriferous lands 
 and State forests. A limited extent of Crown land is sold 
 at auction annually, and special leases are granted for swamp 
 lands, but the great bulk of the remaining State territory is 
 dealt with as " Pastoral lands " and " Agricultural and 
 grazing lands."
 
 104 
 
 Mallee L.ajsds. 
 About 2,<Hjo.uuO acres of mallee lands are now available 
 for occupation, and areas will be thrown open from time to 
 time as may be required. The agi-icultural settler upon these 
 lands may take up a maximum area of G40 acres, either 
 under a " licence '" or a " perpetual lease." Under licence 
 he pays at the rate of Is. per acre per annum for twenty 
 years, and at the end of that time the land becomes hi& 
 private property : or, if he wishes to secure the freehold 
 sooner, he can do so at the end of the sixth year by paying 
 14s. an acre, which is the balance of the purchase money. 
 If the settler elects to occupy under jierpetual lease, lie pay& 
 at the rate of Id. per acre per annum up to 1903, when the 
 first revision of rent takes place. At the end of every sub- 
 sequent ten years the rental is re-adjusted upon the natural 
 unimproved value of the land. A licence for a mallee agri- 
 cultural allotment is for a term of six years, and contains 
 conditions in regard to residence, cultivation, and improve- 
 ments. The issue of a lease or a Cro"«Ti grant is dependent 
 on compliance \vith such conditions. Holders of perj)etual 
 leases only pay Id. per acre up to 19o3, when the first 
 revision of rent takes place. Subsequent revisions of rent 
 are at intervals of ten years. The mallee settlement has 
 been very successful, and the land has been rapidly taken 
 up as it has been made available. A larger quantity of 
 wlieat has been produced in the mallee than in any other 
 division of the colony, and as railway communication is 
 being extended, and the water supply being improved, there 
 is vast scope for the further development of successful 
 settlement. The suitableness of the mallee district for 
 dairying, the keeping of sheep, the growing of vines, fruit 
 trees, and other special crops is being practically demon- 
 strated, so that there is a promising field for a large acces- 
 sion of population. 
 
 Openings for Settlers. 
 It will be observed that the only means of obtaining the 
 fee-simple of Government land in the colony is by taking up 
 a 1.000-acre agricultural and grazing block, and selecting 
 320 acres out of it. In a few years the whole of the land 
 will l)e taken up under the existing Act. The fact that the 
 land is so quickly taken up is the best proof persons at a 
 distance can have of the value of the land. Where there 
 are larore areas of free land awaitinsr settlement there must
 
 o 
 
 I- 
 
 UJ 
 UJ 
 
 _f
 
 
 ¥.. 
 
 SCE,\^ wTJ THE MALLEE FRINGE 
 
 ON A MALLEE FARM.

 
 THE LOWAN OR "MALLEE HEN" AND NEST.
 
 be adverse circumstances which render it unsuitable for 
 profitable occupation. In tlic colony of Victoria, land has 
 always been eagerly sought after, and as it has been 
 thrown open for occupation from time to time, under the 
 different Land Acts, it has been quickly taken up. To the 
 new-comer land ought to be worth as much, it not more 
 than to the existing settlers, for, while colonial farmers 
 are rather prone to follow an old-time system of manage- 
 ment, the new arrival brings with him improved methods 
 of procedure, acquired amid the keener competition of older 
 and more thickly-populated countries. 
 
 Village Settlements. 
 
 To meet the necessities of persons and families without 
 means who wish to settle upon hind, an Act was passed 
 in 1803 under which 2,33'.) settlers, comprising, with their 
 families, some 8,928 persons, have been provided with agri- 
 cultural homesteads in village settlements. Under this 
 system 20-acre allotments are made available, and settlers 
 are provided with sums of money, by way of loans, to- 
 enable them to meet the preliminary expenses of settle- 
 ment. Sums of from £15 up to £50 each have been 
 thus advanced ; the total for the past four years has 
 amounted to £63,999 17s. 4d. Under this system 48,611 
 acres have been occupied, 10,390 acres cultivated, and 
 improvements effected by settlers to the value of £141,128. 
 
 For further information apply to Mr. J. M. Sinclair, the 
 Representative in London of the Victorian Department of 
 Agriculture.
 
 ion 
 
 DAIRY FARMING. 
 
 R.ICH Xatural Pastures. 
 
 The fact that Victorian butter is made from cows 
 fed upon natural pastures gives to the product a special 
 value in the Loudon market. The attractive flavoiu* of oin* 
 butter, its lirm grain and small proportion of moisture, 
 results of our natural pastures, have been specially noted 
 by buyers, while our geographical position confers upon us 
 another special advantage. 
 
 A Unique Geographical Advantage. 
 
 This geographical advantage consists in our situation at 
 the Antipodes. As our summer is at the time of the 
 English winter the produce of our spring and summer, 
 cheaply ])roduced by the bounty of nature, finds an open 
 market during the winter of the Northern Hemisphere. 
 This special advantage is not shared in by any European 
 country, Canada, or the United States. Any farmer 
 in the Northern Hemisphere knows the difference between 
 producing butter in winter and in spring. It is 
 surely unfortunate for the British farmer in his struggle 
 -cigainst the competition of cheaply-j^roduced imports 
 that natm"e should have armed a competing country with 
 this unique advantage. While the long rigorous winter is 
 placing all kinds of natural difficulties in the way of the 
 British ])r()ducer, the farmers of Europe, Canada, and the 
 United States are being met by similar climatic disad- 
 vantages, but at this particular ])eriod of adverse conditions 
 nature is lavishing her richest gifts of sunny skies, genial 
 warmth, and luxuriant pastures upon the favom'ed dairymen 
 of the Antipodes. It is the possession of these incalculably 
 valuable natural facilities that has enabled Victoria to so 
 rapidly, and with such com])aratively little effort, seciu"e a 
 respectable place in the British markets for a product which 
 is destined to figure with increasing magnitude among her 
 leading exports. 
 
 Government Assistance. 
 
 Notwithstanding the exceptional natural advantages 
 possessed by the colony, the development of dairying was 
 for a time beset with difficulties. Supplying the local

 
 107 
 
 markets was easy enough, but after that point was reached 
 progress was suspended for many years. Making arrange- 
 ments for placing a first-class article upon the British 
 market presented many obstacles, and there is no saying 
 how long the dairying industry would have languished had 
 not an administrator come into power who knew what was 
 required, and who had the courage to carry it out. The 
 Hon. J. L. Dow, as Minister of Agriculture, commenced in 
 1888 a system of improving the dairying industry, which, in 
 a few years, was abundantly justified by results. For three 
 years bonuses were paid ujjon exports of butter, and by 
 other means the modern factory system was bi'ought into 
 existence. A travelling dairy was employed in instructing 
 the farmers ; a model dairy was conducted at the Centennial 
 Exhibition ; Mr. David Wilson, the Dairying Expert, was 
 appointed ; refrigerating cars were put upon the railway 
 lines, cool stores were provided at country railway stations, 
 refrigerating cham])ers were built in Melbourne, and a system 
 of inspecting and liranding approved Initter for ex})ort was 
 organized Satisfactory results were immediately realized, 
 and succeeding Ministers of Agriculture continued to 
 encourage the new export trade — the present Minister, the 
 Hon. J. W. Taverner, having been conspicuous in his efforts 
 to extend and improve the rapidly developing dairying 
 industry. 
 
 Inspection of Dairies and Exports. 
 
 The Hon. J. W Taverner's administration has been 
 largely concerned in imi)roving the cool storage arrange- 
 ments in Melbourne, making better terms as to freights 
 with steam-ship companies, and securing more effective 
 inspection of exports, as well as providing for improved 
 methods of examining herds and dairies in order to insure 
 the soundness and wholesomeness of the produce. The 
 exports of butter, which in 1890 amounted to only 400 tons, 
 increased under the new system to 1,000 tons in 1891. In 
 1892 they were 2,140 tons, in 1898 3,611 tons, and they in- 
 creased rapidly till 11,584 tons were reached in 1895, the 
 value of butter and cheese exported in that year being over 
 a million pounds sterling. Owing to an exceptional 
 drought, there was a considerable falling-off in exports 
 during 1896 and 1897, but the Dairy Expert has reportetl 
 that reasonable precautions in the way of jiroviding for the
 
 108 
 
 carrying forward of the surplus fodder of good years, to meet 
 the needs of less favorable seasons, would easily enable 
 the existing- dairies to double the exports of 1895. 
 
 The Butter Factories. 
 
 Butter factories have now been established in ah parts of the 
 colony, from the cool coast districts to the drier and warmer 
 inland and the far north-western " mallee." So effective is 
 the factory system, wnth its modern methods of securing 
 by artificial means the required conditions of success, that 
 bntter of the finest quality has been produced in the driest 
 and hottest districts of the colony, even within the boundaries 
 of the mallee division. The returns for 1895 show a total of 
 174 butter factories, and it is to be noted that, while these 
 represent all portions of the colony, they are as yet spread 
 only sparsely over the various districts. While progress has 
 been satisfactory, the scope for development is so large that 
 many years will elapse before the limits of the industry's 
 profitable expansion will be reached. The factories are 
 carried on upon the co-operative principle, the most of the 
 shareholders being milk suppliers, who receive for their milk 
 prices fixed from time to time by the directors, according to 
 the bntter market, and also their proportion of the profits 
 made by the factory company. The milk supplied is tested 
 and paid for according to its proportion of butter fat. The 
 prices paid for the milk have generally been satisfactory, 
 and, as a rule, dividends have also been paid by the 
 companies. 
 
 The Cheese Factories. 
 
 The cheese-making industry became prominent in the 
 colony before the butter factories came into existence. Until 
 it became ])Ossible to place first-class butter on the British 
 market, dairying was ])ractically restricted to suj)])lying the 
 limited local demands. As cheese could be exported, the 
 production of that commodity received a good deal of atten- 
 tion, and the industry would no doubt have continued to 
 make progress had not a more profitable one become 
 available to the dairy farmer. The high price of butter, 
 however, as compared with the price of cheese, has, so far, 
 prevented any recent development in the production of the 
 latter. There are at present twenty l)utter factories which also 
 make cheese, and seventeen cheese factories. The development
 
 109 
 
 of cheese-making would rapidly take place if a serious drop 
 occurred iu the value of butter. The dairying industry has 
 thus two strings to its bow. Cheese-making has paid well, 
 and would pay now ; but, for the present, butter-making 
 pays better. 
 
 Veterinaky Inspection. 
 
 Mr. David Wilson, the Government Dairy Expert, says — 
 ^'Another effort has been recentlv made in Eno'land to raise 
 a scare against Australian perishable produce. This time it 
 is against cur mutton. The charges, however, w'ill be as 
 easily disproved as w'ere the charges of adulteration made 
 about our butter. A committee of the House of Commons 
 now sitting has recommended that all our beef and mutton 
 for exp >rt, and all dairy herds, should undergo veterinary 
 inspection. Jt cannot be made too widely known that many 
 of our butter factories have had this system in operation for 
 over twelve months, and that a veterinary surgeon's certifi- 
 cate as to the health of the cows from which the milk was 
 produced accompanies every box of butter these factories 
 export. No doubt all the factories will gradually adopt a 
 similar system, even although their milk suppliers' herds 
 may be in perfect health. As for the beef, mutton, rabbits, 
 hares, and poultry that Victoria exports, 1 am pleased to be 
 able to report that a system of veterinary inspection has 
 been riyidly carried out during the past two shippin.^ seasons, 
 a veterinary certificate accompanying every carcass of mutton 
 and beef, and every package of poultry, hares, and rabbits, 
 certifying that same has been inspected, and is fit for human 
 consumption. To a very large extent, therefore, we have 
 anticipated the recommendation of the committee of the 
 House of Commons." 
 
 Room foe New-comers. 
 There are openings for large numbers of dairy farmers iu 
 all the districts containing factories as well as in many 
 localities where factories conld be profitably established. 
 Dairy farms can be purchased at low prices or leased for 
 reasonable rentals, so that only a small capital is required 
 by freehold or tenant farmers. The "share s} stein" of 
 farming has lately been adopted in connexion with dairying, 
 and the results have been so satisfactory that there is now a 
 demand for dairymen t" take land and cattle on shares in 
 different parts of the colony. In some cases the farms alone
 
 no 
 
 are takeu uuder this system, but the most common method 
 is for the owner of the hind to supply land, cattle, and 
 other requisites, the tenant providing only the labour. 
 Large estates formerly devoted to the keeping of sheep or 
 the fattening of cattle are, in suitable dairying districts, 
 now being turned to more profitable use in supplying milk 
 to the butter factories under this form of the share system. 
 The plan is one which suits the land-OM^ner where workers ot 
 a suitable kind are scarce, and it opens up a profitable held 
 for the employment of families wliose only capital is their 
 labour. The successful establishment of the dairying 
 industry has thus done much to start the colony on a new 
 career of prosperity by opening up a fresh avenue of employ- 
 ment for land, capital, and labour.
 
 11] 
 PIGS, PORK, AND BACON. 
 
 The keejjing of pigs, wliile receiving some Jittention on 
 nany farms, has not been developed in the colony to the 
 ixtent which the prospects seem to warrant. The fact that 
 m export trade has not yet been established npon a perma- 
 lent basis may be taken as accounting for the slow ])rogress 
 )f an industry calculated under the peculiarly favorable local 
 sonditions of yielding handsome profits. Excellent speci- 
 nens of the best breeds were introduced in early times, and 
 jareful breeding has been carried out for many years, so that 
 he stock of the colony is generally of good quality. The 
 Berkshire breed has met with the most favour, but recently 
 iampshires have been introduced, so that, with these and 
 iTorkshires previously imported, the Berkshires are in some 
 jases being crossed, in order to }»roduce a type fulfilling the 
 'equirements of the modern market. 
 
 Favokable Local Conditions. 
 
 Cold weather is the condition which the fattener of pigs, 
 LS of other stock, finds it most difficult to cope with. Keep- 
 ng up the heat of the animal body being an imperative first 
 luty of food, a cold climate places a severe tax upon the 
 'attening ration. In Victoria, the mild climate renders the 
 vork of the stockfeeder peculiarly profital)le. Not only is 
 be cost of expensive housing saved, but a large proportion 
 )f the food consumed is relieved fi'om the duty of protecting 
 i/gainst the cold and devoted to the making of flesh and fat. 
 [he pig-feeding experiments conducted at the Longerenong 
 Agricultural College had the effect of demonstrating the 
 avorableness of the climatic conditions under which pig- 
 eeding is carried out in this colony. 
 
 Feeding on Grain and Milk. 
 
 In 1895, when grain was abnormally cheap, the writer, 
 ,hen Principal of the Longerenong Agricultural College, 
 n the Wimmera district, carried out a series of experiments 
 ;o test the question as to the retm-n obtainable from feeding- 
 Digs with wheat, oats, and a mixture of both these cereals, 
 vith and without skim milk. The experiments were com- 
 nenced on the 14th June, and continued for 92 days, the 
 3igs being weighed at the commencement and the con- 
 ilusion. Nine thrifty young pigs were selected as nearly as
 
 112 
 
 possible of the same size and quality, and divided into three 
 pens, each containing three pigs. Pen No. 1 was fed with 
 wheat and separated milk ; jDen Xo. 2 with a half-and-halt 
 mixture of wheat and oats, along with separated milk ; and 
 pen Xo. 3 with wheat and water. The grain was crushed 
 and soaked in water for twelve hom's. In the case of pens 
 1 and 2 separated milk was given at the rate of 2 gallons 
 per pig i)er day, and the same quantity of water in pen 3. 
 Grain was fed at the rate of G lbs. per pig per day in two 
 meals. The results were : — 
 
 Weight. 14th June. "^^s.^^ 
 
 Gain. 
 
 Gain per day. \ ^^e^r'^y^'^ 
 
 lbs. 
 Pen 1, 195 lbs. ... 608 
 Peu 2. 204 lbs. ... 595 
 Peu 3, 208 lbs. ... 552 
 
 lbs. 
 413 
 391 
 344 
 
 lbs. lbs. 
 4-489 1-496 
 4-25 1-416 
 3-739 1-246 
 
 Reckoning the live weight at 2d. per lb., the pigs in 
 pen 1 returned a sum equal to 2s. 6d. per bushel for 
 the wheat consumed. In pen 2 half the food was oats. 
 Making an allowance of lUd. per bushel for the oats, the 
 S25 lbs. of wheat returned 3s. 5M. per bushel for the wheat 
 consumed. The most striking features of the experiments 
 are the profitable results of the wheat and oats mixture, 
 and the beneficial eftects of separated milk. The difference 
 in the treatment of pens 1 and 3 was that one had separated 
 milk and the other water, and the difference in the results 
 were 69 lbs., or 23 lbs. per pig, a daily difference of ^ lb. This 
 o:ives a value of O^d. per gallon to the separated milk. As 
 the pigs fed with the milk were quite as fat, though lighter 
 than those fed vaih water, the effect of the milk seemed to 
 have been to produce a rapid growth. In pens 1 and 2 the 
 difference in weight was only 22 11)8. Thus the selling price 
 of the pigs would be only aVjOut lod. per head less than if fed 
 <.in all wheat, whilst the saving through the use of half oats 
 amounted to 5s. 9d. per head, or a clear gain of 4s. 6d. per 
 head. In pen No. 1 the increase in live weight for the whole 
 l»eriod amounted to 1^ lbs. per day per pig, and 4 lbs. of wheat 
 made 1 lb. of live weight or 15 lbs. of pork for each bushel ot 
 wheat. In estimating the value obtained for the grain used 
 in feeding, it should be remembered that in the above cal- 
 culations the gain or increased live weight had only been 
 taken into account, whilst the feeding liad also resulted in 
 the whole animal becoming salealde at fat pig rates. Thus
 
 in pen 3 the 344 lbs. gain gives a return of 2s. Id. per Imsliel 
 for the wheat consumed, hut tlie (juantity of fat live Avei^'ht 
 for sale was 552 l])s. If the pigs had been sold in store con- 
 (htion the original 208 lbs. would not have fetched the same 
 price as fat pigs. If Qid. per pound were allowed as the 
 difference m value between fat and store pigs, there was a 
 gain of 8s. 8d. on the pen, or 2s. KJid. per pig from that 
 source, making the return on the wheat about 2s. Sfd. per 
 bushel. I consider a good deal of the success is due to the 
 mild climatic conditions of the country. 
 
 A Promising Industry. 
 Pig-keeping in this colony is one of the most profitable 
 branches of agricukure, the genial climate being specially 
 favoral)le, and it is likely that in the immediate future the 
 industry will l)e largely extended. Like all departments of 
 production confined to supplying local markets, the raising 
 of swine has been seriously kept back by the periodical 
 occurrence of over-production and low prices. The attention 
 which is now being paid, however, to opening up markets 
 for more or less perishable products in London and else- 
 where is likely to result in an outlet being found for our 
 surplus of pork, bacon, and hams, so that an industry 
 which is so j^rofitable to such countries as America and 
 Denmark will probably show a rate of expansion akin to 
 that of the butter trade. 
 
 1359.
 
 114 
 
 POULTRY AXD EGGS. 
 
 The keeping of poultry, like several other minor branches 
 of rural industry, is at the present time undergoing a 
 change, which is likely to result in a great expansion of 
 the liusiness. Until recently local markets were relied 
 upon, and these frequently became over-supplied, \^^th the 
 result that prices for both eggs and tal)le birds fell to very 
 discoiu-aging rates. Under such circumstances poultry- 
 keeping was kept within defined limits, and progress was 
 impracticable. The opening up of an export trade, how- 
 ever, has entirely changed the prospects of this industry, 
 and it is almost certain that the progn-essive movement 
 which has now been commenced will be continuous. Local 
 conditions, and especially the exceptionally favorable 
 climate, have long been recognised as offering special 
 advantages to poultry-keeping, but continuous progi-ess 
 could not be exjtected until an outlet for the produce had 
 been assured. 
 
 Special Advantages. 
 
 The wonderfully mild climate of Victoria, with absence of 
 cold winters, is exceptionally favorable to poultry-keeping, 
 as it is to so many other rural pursuits. Very few native- 
 born Victorians have ever seen snow, and it is rare to find 
 ice as thick as a penny on shallow pools in the coldest parts 
 of the colony. Under these conditions poultry thrive, "^-ith 
 the minimum of food and attention, and there is another 
 natural condition which is of immense importance, viz., the 
 geographical position of the colony. Situated at the An- 
 tipodes, the time of the various seasons is opposite to that 
 of the Northern Hemisphere. When England, Russia, 
 Belgium, France, as well as Canada and the United States, 
 are enduring the severity of the northern winter, Victoria is 
 enjoying the warm summer. It would seem as if the colonies 
 at the Antipodes had been intended by nature to compensate 
 northern countries for the losses of the rigorous winter. 
 However this may l)e, it is certain that a beginning has l)een 
 made })y this colony in a system under which the cheaply 
 produced altundunce of our spring and summer months will 
 find a j)roHtaltle market during the winter scarcity of the 
 Northern Hemisjthere. Our exports of eggs and poultry 
 have not yet reached any considerable dimension, for the
 
 IIT) 
 
 practicability of exporting has too recently been demon- 
 strated, but the market liaving been fountl remunerative, 
 and the transport practicable, the expansion of this business 
 has been fully assured. 
 
 Profitable for Families. 
 The interest of the poultry fancier in the colony is an 
 important one. All the best breeds are represented by 
 birds of the highest quality, and through the importing and 
 stud-breeding operations of the fanciers, those carrying on 
 the ordinary poultry business of the colony are able to 
 obtain the stock most suitable for their purposes under local 
 conditions. While there are a few poultry farmers who carry 
 on the production of table birds or eggs as a se])arate busi- 
 ness, the bulk of the produce of the colony comes from 
 farmers, orchardists, vignerons, or gardeners who make poul- 
 try-keeping an adjunct to other brandies of rural industry, 
 and the poultry yard is generally a profitable and reliable 
 department. The Department of Agriculture has rendered 
 great service by organiziuir the export trade. It gives 
 directions as to suitable breeds of p< ultry, and the methods 
 of management, while it also undertakes the proper shii)- 
 ment of eggs and birds through the Government (*ool 
 Storage Depot. The industry is one requiring very little 
 capital, and, as suitable land for the purpose can be 
 reailily obtained near railway stations and large towns, it 
 offers promising opportunities to new settlers.
 
 116 
 
 EXPORTS OF PERISHABLE PRODUCTS. 
 
 Tlie modern system of preseiNing fresh perishable produce 
 by means of cool storage has raised Victorian agricultm^e, 
 and set it upon a new plane of prosperous development. Our 
 limited population provided only a restricted local market, 
 and our di^^tauce from the world's great centres of consump- 
 tion confined agricultural development to the production of 
 such staple commodities as grain and wool that were suit- 
 able for exportation. All the valuable perishable products 
 of agriculture had to be kept strictly within the narrow 
 limits of local consumption. The introduction of the cool 
 storage system has produced a revolution. Artificially 
 cooled stores, refrigerated railway trucks, cold storage 
 depots at the ports, and refrigerating chambers in ocean 
 steam-ships, have opened up the markets of the world to the 
 most perishable products of our farms, dairies, orchards, 
 and vineyards. A beginning only has been made in 
 exploiting this new field of agricultural wealth. Dairying 
 has certainly, with wonderful rapidity, demonstrated the 
 potency of the change, but the various other branches of 
 agriculture are only taking the first steps in this new 
 career of prosperity. 
 
 Exports for 1897. 
 
 The exports for the year ending April, 1897, through the 
 depot of, and under the inspection of the Department of 
 Agriculture, give an indication of the variety of products 
 which the colony is now beginning to place upon the British 
 markets : — 
 
 Produce. 
 
 Butter (tons) ... 
 
 Mutton and Lamb (carcasses) 
 
 Rablnts (pairs) ... 
 
 Hares (,,) ... 
 
 Game (,,) ... 
 
 Turkeys (,,) ... 
 
 Ducks, Fowls, and Geese (pairs) 
 
 Eggs (dozens) ... 
 
 Milk (tons) 
 
 Mutton (legs) ... 
 
 ,, (haunches) 
 lieef (quarters) ... 
 Pork (carcasses) 
 Kidneys (crates) 
 
 Veal, Sausages, Ox Tails, Tongues, and 
 Sundries (packages] 
 
 Totals ... 
 
 
 Quantity. 
 
 Estimated Value. 
 
 ' 
 
 £ 
 
 *. d. 
 
 9,895i 
 
 942,247 
 
 3 4 
 
 79,062 
 
 39,531 
 
 
 
 932, 203 
 
 77,683 
 
 11 8 
 
 5,533 
 
 1,.383 
 
 5 
 
 316i 
 
 31 
 
 13 
 
 064^ 
 
 664 
 
 10 
 
 10,219 
 
 3.832 
 
 2 6 
 
 12,338 
 
 616 
 
 18 
 
 11 
 
 123 
 
 4 
 
 12,3.38 
 
 1,2.33 
 
 16 
 
 58 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 400 
 
 1,000 
 
 
 
 434 
 
 868 
 
 
 
 54 
 
 54 
 
 
 
 es, and 
 
 165 
 
 200 
 
 
 
 — 
 
 £1,069,480 15 6
 
 IN THE COLD STORAGE DEPOT.-Melbourne. 
 
 WHEAT AT COUNTRY RAILWAY STATION.
 
 117 
 
 In the above the exports of some private companies who 
 ship beef and mutton from other ports, such as Geelong and 
 Portland, are not taken into account. So far, the exports of 
 chilled meat from these ports have not reached large 
 dimensions, but they may be expected to increase consider- 
 ably in future years. 
 
 For further information apply to Mr. J. M. Sinclair, the 
 Representative in London of the Victorian Department ot 
 Ao:riculture.
 
 118 
 
 OTHER INDUSTRIES. 
 
 Some of the rural industries dealt with under this heading 
 are sometimes called "novel" on account of being generally 
 unrepresented among the avocations of ordinary farmers. 
 Requiring si)ecial skill or unusual conditions for their 
 development, they are not so common as grain-growing, 
 dairying, stock-raising, and other ])ranches of agriculture, 
 but in many cases they are quite firmly established, and in 
 as advanced a condition. In the old colonial days, circum- 
 stances prevented their extension beyond prescribed limits, 
 but the conditions affecting them are rapidly changing under 
 modern conditions. 
 
 Bee Farming. 
 
 Bee-keeping is receiving increased attention in the colony, 
 and owing to its profitableness it may be expected to extend 
 to large dimensions. Under the old close hive system the 
 expansion of the industry was held in check by the limited 
 yields of the stocks and the ravages of disease. The new 
 system of frame hives, however, enable the bee-keeper at 
 once to prevent disease, and greatly increase the yield of 
 honey. The natural forests which surround the various 
 farming districts ])rovide excellent bee pastures, and the 
 sunny climate of the colony provides a long working season. 
 Under these circumNtances it is not surprising that bee- 
 keeping is a profitable business. At times, the prices of 
 honey have been discouraging, owing to the local and other 
 colonial markets becoming temj)orarily over-supplied, but 
 already sometliing has been done in the way of finding 
 markets for exports. In 1895, 204,435 lbs. of honey was 
 exported, 180,055 lbs. having l)een sent to the United 
 Kingdom. The bee business requires very little capital, and 
 it is one presenting special inducements to settlers, either 
 for their exclusive attention or as an adjunct to other 
 branches of rural industry. 
 
 Hop-growing. 
 
 Hop-growing has had a long and checkered career in the 
 colony, much money having been both made and lost during 
 the various phases of the industry. The soil and climate 
 in the hojt-growing districts have been proved to be specially 
 suitable, and much heavier crops of hops can be relied upon
 
 119 
 
 than in England, but as the industry is one involving much 
 hand labour, tliere has been a difficulty, owing to oiu* 
 limited population, in keeping the cost of production dowTi 
 to the level required in the carrying on of an expoi-t trade. 
 Om- exports are principally confined to the neighbouring 
 colonies, and the hop-growers, with all their natural advan^ 
 tages, have yet to accomplish the feat of producing cheaply 
 enough to compete in the markets of the world. Upon the 
 fertile river flats of Gippsland, in the east of the colony; 
 along the rivers flowing into the Murray, in the north-east ; as 
 well as in the Otway Forest, in the west, successful hop gardens 
 are carried on. The number of growers at present is 128, 
 cultivating an area of 791 acres. Yields sometimes reach 
 a ton of dried hops to the acre, and an average Of 15 cwt. to 
 the acre is frequently obtained. In the hop-growing districts 
 the school holidays are given at the picking season in order 
 to allow^ the children to assist in the work. With an 
 increase in the population, and the adoption of more labour- 
 saving methods, it may be expected that this industry, for 
 which there is almost unlimited scope amid exceptionally 
 favorable natural conditions, will be largely extended. 
 
 Flax and Linseed. 
 
 That flax would grow luxuriantly in the colony has been 
 known from the earliest times, but owing to the labour 
 involved in managing the fibre crops, very little attention 
 was, until recently, given to the growing of flax or linseed. 
 During the last few years, however, a stimulus has been 
 given to the industry by the action of the Hon. J. W. 
 Taverner in importing fibre working and oil making 
 machinery, and employing experts to give instruction in the 
 various manufacturing processes. In all but the very di'iest 
 districts of the colony flax grows well, producing a good 
 yield of both seed and fibre, and as a market is being found 
 for the products, it may be expected that the area devoted to 
 its culture will rapidly increase. Mr. Jos. Knight, the 
 Government Expert, says—" The flax crop should find a place 
 in the ordinary farm rotation ; the industry is a payable one, 
 suitable for all classes of our agriculturists, and requires only 
 to be properly understood to receive that attention to which 
 its merits entitle it." Farmers understanding flax culture 
 in the old country would, no doubt, find in this industry 
 profitable scope for their experience.
 
 120 
 
 Olive Culture. 
 Olive culture is one of the most promising industries in 
 the colony. Trees planted in various parts of Victoria grew 
 so well and yielded so freely, that settlers were impelled 
 some years ago to take note of a product of which they 
 possessed little knowledge. An olive grove, also which was 
 planted twenty years ago at the Dookie Experimental Farm, 
 in the north-eastern district, began after the establishment 
 of an Agricultural College at the farm to produce olive oil 
 of excellent quality. Later on olive culture and tlie making 
 of olive oil were esta])lished at the Longerenong Agricultural 
 College, in the nortli-western district, and that was followed 
 by the successful production of olive oil at Mildura, the irriga- 
 tion settlement on the Murray River. As the result of these 
 and some other local experiments, it has been demonstrated 
 that the extensive inland areas of the colony are specially 
 suitable for the growth of the olive. In Southern Europe 
 the olive does not bear until ten years old, but in Northern 
 Victoria trees begin to bear at three years old, and profit- 
 able crops are obtained after the fifth year. Very heavy 
 yields are sometimes obtained, bnt 60 gallons to the acre 
 is considered a fair average. The working expenses are 
 reasonable, being not more tlian £7 per acre, including in- 
 terest on cost of manufacturing machinery, so that there is 
 a handsome margin of profit. The prices obtained for the 
 locally-produced oil have ranged between 7s. and 10s. per 
 gallon. Even at tfce lower price a profit is shown of £14 
 per acre, while it may be concluded that such a special 
 product as pure olive oil will always command a good 
 market. 
 
 Oil Seeds and Scents. 
 
 In addition to the growing of linseed, such plants as 
 sunflowers, castor oil beans, and pea nuts are beginning to 
 receive attention. That they grow well in different parts of 
 the colony has been fully proved, for settlers from early 
 times have been led to make trials of nearly every known 
 kind of useful })laurs. AVhile sunflowers and castor oil plants 
 have been found to grow well and yield heavy returns the 
 absence of a market for the produce has prevented their 
 extensive cultivation. The I)ei)artment of Agriculture, 
 however, has done nmch to encourage these cultures by 
 iin])<)rting an oil mill, and thus assisting to create a market 
 for the seeds. The results so far have been highly
 
 ORCHARD WORK.-MiLDURA. 
 
 A GROUP OF HOP PICKERS.
 
 121 
 
 encouraging, and there is no doubt that castor oil plants, 
 sunflowers, and other oil-producing crops will in a few years 
 be extensively cultivated. Flower farming for the production 
 of essential oils is another industry which has recently been 
 receiving attention, and which is likely to be developed under 
 the highly favorable climatic conditions of the colony. An 
 Experimental Farm for testing various scent plants was 
 established by the Government some years ago, and the 
 result has been to direct attention to an industry which is 
 likely when better understood to be highly profitable. 
 
 Silk Culture. 
 
 Natural conditions are exceptionally favorable to the silk- 
 growing industry, which is so great a som'ce of wealth to 
 different countries ; but as a dense population with an 
 abundance of cheap labour is necessary for its development, 
 only limited progress has been made. This interesting 
 industry, however, has received attention from sanguine 
 persons from early colonial times, and at present an active 
 society is pushing its interests with considerable success. 
 As silk culture is suitable for profitably employing the 
 members of a settler's family who cannot engage in the 
 heavier work of rural life, the industry is likely to make 
 gradual progress and ultimately assume considerable 
 importance.
 
 122 
 
 THE SUGAR-BEET INDUSTRY. 
 
 The production of sugar-beet has received attention at 
 various times during the last 25 years, but from different 
 causes arising out of the peculiar nature of the business the 
 several attempts to establish the industry have proved un- 
 successful. The suitableness, however, of extensive areas in 
 Victoria for the production of heavy crops of beet prevented 
 the expectation of successfully introducing the sugar-beet 
 industry from being entirely abandoned, and a company is 
 now operating which is likely to establish this important 
 branch of production upon a sound basis. The conditions of 
 sugar-beet production are such that its inauguration stands 
 specially in need of Government assistance. Farmers have 
 no inducement to grow the l)eet crop until sugar factories 
 exist which will provide a market, aud capitalists have no 
 inducement to erect factories until a supply of beet is 
 assured. 
 
 Government Encouragement. 
 
 Recognising the peculiar nature of the case, the Turner 
 Government resolved to render the necessary assistance. 
 The Beet Sugar Works Act of 18'.-6 was accordingly intro- 
 duced and passed into law, under which lil)eral encourage- 
 ment to the industry was provided. Under this Act advances 
 are made to companies which carry out the sugar-beet 
 business upon stated lines, aud in a manner satisfactory to 
 the Government. Any company establishing a factory in an 
 approved district where there is an area of lOOOo acres of 
 suitable land within a radius of 10 miles, and which has 
 entered into contract -with farmers for the cultivation of at 
 least 2,i>00 acres of beet crop for three years, is entitled to 
 claim advances which ultimately reach the value of £2 for 
 every £1 ex])ended by the company. These advances are to 
 be rejtaid in 46 half-yearly instalments, the sum bearing 
 interest at 4 per cent., and the property of the company 
 being security under a first mortgage for the loan. 
 
 The Mai'I'RA Sugar Beet Company. 
 
 The only company as yet established under the Act is 
 the Maffra Sugar Beet Company Limited. The capital is 
 £r)0,ijOO, in 50,0<JiJ shares of £l each. The first issue of 
 25,000 has l)eeu taken up, an<l the company, which is entitled
 
 r 
 
 -^ 
 
 t 
 
 1 
 
 ■tit 
 
 iir 1 
 
 
 I \ % \ 
 
 
 
 I s f 
 
 
 f f -w f 
 
 
 ..A4k 
 
 THE MAFFRA BEET-SUGAR FACTORY. -FRONT View. 
 
 THE MAFFRA BEET-SUGAR FACTORY.- Rear View.
 
 123 
 
 to claim advances up to £50,000 from the Government, 
 bas up to date received the sum of £30,000. The factory, 
 which has l)een erected and provided witli all the most 
 approved macdiinery, is in readiness to deal with the crop of 
 the approaching- season. Qualified judges who have recently 
 visited the factory report that the company has shown com- 
 mendable skill and enterprise, and nothing seems to have 
 been omitted which is necessary to success. The situation is 
 in a central portion of the Gippsland district, about 130 miles 
 east from Melbourne, and no more suitable site could have 
 been chosen, the surrounding soil being highly fertile, and the 
 rainfall reliable and copious. The machinery has been im- 
 ported from Germany, and an expert staiF of skilled operators 
 has been obtained from the same country. An area of 1,700 
 acres has been cultivated with beet crops by farmers, under 
 arrangement with the company, and the roots now approach- 
 ing maturity have yielded highly satisfactory results upon 
 analysis. 
 
 The following are the analyses of thirteen samples made 
 the second week in February, 1898 : — 
 
 
 
 ! Average Weight 
 
 
 
 °/o Non- 
 
 
 
 
 of one root in 
 
 grammes. 
 
 %Brix. 
 
 °/o S"gar. 
 
 sugar. 
 
 Purity. 
 
 Siiir 
 
 iple 1 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 546 
 
 21-5 
 
 19-58 
 
 1-92 
 
 91-7 
 
 
 2 
 
 276 
 
 24- 
 
 19-74 
 
 4-26 
 
 82-3 
 
 
 3 
 
 ! 381 
 
 19-4 
 
 16-53 
 
 2-87 
 
 85-2 
 
 
 4 
 
 157 
 
 24-3 
 
 19-76 
 
 4-54 
 
 81-3 
 
 
 5 
 
 i 246 
 
 23-2 
 
 18-92 
 
 4-28 
 
 81-5 
 
 
 6 
 
 440 
 
 23-6 
 
 18-97 
 
 4-63 
 
 80-3 
 
 
 7 
 
 205 
 
 21-6 
 
 
 ... 
 
 ... 
 
 
 8 
 
 543 
 
 19-2 
 
 17-26 
 
 1-94 
 
 90- 
 
 
 9 
 
 226 
 
 20- 
 
 17-95 
 
 2 05 
 
 897 
 
 
 , 10 
 
 i 202 
 
 20-7 
 
 17-89 
 
 2-81 
 
 86-4 
 
 
 , 11 
 
 ' 578 
 
 19-5 
 
 16-63 
 
 2-87 
 
 85-3 
 
 
 , 12 
 
 i 455 
 
 18-2 
 
 16-85 
 
 i-35 
 
 92.5 
 
 
 13 
 
 319 
 
 17-2 
 
 15-85 
 
 1-35 
 
 92.1 
 
 Encouraging Prospects. 
 
 Mr. J. M. Sinclair, now the London representative of 
 the Victorian Department, who was em])loyed by the Go- 
 vernment to inquire into the sugar-beet industry of the 
 United States, presented a report in 1895, which has been a
 
 124 
 
 powerful factor in brino;iug about the present movement. Mr. 
 Sinclair's report brought under notice the success of some of 
 the American companies, notably those of California, a state 
 whose general conditions are in many respects similar to 
 those of Victoria. The report also was highly favorable to 
 the opinion that the industry could be successfully estab- 
 lished in this colony. After visiting the scene of beet-sugar 
 productions in Utah, under a system of irrigation, Mr. Sin- 
 clau', in his report, deals as follows with the advantages of 
 the industry and its suitableness for the Australian colony 
 of Victoria : — 
 
 •' The successful establishment of a beet-sugar factory in a 
 community means the placing of a cash market at fixed prices 
 for the farmer's produce at his own doors ; it enhances 
 the value of laud at least threefold, by giving it an income- 
 paying value ; it means the distribution in the community 
 of many thousands of pounds annually, and profitable and 
 healthy employment for hundreds of families, besides the 
 saving to the country of the value of the sugar, which other- 
 wise woidd have to be purchased abroad, being so much 
 money gone out of the country that should be kept at 
 home. 
 
 "The success attending sugar-beet culture with irrigation 
 in Utah indicates what may also be accomplished in the same 
 way at ^Mildma, in Victoria. The rich sandy loams at 
 Mildura are capable of producing sugar-beets equal in 
 quantity to Utah, and Mildura is in possession of a much 
 more favorable climate. The higher percentage of sugar in 
 the C'hino beets over those at Lehi is sim])ly the result of its 
 warmer climate, and there is a similarity of climatic condi- 
 tions existing between Chino and Mildura. Sugar-beet 
 culture, under favorable conditions, is perhaps the most 
 profitd])le use to which land suited to it can be put, and 
 a trial should certainly be made of it at Mildura and other 
 places along the Murray Kiver where rich friable loamy 
 soil exist. 
 
 '• I omitted to mention that the agricultural superintendent 
 at Lehi informed me that all land suitable for beet culture 
 there had risen over 80 per cent, in value during the past 
 eighteen months. He pointed out land on the lower plateau 
 for which 150 dollars, or £30, per acre, could be obtained. 
 Oil tlif npjicr ])lateau virgin sage brush laud, of wliich I was 
 afraid t(j name a value, had recently been purchased for 40 
 dollars, or £8, per acre.
 
 125 
 
 "In the foregoing reports I have endeavoured to give a 
 concise statement of the methods of beet-root culture at two 
 of the most successful factories in the United States. I think 
 it will be recognised by the Victorian farmers that the two 
 places — Chino and Lehi — from their similarity in soil, 
 climate, and rainfall to a great portion of Victoria have 
 enabled a study to be made of the sugar-beet industry which 
 may prove of supplementary value to what information is 
 already in their possession. There is not the slightest doubt 
 of the fact that large areas of land in Victoria are as well 
 suited for sugar-beet culture as either California or Utah. 
 It is the most interesting, and at the same time profit- 
 able, agricultural industry I have seen in the United States. 
 There is no reason why Victoria should send away annually 
 thousands of pounds for the purchase of sugar when it can be 
 grown and manufactured in the colony, furnishing at the same 
 time a jDrofitable occupation for a large number of its people." 
 
 As showing the profitableness of the industry to the 
 farmer, Mr. Sinclair instances the Watsonville Factory, in 
 California, in connexion with which the beet crop netted one 
 year £13 lis. 4d. per acre : — 
 
 " The following year, the season being a bad one, results 
 were not so good, a yield of only 13,500 tons of beets from 
 2,000 acres being obtained, for which the factory paid 
 5 dollars per ton. The sugar output was 1,650 tons, for a 
 run of 47 days. The farmers, however, were satisfied, and 
 increased their area of beets, and the company increased 
 both its capital and plant. Both parties have since, from 
 year to year, steadily extended their operations, the 
 farmers getting an average of from 13 to 14 tons per acre, 
 for which this season they were paid 3^ dollars (or 14s. 7d.) 
 per ton. The Watsonville Factory is now one of the most 
 successful in the United States, ever} thing in connexion 
 with it being carried on on a satisfactory basis." 
 
 In connexion with the Chino Beet Company, another 
 Californian enterprise, Mr. Sinclair says : — 
 
 " In 1893 Mr. Gird and 170 farmers cultivated over 4,000 
 acres of land with sugar-beets, 2,500 acres of which were in 
 good condition, and the remaining 1,500 acres were sod-land 
 broken up for the first time, and from which the tonnage 
 was necessarily light. There was distributed during 1893 
 (the last campaign) £60,000 for beets and labour, which 
 would otherwise have gone out of the country to purchase 
 foreign sugar.
 
 126 
 
 "At the close of the campaign for 1893 the Chino Valley 
 Beet Sugar Company decided to increase the capacity or 
 their factory still fm-ther to 1,000 tons daily, to erect a 
 complete Steflfen's plant for the extraction of the small 
 amount of sugar left in the molasses, all of which necessi- 
 tated the expenditure of £50,000. The winter and spring 
 saw these im])rovements com})leted, and the factory was 
 opened to receive beets on the 27tli July, 1894. The winter 
 and spring previous to my visit to Chino were exceptionally 
 light in rainfall, there being only 1 1 inches of rain instead 
 of 18 inches, the usual average. (I may here state that 
 California has absolutely no summer rainfall, thunder- 
 storms, as mentioned in one of my previous reports, being 
 almost unknowD.) The surrounding country has conse- 
 quently suffered for want of moisture, fully half the crops 
 being a failure in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern 
 California. In spite of theseclimatic disadvantages during 
 1894 the Chino Sugar Beet Plantation has produced a fair 
 average crop, with regard to tonnage — about 12 tons to the 
 acre — and a very high record as regards sugar, the per- 
 centage being this year an average of 10 per cent. This, 
 Mr. Gird said, would give gross returns of £12 per acre, and 
 net £8 per acre, most satisfactory results in any season, the 
 high percentage of sugar making up the loss in tonnage." 
 
 Mr. Clement Van De Velde, C.E., a gentleman of experi- 
 ence in connexion with beet-sugar production in Belgiiim 
 and Holland, and who has interested himself in advocating 
 the adoption of the industry in the Australian colonies, 
 says : — 
 
 " In Victoria it has already been proved beyond question 
 that a large portion of the colony, especially Gippsland, the 
 Port Fairy, Warrnambool, and Ballarat districts, and the 
 valley of the Yarra, are eminently suitable for the cultiva- 
 tion of sugar beet. Experiments made, especially those 
 under the direction of Mr. A. N. Pearson, Chemist of the 
 Department of Agriculture, show that more than satisfactory 
 crops can be obtained as regards botli ({uantity and quality 
 of roots. 
 
 "Owing to the gL'iiial climate of South-Eastern Australia, 
 the season for sowing and harvesting sugar-beet will be much 
 more extended ("at least double) than in Euro})e or some of 
 tiie American States. This is extremely favorable to both 
 the farmer and the manufacturer. To the farmer it means 
 less extra manual la])onr, ami with his own familv he will be
 
 INTERNAL VIEW.-Beet-sugar Factory. 
 
 MACHINERY.— Maffra Beet-sugar Factory.
 
 127 
 
 able to look after a mucli larger area, the total amount of 
 labour required being divided over a longer ])eriod. To the 
 manufacturer it means a great saving, ;is instead of having 
 to take delivery of the whole crop within four or five weeks 
 (before the frost sets in) and protect a large portion of it in 
 silos about the factory, where it loses part of the sugar con- 
 tents for which he has paid, he will be able to take delivery 
 of the beet in quantities almost equal to his daily require- 
 ments, and so save also a double manipulation of the 
 roots." 
 
 It is evident, therefore, that the industry has been com- 
 menced under favorable prospects in Victoria, while it is 
 satisfactory that practical results, so far as they have yet 
 been obtained by the MafFra Company, have been highly 
 encouraging.
 
 128 
 
 TOBACCO-GROWING. 
 
 Tobacco-growing is carried ou successfully in various 
 districts for which the soil and climate have been found to 
 be specially suitable. Progress, however, has been retarded 
 liy a variety of removable circumstances. Beyond growing 
 a' comparatively limited cpiantity of tobacco for local manu- 
 facture, the industry has not advanced, and it was recognised 
 that the principal cause was a lack of knowledge on the part 
 of growers as to the best methods of cultivating the plant and 
 treating the leaf. The Minister of Agricultiu-e, Mr. J. W. 
 Taverner, in order to overcome this difficulty, some time ago 
 engaged an American expert, Mr. A. J. Bondurant, ol 
 Virginia, who has already done much to place the industry 
 on a satisfactory basis ; and Mr. Bondurant, who is well 
 l)leased with the prospects of tobacco-growing in the colony, 
 writes as follows : — 
 
 Tobacco ix Victoria. 
 
 The cultivation of tobacco for commercial use was com- 
 menced in Victoria about thirty years ago. Its cultivation, 
 as I am informed, was introduced owing to the difficulty of 
 obtaining it from the Southern States, on account of the 
 civil war that existed between the States of America. 
 
 It was found from tlie first cultivation of this plant in 
 Victoria that it grew well, though the methods of cultivation, 
 curiug, and general management were of a primitive 
 character — open thin-thatched sheds used for drying, ou 
 curing, thereby exposing the plants to the varied 
 atmospheric changes that exist in this climate. Yet, not- 
 withstanding this fact, the industry has continued steadily, 
 though not rapidly, to increase, much of this home-grown 
 tobacco being used by the Melbourne manufacturers for 
 blending with the American tobacco in making plug for 
 smoking purposes. 
 
 TuE Yields. 
 
 The crop for the year 1890 exceeded 800 tons. The bulk 
 of this was sold to the Melbourne buyers as soon as it was 
 placed on the market last November. 
 
 The locality in Victoria where this plant is generally 
 cultivated is known as the north-eastern i)art of this province. 
 In this section there is an abundant rainfall, and the climate
 
 129 
 
 generally favorable for the i^rowtli of the tobacco ])lant. It 
 is grown mostly on the rich alluvial bottom lands on the 
 King, Ovens, Kiewa, Mitta Mitta rivers, and to some 
 extent on the Murray — thongh there are ])arts, such as the 
 Goulburn Valley and many others, where the cultivation has 
 not been undertaken, in which it is thought the tobacco plant 
 can be grown witli success. 
 
 Under favorable conditions, the yiehl on these soils is 
 large, much above the average soils in America. During 
 Ihe past season, from 2^ acres, one grower produced 2 tons 
 and TOO pounds, which was sold to a Melbourne manufac- 
 turer for 6d. per pound. Though this instance must not 
 be misleading — it is only safe to say that from half to 
 three-(pmrters of a ton per acre can be produced, and, should 
 the supply be large, lower price than the above wall be 
 realized, the manufacturers here claiming that they have 
 only a limited demand for the home-grown leaf. 
 
 An Export Trade. 
 
 However, this difficulty should be overcome by finding a 
 demand in England, the best tobacco market in Europe. 
 If this Victorian tobacco has been used for more than 
 thirty years by the tobacco manufacturers here alone, and 
 by blending with foreign tobacco, wdiy can it not be 
 successfully utdized by the Mother Country ? 
 
 The Quality. 
 
 The tobacco hitherto grown here resembles much in 
 general appearance, flavour, &c., that grown in some of 
 the Western States of America, namely, Kentucky, Missouri, 
 and Ohio, and the soils upon which it is grown are similar to 
 those soils in America. 
 
 The Government of Victoria, through its Minister of 
 Agriculture, is doing all that it can to encourage this 
 industry. 
 
 Though having been in this colony dm'iug only one 
 season's growth, I am encouraged with the improvement 
 that is going on among the growers, as to adopting better 
 methods as to growing, curing, and preparing this plant for 
 market. The present season (1897) will show much tobacco 
 of better colours, flavours, and general management than has 
 hitherto been obtained here. 
 1359. I
 
 130 
 Experiments. 
 
 Tlie Minister of Agi-iculture, on my advice, has estab- 
 lished a Tobacco Experimental Farm at Edi, on the King 
 River, for the [)urpose of educational instruction to .the 
 tobacco-growers as to the best methods of management. 
 
 This experimental farm was not started in time last year 
 ( I bd()) for conducting this work as fully as desired. Never- 
 theless, a suitable cm'ing house was constructed, a crop 
 gi'own on the Experimental Farm, the curing by heat, and 
 I am fairly well satistied with tliis preliminary trial. 
 Should the season of 1897 be favorable for growing, it is 
 proposed to have placed in the curing house for this year's 
 crop, a suitable heating appliance, whereby the temperature 
 cau be controlled, and still better results obtained. A 
 brighter tobacco, now much sought after in the markets of 
 the world, is likely to be secm'ed by this improved process 
 of curing. 
 
 Thus far, the soil, rainfall, conditions, &c., seem favor- 
 able for producing tobacco of good quality under improved 
 methods of management ; though we have to contend with 
 the unexpected frost, lial)le to occur frequently, even in 
 midsummer, and this is detrimental to this tender plant. 
 This, however, is not so much to be dreaded as a fungus 
 disease known as " blue mould." 
 
 This fungus is similar to rust in wheat, and it is believed 
 that it is produced by the same atmospheric changes. 
 
 While this is a serious drawback to the successful culti- 
 vation of tobacco in Victoria, and every effort is being made 
 to combat it, it is well to state that this fungus does not 
 occur every year, and seldom does it attack the plants to 
 such an extent as to utterly destroy them, and usually, even 
 thougli the " blue mould " does make its ap})earance, a 
 moderate, though not a full, croj) can be secured annually. 
 
 Favorable Prospects. 
 
 Many thousand acres of suitable soil for tobacco-produc- 
 tion are not yet under cultivation, and upon these a settler 
 witii small ca])ital u])on a few acres, by employing intelli- 
 gent methods, should make a com])etent su])port for a 
 family. Under the aid of this enlightened Government, 
 that is doing what is necessary to aid this new industry,
 
 131 
 
 there is good reason to hope that before niauy years it will 
 ittaiu that prominence that the dairy, mine, fruit, &c., 
 occupies. 
 
 As before stated, the work of the expert in the tobacco 
 industry has not progressed to that extent that will at 
 present justify him in drawing definite conclusions, though 
 tie is hopeful as to the success of this industry ultimately, 
 ispecially if it is, as a home industry, protected with whole- 
 some legfislation.
 
 I3'2 
 
 WHY I SETTLED IN VICTORIA. 
 
 What an English Fakmek Says. 
 
 The agricultural depression in England has lasted about 
 twenty years, and no means has yet been discovered by 
 which the British ftirmer can successfully compete with the 
 cheap produce of the colonies and new foreign countries. A 
 Yorkshire former, who gave up the struggle fifteen years 
 ago, and emigrated to Victoria, has favoured the editor with 
 the following views u])on the subject : — 
 
 Why 1 Emigrated. 
 
 I had been bred a farmer, and I knew my business, but I 
 was rapidly losing money. My landlord was a reasonable 
 man. and he made all the"^ reductions in the rent that any one 
 could expect ; but it was all the same. My capital was 
 disappearing, and I made up my mind to do something 
 i)efore it was all gone. The cause of my losses was the low 
 markets brought about by the cheap produce coming in from 
 Australia and America. I was making a little out of cattle, 
 but I could see that would not last ; and as for butter, 
 although it was not coming from Australia at that time, it 
 was coming from somewhere cheaper than I could make it. 
 As I was being ruined by cheap production, I reckoned I 
 would go out and be a cheap producer myself. And very 
 glad I am that I did it in time. 1 have not made a fortune, 
 nor have I done quite as well as I expected, but I have done 
 a lot better than stojjping at home. Things have been 
 getting no better with the farmers at home. Rents have 
 Ijceii reduced from time to time, but markets have ])een 
 getting lower and lower, and the farmers getting poorer and 
 ])Oorer. It is not only grain and meat that pours into 
 London now from abroad, but butter, cheese, poultry, ]iork 
 and bacon, fruits, and everything. My neighbours would 
 have done well to have come away with me, for most of 
 them have lost all they had. What little capital I had left 
 bought me the freehold of a farm, so I am my own landlord 
 at any rate. Those who have less than I had would do 
 well to come out, for this is a better country for making a 
 fresh beginning in than England.

 
 H 
 (J) 
 Mi 
 QL 
 O 
 M. 
 
 UJ 
 
 X 
 H
 
 133 
 
 Little Capital Required. 
 
 A man who lius ca])ital euoiig'h to be a tenant farmer even 
 on a very moderate scale in the old country can buy a good farm 
 right out in Victoria. The value of farms in settled districts 
 (dose to railway stations is only about equal to from one to 
 two rents in England. Th.it is, the freehold prices range 
 from 30s. to £3, and up to £4, £5, and £6 per acre. Farms 
 at these prices consist of good average land, and they return 
 a profit upon these prices. Tliere are also limited areas of 
 specially productive land, fetching up to £20, £30, and £40 
 per acre, but they are not more profitable than my own farm 
 at £5 per acre. Not only is the freehold at the level of a 
 rent or two in the old country, but the working capital 
 required is also much less than that required by the English 
 tenant farmer. The expenditure upon manures is insigni- 
 ficant, and although the >system of farming would not be 
 thought much of in England, it returns a profit, and that is 
 more than can be said for the system under which I lost 
 about £1 per acre per annum for some years in Yorkshire. 
 An English tenant farmer can easily start as a freeholder in 
 this country, and a labourer can become a tenant farmer. 
 Many labourers have become freeholders here by settling on 
 the lands which were granted on easy terms by the Govern- 
 ment, and others have rented farms, some making money 
 enougli to ])uy out the land. 
 
 Making a Start. 
 
 It suited me better to buy a well-improved farm near one 
 of the large towns than to go inland and settle as a " selector," 
 but the selecting system offers good opportunities for those 
 who have less capital, and who want to become land-owners 
 at the beginning. As the Government undertakes the 
 making of railways, the new settlers are soon followed by 
 the lines, so that their produce is carried to the sea-board at 
 low rates. There are plenty of opportunities for men of 
 very small capital to get on to the land. Good farms near 
 the large towns can be taken at low rents by men who have 
 little more capital than their labour and that of their families ; 
 while by going to the more distant districts opened up by the 
 railways, the selector can obtain land at 20s. per acre, being 
 allowed twenty years to complete the purchase, or he can 
 obtain perpetual leases from the Government at a few pence 
 per acre. And then there is the " share system " of farming, 
 under which a 'start can be made by men of no capital.
 
 134 
 
 Under this system farms are taken for one, two, or three 
 years, the tenant doing the best he can, and the landlord 
 taking a share of the crop as rent. The landlord's share is 
 from one-third to one-fourth of the cro]), according to arrange- 
 ment. The advantage to the tenant is that the rent is in 
 proportion to the yield of the land. When it is remembered 
 that in this country land is plentiful and the population 
 small, it will be understood that there are many oppor- 
 tunities of entering into the business of farming. Things 
 are cut very fine in England, l)ut here most of the settlers 
 were not bred to farming, so that carrying on under easy con- 
 ditions, they could not be expected to have developed a high 
 system of agriculture. Skilled farmers from older countries 
 are not likely to fail where so many untrained settlers 
 succeed. 
 
 Neithek Fkost NpK Snow. 
 
 There is no doubt that cheap land was the principal cause 
 of the great fall in the values of agricultural produce, but 
 the cheapness of the fertile lands of Victoria is only one of 
 the advantages which the colony possesses in competitive 
 production. There are cheap lands in Canada and the 
 United States, but it is only in Australia that a genial 
 climate prevails. There is literally no winter here in the 
 English sense of the term. Snow is a rarity seen only on 
 the highest mountains, and all that is known of frost is an 
 occasional hoar-frost, whicli does not injm-e ordinary crops. 
 The climate is even milder than that of the Mediterranean 
 coast, and growth continues all through the winter. There 
 is no housing or feeding of live stock, but the flocks and 
 herds remain in the fields throughout the year, growing and 
 fattening u])on the rich pastures provided by nature. This 
 natural pasture, which is very abundant, is highly nutritious 
 and fattening, and it produces the best butter in the world. 
 It has only recently been proved that the butter made from 
 the natural pastures of Victoria possesses qualities of firmness 
 and flavour unequalled by the ])est in the London market. 
 
 At i'he Antipodes. 
 
 In speaking of the immense advantages possessed by 
 Victoria in her wonderful cliinate. the Yorkshire farmer 
 missed out a j)oint of great inn)ortance, viz., the unique good 
 fortune of the colony in being situated at the Antijiodes. It 
 is often referred to as an interesting fact that Victoria is on
 
 » 
 
 «-< 
 
 
 -=, 
 
 ^, 
 
 >«i#*i»«JJ»#*«*«7«**" 
 
 •...V'^* 
 
 GRAIN BOAT ON THE MURRAY. 
 
 BOATING ON THE MURRAY.
 
 13n 
 
 the opposite side of the globe to Eng-hiiul — that it is (Uiy in 
 Victoria wlien it is night in Enghmd ; winter here when 
 it is snmmer there, and so on ; hnt tlie vast pra(;tical im- 
 portance of this state of things is seldom re(^ognise<l. It is 
 evident, upon reflection, that our position at the Antipodes 
 confers upon us a unique advantage as competitors in 
 supplying the world with agricultural products. If, by 
 some miracle, the rigorous winters of North America could 
 be exchanged for the warm genial climate of Australia, the 
 Great Southern Continent would still retain its unique 
 advantage of an anti})odean situation. While the severity 
 of the winters would have been removed, its season oi 
 abundance would still occur at the same time as the 
 spring and summer of Britain and Europe. Victoria has 
 not only a mild winter, but its prolific spring and summer 
 produce their abundance at the very time when Europe and 
 North America are passing through their annual periods 
 of suspended vegetation and destructive cold. Successful 
 competition in agricultm^al production depends upon three 
 dominating conditions, viz.: — 1. Cheap productive land. 
 2. A favorable climate. 3. Seasons of maximum productive- 
 ness concurring with the annual periods of scarcity and 
 maximum prices. The first is possessed in common by 
 Victoria and North America ; in regard to the second, the 
 colony's frostless and snowless winter places her at an 
 immense advantage ; while the third, with all its incalcul- 
 able potency, is the exclusive possession of the antipodean 
 competitor. 
 
 Ports and Railways. 
 
 Victoria is fertile to the sea-shore, and, being narrow with 
 a long coast line the ports are close to the scenes of pro- 
 duction. A line drawn 100 miles from the coast would 
 include more than half of the colony, and a similar line 1 50 
 miles from the sea-board would take in more than three- 
 fourths of the colony, while the great grain fields of the 
 United States, Canada, and India are from, 500 to 1,000, and 
 as much as 1,500 miles, from the shipping ports. A network 
 of Government railways is spread all over Victoria, reaching 
 every district, and the railway charges are low. The railways 
 have not been made by private companies for profit making, 
 but by the Government, in order to benefit the inha])itants, 
 so that freights are always as low as the working expenses 
 and interest on cost of construction will allow. As a matter
 
 136 
 
 of fact, the raihvay charges do uot i)ay the whole interest on 
 their cost, the balance beino^ paid out of the general revenue 
 of the colony. As the volume of traffic increases with the 
 increase of population, and the cfrowth of production, freights 
 will be further reduced, and tlie transport facilities of the 
 inhabitants enlarged. 
 
 Local (joveknment. 
 
 The local government system of the colony is admirable. 
 There are cities, larger towns, and smaller boroughs, with 
 local councils managing all internal affairs, and the country 
 districts are divided into self-governing shires. The rating 
 in the shires is for purely local improvement, and instead of 
 having burdens laid upon them by the Central Government, 
 the local bodies are handsomely assisted by annual subsidies 
 out of the general revenue of the colony. 
 
 General Advantages. 
 
 While entirely self-governing, the colony enjoys the 
 inestimable atlvantage of being an integral part of the 
 British Empire. The inhabitants are a free people, intelli- 
 gent, industrious, honest, law-abiding, and as loyal to the 
 British Crown as they are to the principles of individual, 
 political, and religious liberty. The Government, in the 
 constitution of wliicli every adult male has a voice, carries 
 out a system for primary edu(;ation, free, secular, and 
 compulsory, and State schools are established, not only in 
 every village, but in every distant corner of the colony where 
 ten or twenty children can be gathered together. A map in 
 this volume showing the positions of the State schools will 
 convey an idea of the wide-reaching character of the State 
 primary education system. The colony is also well provided 
 with secondary schools and colleges carried on by private 
 enterprise, while the education system is crowned bv the 
 Melbourne University, an institution liberallv assisted by 
 the State. The Melljourne Public Library and Art School 
 would be regarded witli admirjition in any city in the world, 
 and throughout the numerous towns of the colony popular 
 technical colleges and mechanics' institutes receiving 
 Government assistance have been plentifully established. 
 There is no State aid to religion, but churclies'of all denomi- 
 nations are voluntarily supported by the i)eople, and various 
 I (laces of worshi)* have been erected in even the smallest 
 and most distant villages. The same widesjjread and
 
 137 
 
 minute distribution is charncteristic of the various popular 
 amusements, wliich ditrer little from those of Enghmd, and 
 no critic would accuse the colonists of taking life too 
 seriously. At one time emigration to the colony meant the 
 sacrifice of many social advantages, and the new-comer's 
 idea was to make a fortune and "go home." All this has 
 now been altered, and those who make fortunes as a rule take 
 a trip to the old land, but soon " come hotne " again, drawn 
 by the social attractions of their adopted country. 
 
 Cheap Money. 
 One of the principal difficulties in the way of successful 
 farming in the _ colony has been a defective system of 
 obtaining financial accommodation. Agriculture is an in- 
 dustry which is not adequately served by the banking system 
 that meets the case of other lines of business. Accommoda- 
 tion for a short term serves the purposes of the merchant 
 or speculator, but the improvement of land, whether it be 
 fencing, clearing, Iniilding, or draining, does not pay for 
 itself in a few months, or even in a few years. Investment 
 in land improvement may be wise and profitable, but the 
 capital cannot be returned for a term of years. For want of 
 some means of obtaining capital on terms suitable for their 
 industry farmers and settlers have, in the past, l)een seriously 
 handicapped, but recently Sir George Turner's Government 
 introduced a Credit Foncier scheme for the purpose of re- 
 moving this difficulty. Through the Commissioners of the 
 Government Savings Bank local loans are raised from time 
 to time as required. The capital thus ol)tained is advanced 
 to farmers on the security of their land. Advances are made 
 to the extent of 75 per cent, of the land valuation. At 
 present the rate is 6 per cent., and the amount includes 
 interest, working expenses, and 1 per cent, to a sinking fund, 
 which extinguishes the debt by the end of the term. The 
 system has been in operation three years, and an amount of 
 £176,695 has been advanced to 425 farmers, averaging 
 £415 15s, each. As the system is working satisfactorily, i^t 
 will no doul)t be largely extended.
 
 138 
 
 HORTICULTURE. 
 
 Horticulture has received a good deal of attention from 
 the early days of the colony, but during the last 30 years 
 there has been a more widely-diffused interest in the subject. 
 Gardening in all its branches has been greatly extended, 
 while such departments as wine-growing and the production 
 of fruits and vegetables for market have developed into im- 
 portant industries. The acreage under gardens and orchards 
 in 1857 was estimated at less than 2,0<)0 acres ; it had 
 reached 2u,000 acres by 1884. while for 1896 the estimate is 
 3o,UU0 acres. The late Mr. William Elliott, for many years 
 the horticultural editor of the Leader, contributed to a former 
 Handbook oj Victoria a valuable essay upon the Horticul- 
 ture of the colony. The following revised extracts from 
 that essay deal comprehensively with the suliject : — 
 
 Botany. 
 
 Victoria can boast that her Department of Botany has 
 been presided over by one of the most eminent botanists of 
 the present age, in the person of the late Baron Ferdinand 
 von Mueller, K.C.M.G.. F.R.S., M.D., who worked uninter- 
 ruptedly in Australia from 1847 to the end of his brilliant 
 career in 1896. By his assiduous labours on the flora of 
 this and adjacent countries, his explorations of a large 
 }»ortion of the Continent of Australia, his extensive 
 herbarium, his chemical and phytographical researches, his 
 large and valuable contributions to the flora of Australia, 
 and his numerous other jtublications, he has extended the 
 bounds and enriched the science of Botany to a large and 
 much-apjireciated extent. With his name must be honor- 
 ably associated that of Mr. Joseph Bosisto. C.M.G., one of 
 the pioneers of l>otanic research in Victoria. Mr. Bosisto, 
 singularly enough, was a fellow labourer in the paths of 
 science with Baron von Mueller in South Australia as far 
 back as 1849, and afterwards both were closely identified 
 with the imporrant discoveries connected with the Euca- 
 ]y])tus vegetation. In all matters connected with materia 
 medica Mr. Bosisto occu}>ies a high position, and the College 
 of Pharmacy in Melbourne now stands as a monument of 
 his efforts as a le«:islator to advance the cause of science.
 
 139 
 
 Public Parks and Gardens. 
 
 Land for Public Parks, Gardens, and Recreation Grounds 
 has been reserved in connexion with all the most important 
 cities and towns in the colony ; the land bein^ti; ])la-ced under 
 the management of the respective town and borough 
 councils. The grounds are supported by rates, subsidized by 
 annual grants from the general revenue. During the year 
 1884-5, the sum of £7,233 7s. 6d. was granted to 67 
 councils, in sums varying from £2 3s. to £957, independent 
 of those in the neighbourhood of the metropolis. The latter 
 comprise an area of 4,766 acres, including 604 acres under 
 the joint control of the Government and the Melbourne City 
 Council ; the Botanic Garden, 84 acres ; Government 
 House Domain, 152 acres ; University Grounds, 109^ acres ; 
 and the Burnley Experimental Garden and School of Horti- 
 culture, 28 acres. The grant for Horticultural Societies 
 amounts to £300 per annum. 
 
 Botanic Gardens. 
 
 Public Gardens, generally termed Botanic Gardens, are 
 common throughout the colony, ground for the purpose 
 having been set apart in connexion with all the principal 
 towns. The gardens of Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, 
 and other inland cities are very handsome. The Melbourne 
 Botanic Garden, situated on the banks of the River Yarra 
 Yarra, about a mile from the city of Melbourne, is 84 acres 
 in extent. It adjoins the grounds of Government House 
 and the public Domain, of which it forms a part. It was 
 formerly under the direction of the Government Botanist, 
 the late Baron von Mueller, Init some years ago the garden 
 was placed in charge of a landscape gardener, under whose 
 curatorship the grounds have been extended, altered, and 
 greatly improved. The newer portions, as well as some of 
 the old ground, have been laid out in broad gravel walks, 
 and extensive lawns with clumps and single specimens of 
 trees and shrubs, which have rendered the garden highly 
 attractive to the public, who frequent it in large numbers on 
 Sundays and holidays. 
 
 The garden contains two large conservatories, one devoted 
 to the cultivation of ferns and some plants of industrial 
 value ; the other is filled with a miscellaneous collection 
 of stove plants in pots, A smaller house is occupied by 
 succulent plants. There are also several other small houses
 
 140 
 
 for propagating and other purposes, besides frames, and a 
 large shelter shed for tlie hardier plants. The older 
 portions of the gardens contain numerous fine specimens 
 of palms, araucarias, and other conifers, various oaks, elms, 
 and other deciduous trees, besides Grevilleas, of which G. 
 robusta forms a s])lendid picture when in flower, and 
 numerous other native trees and shrubs. 
 
 Among other recent improvements, an extensive " fern 
 gully " has been formed ; large collections of palms and 
 cycads have been planted, as well as groups of the more 
 hardy of the Queensland plants. 
 
 In the lower portion of the grounds, near the river, is a 
 large and beautiful lake, spanned in places by rustic 
 bridges, and dotted with cliarmiug little islands, which, 
 planted with ornamental trees and shrul)s picturesquely 
 arranged, produce a splendid effect. A portion of the native 
 vegetation, ha^^ng been allowed to remain, adds to the 
 interest of the scene. 
 
 Upwards of £100,000 has been spent on the gardens and 
 Domain during the ten years between 1876 and 1886, 
 and the sums annually granted by Parliament for the 
 purchase of plants have enabled such an increase in the col- 
 lections to be made that the total number of plants catalogued 
 exceeds 7,000 species, exclusive of varieties. The whole of 
 the species are distinctly labelled with name, native country, 
 and natural order. The condition of the gardens is in every 
 way creditable to the city of .Melbourne, and especially to its 
 present Director, Mr W. K. Guilfoyle, F.L.S. 
 
 Adjoining the Botanic Garden is the Domain, 305 acres in 
 extent, including the grounds of Government House of 157 
 acres in gardens, pleasure grounds, and extensive lawns, the 
 wliole in charge of the Director of the Botanic Garden The 
 Domain is intersected by walks and drives leading to the 
 city and various parts of the southern sul)urbs. A small 
 part remains in its natural condition, but the greater portion 
 has been jdanted with an immense number and variety of 
 trees. These have attained a considerable size, and produce 
 a fine effect on the landscape, the Domain extending within 
 close proximity to and commanding one of the best views to 
 be obtained of the city. 
 
 Horticultural Societies. 
 Societies for the advancement of horticulture have been 
 established in every city and town of any im])ortance iu the
 
 141 
 
 colony, while half-a-score exist in Mel})Ourne and its imme- 
 diate neighbourhood. They are sup})orted by the subscrip- 
 tions of members, supplemented by annual grants from 
 Government ; the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria, 
 located in Mell)ourne, the oldest and most important, for 
 many years conducting an experimental garden. 
 
 The garden, now carried on by tlie Uovernnient, is situa,ted 
 in Richmond Park, about 3 miles from the city. It com- 
 prises an area of :^8 acres, one-half of which is under 
 cultivation as orchard, shrubbery, flower, and vegetable 
 grounds, the remainder being ])lantcd ^\ath specimens of 
 ornamental trees. 
 
 The collection of fruit is very large, the varieties numl)er- 
 ing — 7UU apples, 7 almonds, 48 apricots, 5 brambles, 18 
 crabs, yO cherries, 4 chestnuts, 2 citrons, 28 cm*rants, 56 figs, 
 12U gooseberries, 5 guavas, 2 limes, 5 lemons, 5 medlars, 7 
 mulberries, 27 nectarines, 21 filberts, 21 oranges, 10 olives, 
 400 pears, 102 peaches, 17 Japanese persimmons (Diospyros 
 Kaki), 148 plums, 7 quinces, 18 raspberries, 4 shaddocks, 
 50 strawberries, 170 grapes, 2 walnuts. Of these, scions 
 are available to members and Government institutions, and 
 the number distributed has averaged 20,000 annually during 
 the past ten years. Seeds and roots are also distributed to 
 members. 
 
 The fruit produced is exhibited at the monthly meetings 
 of the society ; at the great exhibitions, of which two or more 
 are held annually ; collections are also sent to country 
 societies ; and the surplus, amounting to about 3 tons, a year, 
 is distributed among the charitable institutions. 
 
 New varieties of fruit are annually imported from Europe, 
 America, Japan and other centres of production. Com- 
 munications and exchange of scions, &c., are maintained 
 with the neighbouring colonies, India, Japan, and other 
 countries. 
 
 The gardens were for many years in charge of the late Mr. 
 George Neilson, a gentleman who devoted many years of his 
 life to practical horticulture, and to whose unremitting care 
 tlie present high state of perfection attained in the gardens is 
 mainly due. The present Princi])al is Mr. C. Boyne Luff"- 
 mann, and pupils are received for instruction in horticulture. 
 
 Market Gardening. 
 
 The business of growing vegetables for market has attained 
 a high degree of proficiency in the colony, more especially in
 
 142 
 
 the neighbourhood of the metropolis, where a large area 
 of laud is devoted to it, aud wheuce supplies are sent to 
 up-country towns, as well as to the ueigh])0uring colonies, 
 nearly 2,o'0U tons being yearly exported. In the country the 
 principal supply of vegetaljles is grown by Chinese, who are 
 located in the neighbourhood of the principal towns, and also 
 in the suburl)S of Melbourne. They are the chief hawkers of 
 vegetables, aud, besides growing a supply for that purpose, 
 purchase largely from European cultivators. The Chinese 
 cultivate their gardens in small patches by hand labom-, but 
 the Europeans employ horse labour wherever it can be 
 applied. The bulk of the gardens are situated to the east 
 and south-east of Melbourne, where the soil is almost pure 
 sand, and easy to work. Some of the yields of vegetables 
 obtained are simply marvellous. Cabbages averaging 26 lbs. 
 weight, and parsnips oO inches in length, are common ; 
 while mangel-wurzel are grown turning the scale at 56 lbs. 
 The land is highly manured, and heavy fields are obtained. 
 The produce is also of excellent quality. Two crops a year, 
 or three crops in two years, are generally grown. The pro- 
 duce not exported is disposed of in the metropolitan markets, 
 chiefly the Victoria Market, where an average of 30(1 carts 
 attend twice a week dm-iug the summer season, each grower 
 selling his own produce. 
 
 Plant Nurseeies. 
 
 These have become numerous of late years, one or more 
 being established in the neighbourhood of every large town, 
 and several in country places, where the i)ropagation of fruit 
 trees constitutes the principal business ; the demand for these 
 being very large both in Victoria, the neighbouring colonies, 
 and New Zealand. In the neighbourhood of ^lelbourne, 
 nurseries are numerous, some being of considerable extent, 
 and ke])t in a style that would be creditable to similar estab- 
 lishments in any part of the world. The collections of 
 plants are now very extensive aud are being annually increased 
 by importations. Owing to the mildness of the climate in 
 winter, a large nimiber of species that require to be housed 
 in Europe thrive out of doors the year round, stove plants 
 alone requiring the protection of glass and artificial heat : 
 but they are not much grown in nurseries, owing to the 
 smallness of the demand. Fuchsias, pelargoniums, cinerarias, 
 cyclamens, and Chinese primroses are grown in unheated 
 houses. In these nurseries the plants are mostly grown in
 
 143 
 
 pots, aud, except when being propagated, are located ia 
 shelter sheds constructed of frames, covered with lattice- 
 work or brushwood. There are also a large number of 
 smaller nurseries, in which flowers and market plants are 
 grown. A large business is done in bompiets both in the 
 markets and in shops in town, where excellent taste is dis- 
 played in their make-up. Flowers are plentiful both summer 
 and winter. Nurserymen's catalogues have attained a size 
 which, with the exception of orchids and other stove plants, 
 will bear comparison with those of Britain. 
 
 Numerous seed shops exist in the principal towns, some 
 of them managed in conjunction with plant nurseries. The 
 bulk of the seeds consumed is raised in the colonies and 
 New Zealand, whence a large proportion of the grasses and 
 clovers are obtained. Several improved varieties of vege- 
 tables have originated in Victoria, obtained by means or 
 crossing aud selection. The newer varieties of flowers and 
 vegetables are annually imported from Europe aud America 
 by the principal seedsmen. Some business is also done in 
 the exportation of cauliflower and other vegetable seeds to 
 Britain. 
 
 Private Gardens. 
 
 These are rapidly increasing in number, especially in the 
 neighbourhood of the cities and towns. Villa gardens 
 generally contain one or more glazed structures for the 
 culture of greenhouse and stove plants, including orchids, of 
 which some collections are being formed. Among the estate 
 owners in the country districts are some who have gardens 
 of a few acres in extent, but in general they are no larger 
 than is necessary to meet household requirements, though 
 some have planted trees rather largely for shelter and orna- 
 ment. Cottage gardens are numerous aud generally well 
 kept, the climate admitting. of their being gay with flowers 
 throughout the year. Scientific gardeners are not in great 
 demand, but there are a few in the colony whose productions 
 would pass with credit in any part of the world. Flower 
 gardening is chiefly of the old-fashioned style, massing or 
 any other form of bedding being rarely attempted. 
 
 In shrub])eries and other ornamental grounds a great 
 variety of trees and shrul)s are to be found, most of the best 
 species and varieties procurable in Europe, America, and 
 other parts of the world having been imported, the enter- 
 prise of nurserymen and some amateurs being great in that
 
 144 
 
 direction. Conifenv are in great reqnest, nearly all the 
 pines and cypresses procnrable in California, besides many 
 others, being cultivated. Of these, Finns insignis and 
 Cupressns macrocarpa are in the greatest demand, many 
 thousands being planted annually for shelter or ornament. 
 Both of these grow with great rapidity in almost any kind 
 of soil, and in a few years form large timber trees. European 
 pines are also grown, as well as those of the Abies and the 
 Picea sections, which, however, succeed best in the cooler 
 districts. Of cedars, the Deodar is the favorite, being the 
 (juickest grower and the most graceful. The Wellingtonia 
 (Sequoea) gigantea thrives fairly, handsome specimens of 30 
 feet or more in height being not uncommon. Of Araucarias, 
 some six species are grown, formiug specimens of perfect 
 symmetry and great beauty. A. imbricata is the most 
 suitable for the cooler districts, the others preferring a 
 more genial climate. The bunya bunya, of Queensland 
 {A. Bidwilli). grows very ra])idly, and forms a handsome 
 specimen, well furnished with a massof polished green foliage. 
 The golden arbor vit* ( Biota aurea) is in great request. The 
 native pines — Frenella — form handsome dwarf trees. The 
 larch thrives in the cooler districts, where it competes for 
 pre-eminence with Abies Donglasii. 
 
 Taking a few of the more ornamental shrubs in alpha- 
 betical order, the acacias are amongst the most beautiful 
 when in flower. The tree myrtles — Acmena — form very 
 handsome finely-sha])ed bushes, beautiful both in flower and 
 fruit. The American aloe, agave, grows luxuriantly, and 
 flowers at from twelve to twenty years of age. The species 
 of arbutus succeed fairly well in the drier parts, and much 
 better where the tem})erature is lower. Brugmausias stand 
 exposed the year ramd, and flower magnificently. Cacti of 
 numerous kinds thrive admirably out of doors. Camellias 
 require shade when grown in the open air, and then flower 
 magnificently. The common and Portugal lam-els thrive 
 and attain the size of trees in the cooler districts. Euca- 
 Iy])tus ficifolia, which produces crimson flowers in abundance 
 while quite young and small, forms an object of exceeding 
 beauty. The labuiniun ])refers tlie cooler climates, and 
 flowers freely. Tiic native and New Zealand species of 
 Dracjena form noble objects. Ficus australis and F. macro- 
 j)iiylla lorm large dense bushes or low trees. Magnolias of 
 all species form large bushes, and flower magnificently. 
 Xeriums thrive well, and flower freely. The plane — platanus
 
 145 
 
 — attains a large size in the cooler districts. Pittospornms 
 are, of all evergreens, the best adapted to the climate, 
 forming handsome specimens and fine ornamental hedges. 
 Rhododendrons require shade in the warmer parts of the 
 colony, but flourish exposed in the cooler districts. Schinus 
 molle is of great value as a shade tree. Besides those 
 already mentioned, there are an immense number of dwarf 
 shrubs that attain great perfection, such as the Indian 
 azalea, daphne, indica boronia, bouvardia, chorizema, deut- 
 zia, eriostemon, erica, erythrina, escallonia, fuchsia, hy- 
 drangea, lantana, lasiandra, pomegranate, pelargonium, 
 petunia, salvia, veronica, and weigela. Of roses, about 
 400 varieties are grown. Among climbers are bignonia, 
 bougainvillea, clematis, lapageria, passion flowers, including 
 Tacsonia and Glycine sinensis. 
 
 Among herbaceous j^lants, dahlias, chrysanthemums, 
 phloxes, pentstemons, carnations, columbines, cyclamens, 
 iris, mesembryanthemum — numerous species — and verbenas. 
 Bulbous and similar plants flourish exceedingly, including 
 amaryllis, anemone, gladiolus — grown in every garden — • 
 hyacinth, ixia, lilium — magnificent, narcissus, ranunculus, 
 tulip, sparaxis, Guernsey lilies, tuberoses, tritoma, tritonia, 
 and several others. 
 
 Fkuit. 
 
 Fruit cultm-e is practised throughout nearly the whole of 
 the colony. In some of the more densely-populated districts 
 orchards of 100 to 150 acres have been planted, and their 
 numbers are rapidly increasing. They are very numerous in 
 the neighbourhood of the metropolis, where they generally 
 exist in conjunction with market gardening ; these range 
 from 8 to 20 acres in extent. Owing to the variety of 
 climatic conditions, all the fruits of temperate regions can 
 be cultivated. A large number of varieties are grown, all 
 the best to be obtained in Eiu*ope and America having been 
 imported and propagated. Numerous varieties of fruit have 
 been raised from seed, the parent blossoms being, in most 
 cases, carefully intercrossed. In apples, varieties of great 
 excellence, both dessert and cooking, some of the former 
 almost equalling the best of the imjjorted sorts. While in 
 pears, some colonial varieties are unsurpassed by the best 
 European sorts. Peaches, plums, cherries, and strawberries 
 of excellent quality have been also raised. 
 
 1359. K
 
 146 
 
 Apple. 
 
 This friiit is, of all others, the most esteemed ; it thrives 
 iu all parts of the colony, succeeding best where the summer 
 temperature is moderate. The trees grow with great luxuri- 
 ance, come early into bearing, and yield a crop every year, 
 unless the blossoms happen to be injiu-ed by insects or frosts, 
 which, liowever, rarely occurs. They thrive in all kinds of 
 soil, from a nearly pure sand to a strong loam. The fruit 
 is large in size, fine in colour, and excellent in flavour. 
 Canker in apple-trees is unknown in the colony. 
 
 Apiicot. 
 
 The apricot is highly esteemed, and is in great demand for 
 dessert, cooking, and preserving. It thrives everywhere, but 
 prefers the warmer regions, where its produce is both large 
 and fine. The trees attain a large size, and rarely miss 
 yielding a heavy crop. 
 
 Almond. 
 
 The almond thrives everywhere ; it is specially adapted to 
 dry stony soil, and requires very little attention. It is fre- 
 quently used for shelter on the exposed sides of orchards, and 
 bears abundantly. In the shrubbery it forms a splendid 
 object when closed with a mass of blossoms in early spring. 
 Seedling almonds are frequently used as stocks for peaches. 
 
 Cheny. 
 
 This fruit is very largely grown, the trees almost invariably 
 bearing a heavy crop. It thrives in all climates, and is the 
 best ada])ted of all fruit trees to the strong volcanic loams 
 that exist in various parts of the colony. The fruit attains a 
 large size, and is of excellent quality. The trees commence 
 to bear at an early age, and occasion very little troultle in 
 ])runing; they are very rarely attacked by either disease or 
 insects. 
 
 Currant. 
 
 The different kinds of currants succeed well in the cooler 
 districts, Avhcre they yield heavy crops of fine fruit. The 
 bhick currant is in great request for jam-making and other 
 culinary purposes.
 
 147 
 
 Fig. 
 
 The fig thrives in all, except the coldest, parts of the 
 colony, and exceptionally well in the warmer northern dis- 
 tricts, where it grows with great luxuriance, the trees attain- 
 ing a large size, and fruiting heavily every year, the fruit 
 being of large size and good quality. Fig-drying has been 
 successfully practised, but has not yet become established as 
 a business. 
 
 Filbert. 
 Trees of the filbert and other nuts grow with remarkable 
 luxuriance in the rich soil of valleys in the more temperate 
 regions, where they bear enormously. Nuts are in great 
 demand, and bring high prices in the market. 
 
 Gooseberry. 
 This well-known fruit thrives in all parts of the colony 
 except thQ warmest, but grows best where the summer 
 temperature is low. In such situations the bushes attain 
 a large size, and bear enormous crops. The fruit is much 
 used for cooking and jam-making. 
 
 Grape. 
 The grape and wine-making have been treated elsewhere ; 
 it is only necessary to remark that, as a dessert fruit, it 
 thrives and ripens its fruit in all but the coldest climates, 
 and in all varieties of soil or situation. It grows as a bush 
 in gardens, or trained to a fence or trellis ; it rambles over 
 the cottage verandah, and even in the heart of a city or town 
 it continues to thrive, its roots extending dozens of yards 
 beneath the pavement. It, however, brings its fruit to 
 the greatest perfection in the zones of highest temperature, 
 where bunches and berries of enormous size, fine colour, and 
 excellent flavour are produced. 
 
 Melon. 
 The melon thrives in the open ground in all the warmer 
 and more temperate parts of the colony ; the seed being 
 sown in ordinary garden soil; little or no attention is 
 required by the plants until the fruit is ready to gather. 
 Both rock melons and water melons are in great demand in 
 the markets, and also a cross-bred variety of sugar melon, 
 svhich attains a large size and is much used for jam.
 
 148 
 
 Mulberry. 
 
 This is well adapted to the more moderate zones, where 
 it rapidly forms a tree and produces abimdance of fruit. The 
 silk-worm mulberry also grows well, but is rarely utilized. 
 
 Peach. 
 
 This fruit, one of the most delicious grown in the colony, 
 ripens its fruit nearly everywhere. The trees require much 
 attention in warding off the attacks of aphides in spring, 
 and they are not long-lived. AVhen in good soil the fruit 
 attains a large size, and acquires an excellent flavour. A 
 number of colonial seedlings have been raised ; these i)rov< 
 more robust than some of the imported varieties and arr 
 generally preferred by growers for market. 
 
 Pear. 
 
 The pear is highly esteemed as a dessert fruit, many ot 
 the imported, as well as several seedling, varieties being 
 unsurpassed for flavour. The trees quickly attain a large 
 size, and rarely fail to produce a full crop, the fruit attaining 
 a large size. They thrive in nearly all parts of the colony. 
 
 Persimmon {Diospyros Kaki). 
 
 This fruit, introduced only a few years ago, is becoming 
 popular on account of the rich flavour and fine colour of 
 its fruit, which renders the trees highly ornamental ; these 
 are very precocious, trees of 3 or 4 feet in height producing 
 several dozens of fruit. Young trees are annually imported 
 from Japan. 
 
 Plums. 
 
 Plums are in great request, and are largely gro\\Ti in all 
 districts. The trees are very prolific, rarely failing to pro- 
 duce a full crop, and when not overloaded the fruit is very 
 large ; it is much used for jam and other culinary ])urj»oses. 
 On account of its abundance, the fruit can be obtained in the 
 markets at a low rate. 
 
 Quince. 
 This fruit is grown, though in small numbers, in nearly 
 €very garden. The trees crop well, and produce fruit of 
 larj'e size.
 
 149 
 
 Raspberry . 
 
 This frnit succeeds well in the moderately cool districts, 
 where it bears ahundantly, rarely missin<2^ a crop. The fruit 
 is highly esteemed, and in great request by jam manufacturers 
 as well as private persons. It is grown in several parts of 
 the colony, chiefly for local supply. The metropolis obtains 
 its principal supply from the rich valleys of the upper 
 portions of the Yarra, and it is estimated that the value of 
 this fruit forwarded to Melbourne exceeds £150,000 per 
 annum ; the average price in the market being 3d. to 6d. 
 per pound. 
 
 Strawberry. 
 
 The strawberry is very prolific, and the plants continue to 
 bear for a great number of years ; two crops invariably, and 
 sometimes a third, being borne in succession every year. 
 The fruit attains a large size on properly-enriched soil. 
 
 Walnut. 
 
 This tree thrives in all districts except the hottest, and 
 produces abundance of fruit at an early stage, but is not 
 extensively grown. 
 
 Vegetables. 
 
 Vegetables of all the kinds commonly grown in temperate 
 climates, and some that cannot be successfully grown in 
 Britain, succeed well, and are extensively cultivated, hardly 
 a family in the longer-settled districts being without a daily 
 supply, either purchased or grown by themselves, all the 
 year round. A large quantity can be grown with a moderate 
 amount of labour, where the soil is properly tilled and 
 manured. 
 
 Asparagus. 
 
 This esteemed vegetable grows luxuriantly in all parts of 
 the colony, and attains a large size under liberal culture. It 
 is in great request during a long season, and can be purchased 
 at reasonable rates. 
 
 Bean. 
 
 Broad beans can be grown in all climates, as the seed is 
 sown in autumn, and the crop gathered in spring before the 
 heats of summer arrive. Kidney beans, both dwarf and 
 runner, are grown extensively ; they bear abundantly, and
 
 15U 
 
 are in season from the beginning of summer to the end of 
 autumn. They are sold at such rates as bring them within 
 the reach of all classes. 
 
 Beet. 
 
 This root succeeds in all soils and all climates. It is lin 
 great request, being used in a fresh or pickled state. The 
 roots, like others of similar nature, are allowed to remain in 
 the ground until wanted for use, a supply being obtainable 
 at all seasons. 
 
 Brocoli. 
 
 This is rarely grown, as the plants require too great a 
 length of time to attain maturity, and its place is filled by 
 the cauliflower. 
 
 Cabbage. 
 
 The cabbage is the most largely grown of all green 
 vegetables. The plants come quickly into use, and attain a 
 large size ; cabbages can be had every day in the year, and 
 with very little labour. 
 
 Cauliflower. 
 
 The cauliflower is one of the most esteemed of vegetables ; 
 it may be obtained throughout the year in the cooler districts, 
 and in others except during two or three of the hottest 
 months. It grows luxuriantly, becomes rapidly fit for use, 
 and attains a large size. Plants, including leaves, stem, and 
 roots, have been grown to 42 lbs. weight, the head, dressed 
 for market, weighing 36 lbs. 
 
 Carrot. 
 
 This root, which thrives everywhere, is in great request, 
 and very extensively grown. The roots are rarely troubled 
 with any kind of insect. 
 
 Celery. 
 
 Celery prefers the cooler districts, but may be had 
 everywhere during winter and spring. Its culture has 
 greatly increased of recent years. 
 
 Cucuynber. 
 
 A few growers cultivate the cucumber in heated houses 
 during the winter season, but the demand is not great at 
 tliat time. Large quantities are grown in the open ground 
 in snmmer. They are in considerable demand for pickling.
 
 151 
 
 Leek. 
 
 This attains an immense size under liberal culture ; it 
 is in use for nine mouths in the year. 
 
 Lettuce. 
 
 This grows well, with little trouble, throughout the year. 
 The summer crops are sown where they are to remain. Only 
 the cabbage lettuce is used. 
 
 Onion. 
 
 Onions are grown in large quantities both in the garden 
 and the field, many tons being exported. In gardens the 
 early crops are sown in autumn and transplanted ; field 
 crops are sown in spring. 
 
 Pea. 
 
 Peas can be gathered throughout the year, except 
 occasionally in summer, should the drought be severe ; 
 they are, of course, finest in spring and early summer. 
 The plants are rarely supported in any way, as they do 
 not attain a great length. 
 
 Potato. 
 
 Potatoes are very largely grown in gardens and fields, a 
 large proportion being exported. Young potatoes may be 
 obtained in gardens at all seasons. 
 
 Pumpkin. 
 
 This fruit attains a large size ; it is grown to some extent 
 for use in winter. 
 
 Rhuharh. 
 
 This is in great request, and is largely grown by market 
 gardeners, who are able to pull three or four crops a year 
 from each plant. It is in use during eleven months out of 
 the twelve. 
 
 Tomato. 
 
 The demand for this fruit has largely increased within 
 recent years, and immense quantities are now gro^Ti and 
 sold very cheaply. For early crops the plants are raised
 
 152 
 
 in heat and planted against fences or walls, where they some- 
 times remain till the following season, fruiting all the while. 
 Later crop plants are supported bv stakes or trellises. Tlie 
 markets are supplied for about nine months in the year. 
 
 J'urnip. 
 
 Turnips are in season eyery day in the year. They become 
 quickly fit for use, but do not succeed well in the drier dis- 
 tricts, except during the winter season. 
 
 Vegetable Marrow. 
 
 There is a large consumption of this yegetable. The seed 
 is sown in the open ground in spring, and where the soil is 
 good heavy crops are yielded ; very little attention beyond 
 gathering the fruit being rec|uired.
 
 ;^-- 
 
 •/'. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 t,..»*M 
 
 
 r r 
 
 i>/ 
 
 
 J
 
 153 
 
 THE FRUIT-GROWING INDUSTRY. 
 
 (By I), ^f. Dow, of The Leader.) 
 
 Fruit-growing is one of the most promising industries in 
 Victoria, Settlers who have been engaged in the orchard 
 business for many years are generally among the most 
 prosperous members of the conmiunity, while there are few 
 colonial industries that can compare with fruit-growing in 
 offering encouraging prospects of future development. The 
 past history of the industry has served to prove its profitable- 
 ness. The scope for expansion is practically unlimited. 
 
 Will it Pay? 
 
 Some few years ago, when fruit-growing as a business was 
 receiving a large share of attention, the most contradictory 
 statements were made in regard to the prospects of the 
 industry. Persons interested in promoting the growing of 
 fruit pointed to the wonderful results obtained in California 
 and elsewhere, while others, posing as practical men on the 
 strength of having produced wlieat or potatoes, ])ronounced 
 strongly upon the impossibility of a family being able to live 
 upon a holding of 10 or 20 acres. The owners of established 
 orchards not being desirous of calling too many competitors 
 into the field had very little to say on the matter. The 
 yields of their orchards, however, gave encouragement to the 
 advocates of progress, and ;is the objectors had nothing but 
 prejudice to contribute to the controversy, the victory was 
 with the progressive party. As the result, an important 
 movement in the direction of tree-planting was made in 
 nearly all parts of the colony, and under the stimulus of 
 Government bonuses the area of land under orchards was 
 greatly increased. Most of the new orchards have now come 
 into bearing, and from a variety of causes the financial 
 returns have fallen somewhat short of expectations. Many 
 new planters are disap])ointed with the results, and their 
 complaints, added to the statements of the original objectors, 
 constitute a charge of failure against the fruit-growing 
 industry. Those who always opposed progress are saying, 
 "I told you so," and disapi^ointed planters are aiding by 
 misrepresenting the position and prospects of an important 
 and promising industry.
 
 154 
 
 Expecting Too Much. 
 
 In seeking to arrive at the actual position of the case, the 
 views of those may be disregarded who say — "' I always told 
 you fruit-growing would not pay," for they have learned 
 nothing from recent experiences ; ))ut the men who have 
 invested in fruit-growing, and are disappointed, have a right 
 to be heard. Their complaint is that the business is not 
 what it was represented to be ; and this is a fact. There is 
 no doubt that many were induced to plant orchards upon 
 exaggerated estimates of the returns to be obtained. Maxi- 
 mum yields and high prices were quoted as an encourage- 
 ment to planters, and persons who were induced to invest in 
 what was too often represented as a fortune-making enter- 
 prise have naturally been disappointed. In regard to the 
 quality of the fruit there is no complaint, for in this respect 
 the most sanguine expectations have been realized ; but the 
 }ields have in some cases come short of anticipations. In 
 the matter of yields, the disappointment has arisen in most 
 cases through planters having been led to expect fidl returns 
 too soon. Trees from seven to ten years old have seldom 
 failed to yield heavy crops ; but, as growers expected 
 maximum returns two or three years earlier, grounds have 
 been furnished for discontent. This objection, it is evident, 
 time will be able to remove, and the industry must be 
 judged by its actual results rather than by its relation to 
 the exaggerated anticipations of investors. 
 
 Good Local Makkets. 
 
 The markets, too, have been a cause of some disappoint- 
 ment. The expectation of higher prices for fruit has perhaps 
 caused more discontent than having to wait an extra year or 
 two for maximum yields. In the matter of prices, however, 
 growers cannot plead tliat they were encouraged to expect a 
 local fresh fruit market at payable rates for the produce of 
 their orchards. An export trade in fresh fruits and a resort 
 to canning and drying were always insisted upon as neces- 
 sary to place the industry on a sound basis. In all the 
 circumstances of the case, the growers could not have 
 expected better prices in the fresh fruit market than have 
 been obtained. Instead of resorting to canning and drying, 
 the whole of the colony's fruit has practically been thrown 
 u})on the local market. Not only has the local consumer 
 been expected to take the produce of our orchards, but he
 
 155 
 
 has been required to make use of it within a few months, 
 and then he has been allowed to supply himself with im- 
 ported preserved fruit for the rest of the year. When the 
 surroundings of the case are taken into account the wonder 
 is that the fresh fruit market has stood this process of glut- 
 ting as well as it has done. At a time when the large area 
 of new orchards brought into existence by the planting 
 bonuses were coming into bearing, the colony was passing 
 through a period of extraordinary depression. With a 
 greatly restricted purchasing power, the colony's demand for 
 fresh fruit has absorbed the produce of our enlarged orchard 
 area, a highly encouraging result that is nothing short of 
 surprising. 
 
 Room for Expansion. 
 
 A common saying is that "there are too many in the 
 industry"; but this does not fit in consistently with the fact 
 that Victoria imports £59,000 worth of fruit per annum. 
 Going into details, it is found that the quantity and value 
 of fruits and jams imported into Victoria during the year 
 1897 were : — 
 
 Fruits, Jams, &c. 
 
 Bottled fruits... 
 
 Dried fruits (unenumerated) 
 
 Currants 
 
 Raisins 
 
 Jams and jellies 
 
 Totals ... ... .5,260,765 ... 59,166 
 
 And 59,581 doz. pks. 
 The Tariff rates are : — 
 
 Fruit, dried, boiled or partly boiled, or 
 
 pulp ... ... ... ... 3d. per lb. 
 
 Fruits, preserved in bottles, &c. — 
 
 Quarts and over a pint ... ... 6s. per doz. 
 
 Pints and over half- pint ... ... :3s. per doz. 
 
 Half-pints and smaller ... ... Is. 6d. per doz. 
 
 Over a quart and not exceeding a gallon 18s. per doz. 
 
 Fruits, green, being oranges and lemons 9d. per bush. 
 
 Fruits not otherwise enumerated • ... Is. 6d. per bush. 
 
 Quantity. 
 
 Value. 
 
 Dozen packets. 
 
 £ 
 
 59,581 .. 
 
 . 4,277 
 
 Lbs. 
 
 
 839,327 .. 
 
 . 11,307 
 
 3,215,476 .. 
 
 . 25,882 
 
 1,116,579 .. 
 
 . 15,461 
 
 89,383 .. 
 
 . 2,239
 
 156 
 
 If the question is asked — -'"Why, in spite of these pro- 
 tective duties. Victorian growers do not supply the market?" 
 tlie rei)ly seems to be " Because foreign competitors give 
 their attention to the selection of high-class fruit, and adopt 
 ujvto-date methods in their general management." 
 
 Fruit-preserving. 
 
 Canning and drying liave not been resorted to, except to a 
 gmall extent, because prices are believed to have not yet 
 readied a preserving level. The most sanguine advocates of 
 fruit-growing anticipated that preserving would have been 
 necessary before this, and they formed their conclusions 
 without supposing that a check was to be put upon the 
 increase of the colony's population. To account for the 
 circumstance that, in spite of the depression, fruit-preserv- 
 ing has not required to be resorted to, it must be concluded 
 that the lower prices have led to a greatly increased con- 
 sumjition of fresh fruit. The manner in which prices have 
 stood the strain of the present crisis gives rise to hopeful 
 anticipation as to the future of the industry. In the first 
 place, there is a prospect of an enlarged fresh fruit market 
 from an increase of population. It is not- to he supposed 
 that the colony is going to stand still. Progress is again 
 taking place, and fruit-gruwiug will advance \\'ith the colony 
 in general. There is not likely to l)e another planting boom 
 for a considerable time, so that even the local fresh fruit 
 market is not to be despaired of. But this is apart from the 
 prospect opened up by the export trade in the various 
 branches of fruit-preserving. It is well known that a very 
 small surplus is capable of briuging about a very serious 
 fall in a market. In view of this fact, it is evident that a 
 comparatively small j)reserving trade would serve to give 
 a considerable relief to the market for fresh fruits. The 
 fact that our total output of fruit has not yet been able to 
 force prices down to a preserving basis shows that the 
 canning or drying of only a small proportion of future crops 
 will suthce to secure fair values for the general bulk. 
 
 An Export Trade. 
 
 When, by means of co-operative preserving factories, we 
 are catering for the colony's requirements throughout the 
 year, instead of for only a few months, the demand will be 
 no increased that there is likelv to be little cause for
 
 157 
 
 complaints of glutted markets. It will be said by those 
 who oppose progress that we cannot compete with (valifornian 
 preserved fruits ; but, as we are not handicapped by any 
 natural disadvantages, the statement amounts to a serious 
 reflection upon our intelligence as a people. We are to-day 
 competing successfully for an export trade with the most 
 advanced dairying countries in the world, and yet our 
 natural conditions are quite as favorable for fruit-groNving as 
 for dairying. If dairy farmers can do this, surely fruit- 
 growers can supply the local markets all the year round. 
 Nothing has, so far, been said of the export of fresh fruit to 
 the London market. Another season's experience has 
 demonstrated, that there is a demand in London for all the 
 good fruit that we can send, and that a successful method of 
 getting the fruit to the market is in a fair way of being 
 discovered. From a view of local markets and the prospects 
 of an export trade, there are no grounds for any but hopeful 
 anticipations concerning the future of the fruit-growing 
 industry. 
 
 For further information apply to Mr. J. M. Sinclair, the 
 Representative in London of the Victorian Department of 
 Ao-riculture.
 
 158 
 
 VICTORIAN VINEYARDS. 
 
 The prodnction of wine is unquestionably destined to be- 
 come one of Victoria's greatest industries. Receiving 
 attention from the earliest days of the colony, the progress 
 of wine-growing has been slow but sure. Measured 
 by the volume of production, development has been only 
 moderate : estimated by the extent to which the colony's 
 resources have been successfully tested, and the manner in 
 which the superiority of the wines has been demonstrated, 
 it has been immense. It was from the first recognised that 
 with a limited population wine production could not become 
 a great industry without depending upon an export trade, 
 and consequently improving the quality of the wine has 
 always received more attention than the extension of the 
 vineyards. The result has been that Victoria, with a com- 
 paratively small area under vines, has since 1851 been repre- 
 sented at all the great exhibitions of the world. Ha^'ing 
 proved by the honours won at the various exhibitions that 
 wines of the highest quality could be produced, the exten- 
 sion of the vineyards was commenced about twenty years 
 ago. The area under vines now reaches 30,000 acres, 
 yielding annually about 2,500,000 gallons of wine. As wine 
 is not the ordinary beverage of the local population, a sur- 
 plus of from 200,000 gallons to 400.000 gallons is annually 
 exported, and as our wines become better known to the con- 
 sumers of the old world the demand for them will gradually 
 increase. The consumption of such superior wines as our 
 vineyards produce is upon such a large scale that, with the 
 footing already secured in the world's markets, our vintages 
 will rapidly take their places among the most valuable pro- 
 ductions of the colony. 
 
 Early History. 
 
 In dealing with the early history of the industry, as well as 
 the other branches of the subject which follow, extensive 
 use is made of the writings of Mr. Hubert de Castella, 
 one of the pioneers of wine-growing in Victoria, and author 
 of the interesting book, John BulVs Vineyard. In 1860, 
 says this authority, the number of acres under vines had not 
 reached 2,000. Some of tlie wines made, however, had 
 already found their way al^road, and obtained favorable
 
 159 
 
 notice. About that time a rush for establishing vineyards 
 took place ; the Victorian Government offered, in various 
 localities, lands considered as ))est adapted to that cultiva- 
 tion, under especially favorable conditions ; the newspapers 
 issued periodical encouragements in shape of reports on the 
 plantations going on, and on the successes obtained or ex- 
 pected ; the Argus gave a large gold cup to the best- 
 appointed vineyard ; lawyers, doctors, and men of means, 
 taking land under the wine industry clause, planted by 
 proxy ; various companies were formed to w^ork large areas 
 of vines. In four years over 2,000 acres were planted. All, 
 in fact, seemed to indicate great and immediate prosperity. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, the colonial taste was for strong 
 drinks. Port and sherry advocates had taken up the move- 
 ment, the warmest districts were proclaimed as the best to 
 settle in, and the men who planted in more temperate 
 countries were pitied for their mistake. 
 
 But to those growers w^ho took as types the strong wines 
 of low commerce, it was not sufficient to obtain, by proper 
 matm-ity, musts equal in richness to those of Spain and 
 Portugal. Many of them left their grapes standing on the 
 vines until they were turned into raisins ; and we recollect 
 the case of an amateur vigneron who had his grapes placed 
 on the zinc roofs of his house and cellars, previous to 
 crushing them, in order to leave them for two days improving, 
 as he called it, under a burning sun. 
 
 Wines made in this fashion, not from must, but from 
 syrup, incapable of a complete fermentation, true compounds 
 of sugar and alcohol, soon turned to vinegary sourness. 
 The light wines of the cooler districts, mixed by inexperi- 
 enced wine merchants with these strong ones, only developed 
 their acidity. Day by day the name of colonial wine became 
 more ignominious, the trade died out, and neglected vine- 
 yards were gradually rooted out. The statistics of 1880 
 showed a diminution of 553 acres of vines, as compared 
 with those of 1875. 
 
 The Turning Point. 
 
 All the while, however, a few persevering men, both in the 
 northern districts and around Melbourne and other towns, 
 careful of their plantations and diligent in study, were every 
 year improving their vintages, and the Melbourne Inter- 
 colonial Exhibition of 1881, displaying a real and solid 
 advance, again brought the wine industry to the fore.
 
 160 
 
 A gi'aud jjrix, a trophy of solid silver, of the value of 
 £800, was offered hy the Emperor of Germany to be awarded 
 "to an exliibitor in one of the Australasian Colonies as an 
 acknowlf<l,umeut of tlie efforts in ])romoting art and industry 
 as shown l»y the high qualities of the goods manufactured by 
 such exhibitor." 
 
 The fact that, after a keen competition, this prize was 
 awarded to the most successful exhibitor of Australian wine, 
 as fnlfiUing best the conditions specified by the Imperial 
 donor, caused a stir which is remembered to this day; and not 
 only in the colonies, l>ut in England and in foreign countries 
 was the announcement received with marked interest. 
 
 From that day colonial wine was no longer thrown pro 
 miscuously under general condemnation. People who had 
 never tasted it before condescended to have it on their tables. 
 Clubs and hotels, full of visitors, could no longer refuse it 
 admission, since it had obtained such high recognition. It 
 was a benefit to all. A few months afterwards the growers 
 of Victoria could count the value of their produce, even of 
 their properties, substantially advanced. 
 
 Yet another benefit, still more imjwrtant, was conferred by 
 that eminent distinction upon the wine-growers at large. It 
 opened their eyes to the requirements of the public taste — at 
 least, of educated taste — aud it educated their own. 
 
 Many viguerons, some of them possessors of smaller extent 
 of vines than the lucky winners of the Emperor's prize, had 
 run closely with them in the race. Their wines had been of 
 equal value, but were exhibited on a lesser scale. The result 
 was that the other growers — those who, to that day, had 
 desired to obtain strength, and what they mistook for body — 
 began to ponder over the list of awards. AVhen they found 
 these awards given to delicacy and bouquet, to light vNines 
 principally, and to those only amongst the heavy ones which 
 were free fr(jm alcoholic taste and non-converted sugar, faith 
 in alcohol was shaken in their hearts, and the value of proper 
 fermentation dawned upon them. From that time dates a 
 general improvement in the manufacture. 
 
 At Other Exhibitions. 
 
 Australia's best cliance of making lier wines known was by 
 sending them to the World's Great Exhibitions. Her first 
 <lisplay was at Paris, in 1851, and since then those of London, 
 Vienna, Paris again, Philadeljjhia, Amsterdam, and Bordeaux 
 Jiave received her samples, and she may well be grateful for
 
 A WINE CELLAR. 
 
 CARTING GRAPES TO CELLAR.
 
 RECEIVING GRAPES AT CELLAR.
 
 161 
 
 the reception they met with at the hands of her elders. It 
 may have been kindness of heart toward a new-comer, or 
 perhaps, as was said in a French report we are about to 
 quote from, "kind cariosity" ; but the prizes given, altliough 
 perhaps only to encourage the young scliolar, were numerous 
 and highly esteemed. Three years ago, Bordeaux, the queen 
 city of wine, invited the world to exhibit samples of its 
 vintages within her walls, and, amongst others, 70 appeared 
 from Australian vignerons. A book was published reviewing 
 impartially the produce of the exhibiting nations, and our 
 beginnings were given full consideration to. 
 
 Mr. R. Sempe, the writer of the review in question, l)egins 
 by showing the admirable adaptability of our soil and climate 
 for the cultivation of the vine ; and by exposing, we quote 
 him now, "the unique spectacle of development and greatness 
 of the colonies, which, born yesterday, have arrived by their 
 courage and energy, coupled with lil)erty, to a degree of 
 richness and civilization which rivals even the largest towns 
 of old Europe." The results of other later exhibitions have 
 fully confirmed the liigh character of the Australian wines 
 from Victorian vineyards. 
 
 Vine-growing Disteicts. 
 
 The Rutherglen district, situated in the Murray Valley, is 
 the most extensive wine-producing section of the colony, and 
 there are in the same division millions of acres equally 
 suitable for viticulture. Mr. Hubert de Castella speaks thus 
 of other centres of the vine-growing industry : — 
 
 " The whole of the northern slopes of the ranges in the 
 centre of Victoria, from Stawell to Bendigo, a zigzag line of 
 200 miles of mountains and gullies more or less auriferous, 
 and all producing, or capable of producing, fine wines, is 
 dotted about by townships which are only awaiting a signal 
 to increase their plantations. The Shire of Stawell, for 
 example, includes, with a rural population of 3,500 people, 
 many vineyards. At Ararat several growers cultivate an 
 average of 10 acres each. Strathfieldsaye, near Bendigo, 
 contains several vineyards of old repute on the Emu Creek. 
 Castlemaine counts also some valual)le vineyards, and there 
 are a good many on the River Goulburn in the same latitude. 
 
 " Up to the present time, with the exception of the vine- 
 yards around Melbourne and those of the Yarra, the whole 
 of the southern coast of Victoria, the most temperate parts 
 of all of Australia, and perhaps the most fertile, a stretch of 
 
 1359. L
 
 162 
 
 land 500 miles long by 60 miles liroad, extending fi-om Cape 
 Otway to the River Glenelg, lias scarcely been tried for 
 Wticulture. Should, as we may anticipate, experience prove 
 the value of -vN-ines grown in mild latitudes, there are 
 16,000,000 acres on that southern coast hitherto held as 
 a rejrion too cold for o-rowius' vines, -which mav vet become 
 one of the most valuable parts of the Australian continent 
 for that purpose."' 
 
 The Character of the Wines. 
 
 All the wines of the northern region of Victoria are full- 
 bodied and generous, of magnificent colour ; the red can be 
 similar to the fine wines of Roussillon and Asti, and we 
 have met on the Emu Creek, at Stawell, and sometimes in 
 smaller vineyards, where wines had been fermented in 
 smaller quantities — brilliant ruby wines like the cote-rotie 
 of the Hermitage, and sprightly ones like the best of the 
 Valteline. If the ^\dnes of the Murray can be compared to 
 those of Spain and Portugal; the wines of Bendigo, Stawell, 
 and the CTonll)urn to those of the Rhone and Pyrenees ; 
 the grapes near Melbourne, growing in a cooler latitude, one 
 or two degrees more south, and often visited by the coast 
 rains, j)roduce wines more similar to those of the Rhine and 
 Bordeaux, The fine wines of Sunbury, of Essendon, and 
 the Yarra district have gained colonial reputations. 
 
 At the time of the Melbourne Exhibition in 1881, the 
 proprietor of one of the Yarra vineyards requested M. 
 Eigenshenck, the representative of the well-known house 
 of Arles-Dufour. of Paris, &c., to take back with him some 
 samples of his wines and have them valued in Bordeaux. 
 The result of this inquiry is so important, by the high 
 position of the judge it was submitted to in Bordeaux, that 
 it is only right for us to give the full particulars. 
 
 In Deceml)er, 1881, Messrs. Arles-Dufour communicated 
 the following, written to them by Mr. A. Lalande, of 
 Bordeaux, to whom the wines had been submitted : — 
 
 " We have found the Nos. 1 and 2 (red wine 1879, made 
 from Cabernet-Sauvignon) very good, and we have given 
 them a value of frs, 1,000 per tonneau of 900 litres. 
 
 '• We have found the No. 4 good (white Hermitage 1879), 
 and we have given it a value of frs. 600 to 700 i)er tonneau," 
 
 The name of Mr, Armand Lalande, the president of the 
 Chaml)er of Commerce of Bordeaux, is a household word in 
 En'dand as well as in France. He is the first authoritv on
 
 o 
 
 z 
 
 < 
 
 z
 
 163 
 
 \\dne. He was told that these wines were Australian, and 
 his opinion was asked, as compared with Bordeaux value. 
 The price he fixed for the two red wines, 1,000 frs. per 
 tonneau, was the price of the cms bourgeois superior of 
 Margaux and St. Julieu at two years old, the age the 
 Australian wines were, also the price of the third classified 
 crus St. Emilion. As to the price of 700 frs. for the white, 
 E. Ferret, in his recent book on Bordeaux wines, speaking 
 of the white wines of the canton of Ste. Foix, which he 
 classes amongst the fine white wines of the Gironde, says — 
 " These wines, in the first crus, have a handsome pale-yellow 
 colom*, much finesse, sometimes mellowness, and a very 
 agreeable bouquet ; they are worth, young, from 450 to 600 
 frs. ; old they reach up to 700 frs. the tonneau." Pardon 
 these lengthy details, they show in what comj)any the 
 Victorian wines were placed. 
 
 Yields and Profits. 
 
 The question of profits dejjends uj)on the cost of production. 
 All the operations required for the cultivation of the vine 
 are reduced to a minimum in warm countries. A thousand 
 plants to an acre, half the quantity which is planted in 
 cooler districts, are sufficient to give normal returns. The 
 heat develops the vines, and they bear more fruit with con- 
 sideral)ly less labour in winter pruning, in stalking and 
 trellising, and in other works necessary in summer where 
 the fruit must be exposed to the sun. As to the cleaning of 
 the ground, without which there is nowhere a crop, in cool 
 countries weeds require to be kept down, constant ploughing, 
 scarifying, and hand-hoeing ; in the warm districts, if weeds 
 are only disturbed, the sun, the lover of the vine, destroys 
 them. All through, and in every way, the expenses of a 
 vineyard increase or decrease according to the mean tem- 
 perature of the land. In the warm districts of Victoria, the 
 total cost of the cultivation of a vineyard by hired labour 
 can be set down at £3 per acre, exclusive of vintage 
 expenses. A moderate extent of grapes, say 15 acres, can 
 be cultivated by a farmer and his family at a trifling outlay. 
 Time can be found to attend to them without interfering 
 with the ordinary work of a farm. At Rutherglen, the 
 district for us to judge by, there are five wine-growers culti- 
 vating an average of 200 acres each — not a bad beginning — 
 and 147 farmers an average of 12 acres each. With these 
 latter rest the future of the industry. " Their wines," says
 
 164 
 
 Mr. de Castella in conclusion, " cost them 6d. per gallon, or 
 about that, and if they can sell them at their farms, during 
 the year following the ^^ntage, for Is. 6d. per gallon, there 
 is, on an average crop of 250 gallons per acre, a proiit of 
 over £12 per acre, which no other crop can give. A culti- 
 vation based upon such returns cannot l)ut increase." 
 
 Australian Champagne. 
 
 The manufacture of champagne has engaged the attention 
 of three or four growers in Victoria and New South Wales 
 for many years, and much experience has been gained as 
 to the recjuirements of the industry under local conditions. 
 Colonial experimenters have had good natural wiues to work 
 with, and they have, with considerable enterprise, obtained 
 the best expert assistance from France. Considerable diffi- 
 culty was experienced in adopting the peculiar and delicate 
 manufacturing process to the peculiarity of local climatic 
 conditions, but wathin the last few years a large measure of 
 success has been achieved. Mr. Hans W. Irvine, of Great 
 Western Vineyard, 139 miles from Melbourne, ha\nng ob- 
 tained highly satisfactory results. A gi-eat difficulty witli 
 other experimenters has been that of controlling the tempera- 
 ture in a naturally warm climate, and in overcoming this 
 obstacle 3Ir. Irvine has been effectively assisted by the pos- 
 session of a deep underground cellar, the features of which 
 are unique in the Australian Colonies. The cellars are ex- 
 cavated out of decayed granite rock, 25 feet below the sur- 
 face, and the temj)erature in its vaults remains at about 58 
 degrees, showing very little variation throughout the year. 
 Although the cellars were originally constructed for the 
 accommodation of the clarets and hocks for which the vine- 
 yard has been long celebrated, and which are still the basis 
 of Mr. Irvine's extended business, their suitableness for the 
 preparation of sparkling wanes has, during recent years, led 
 to an increasing use of them for that ])urpose. The making i 
 of chamjtagne, sparkling hock, and sparkling l)urgundy Avas 
 commenced at the Great Western Vineyard in IblUU, and the 
 results have l»eeu fairly successful. There are at present 
 150,000 bottles in the cellar, and an additional 48,000 
 bottles of the 1896 and 1897 vintages are being added. 
 Considerable difficulty has been experienced in o1)taining 
 the necessary skilled labour, a drawback to which every 
 .new industry is subject. The Great Western sparkling
 
 166 
 
 wines have been snccessfiil at several important exhibi- 
 tions, and have been well spoken of by many qualified 
 experts. Having overcome many of tlie difficulties inevit- 
 able to a new industry, champagne-making is likely to 
 prove an important branch of Australian wine-growing in 
 Victoria. 
 
 Australian Brandy. 
 
 A considerable quantity of wine is made into brandy, 
 this branch of production having increased during recent 
 years owing to the low prices ruling for wines. On ac- 
 count of the exportable surplus of wine having increased 
 beyond the capacity of the existing demand, local prices 
 have fallen to a low level, and considerable quantities of 
 new wines have been sold to distillers at about 6d. per 
 gallon. There are eight distilleries in the colony, and the 
 quantity of wine made into brandy in 1895 was 213,193 
 gallons. While the prices offered by distillers are unsatis- 
 factory to growers who have produced wine for the proper 
 wine market, growers who produce specially for distilling 
 prices find the prices remunerative. It is probable, there- 
 fore, that an increase in the production of brandy will 
 take place, along with the development of the wine-growing 
 industry. 
 
 For further information apply to Mr. J. M. Sinclair, the 
 Representatative in London of the Victorian Department of 
 Agriculture.
 
 166 
 
 IRRIGATION AND WATER SUPPLY. 
 
 About twenty years ago the highly satisfactory returns 
 obtained by a few scattered settlers as the result of artificially 
 watering their crops directed attention to the su])ject of irri- 
 gation. The representatives of the two leading Victorian 
 newspapers, who visited America in 1883, reported that 
 irrigation was being carried on with great success in that 
 country, and soon afterwards the Hon. Alfred Deakin, a 
 member of the Government, accompanied by Mr. Derry, an 
 experienced engineer from India, jiroceeded to America for 
 the purpose of investigating the subject. The results of this 
 investigation were favorable, and pul)lic opinion liaving been 
 thoroughly aroused upon the subject the Hon. Alfred Deakin, 
 as Minister of Water Supply, introduced and successfully 
 carried through a scheme pro^^ding for national irrigation. 
 
 A National Scheme. 
 
 Under the scheme the land-holders of suitable districts 
 were allowed to constitute irrigation trusts for the piu-pose 
 of carrpng out water supply works, the Government 
 lending the necessary capital at a low rate of interest 
 upon the security of the land supplied with water. So 
 confident were land-owners that they readily pledged their 
 holdings as security, constituting trusts, and borrowing 
 large sums of money from the Government. Nearly the 
 whole of the occupied lands in the drier portions of the 
 colony were placed under the control of local trusts and pro- 
 vided \A'ith more or less expensive water supply works. The 
 national scheme was universally poi)ular, and' its immediate 
 effect was to greatly improve in the drier districts the supply 
 of water for domestic and stock purposes. When, however, 
 the time arrived for the commencement of the payment of 
 interest considerable difficulty arose. It was a feature of the 
 scheme that the interest was to be provided out of funds 
 received by tlie trusts for the sale of water used for irriga- 
 tion i)urposes. From a variety of causes, however, very little 
 irrigation had been carried out by land-owners, and conse- 
 quently interest had to be met by the clauses of the Act 
 providing for taxing the land. Two causes may be assigned 
 for the failure of the land-owners to use the available water 
 for irrigation. In the first place, a series of wet seasons had
 
 167 
 
 prevailed rendering good crops available without recourse to 
 irrigation ; and, in the second place, the po])ulation occupying 
 the land were not acquainted with the practical details of 
 the various metliods of using water artificially in agricul- 
 ture, or the culture of the several crops suitalde under such 
 a system. The outcome of the whole matter has been the 
 discovery that a slower rate of progress would have been 
 better. All concerned — Government, officials, and land- 
 owners — have been too sanguine, but in the long run, although 
 not so quickly as anticipated, the national irrigation scheme 
 will prove remunerative. The payment of interest to the 
 Government has been postponed, but the land served has 
 permanently improved, and the practice of irrigation to 
 render the investments remunerative is being extended. 
 
 The Future of Ierigation. 
 
 Irrigation has not been disappointing. It is the lack of 
 irrigation that has caused the temporary trouble. When 
 water has been applied to the land the results have been 
 equal to expectation. Recent dry seasons have given fresh 
 evidence of the value of irrigation, and with the growth of 
 knowledge the system is likely to increase until the irriga- 
 tion trusts are placed upon a sound financial l)asis. The 
 following account of the various irrigation schemes of the 
 colony is condensed from a report of Mr. Stuart Murray, 
 Chief Engineer of the Water Supply Department : — 
 
 The Goulbuen Valley. 
 
 The Goulburn is the largest of Victorian rivers. It has 
 the largest drainage area, the greatest mean volume, and 
 the most permanent stream. The area of its basin, down to 
 the weir recently constructed near Murchison, is little less 
 than 4,U00 square miles, and a considerable })roportion of this 
 area consists of high mountain ranges, whose melting snows 
 maintain the volume of the river far into the summer. The 
 term Goulburn Valley would, strictly applied, include this 
 great basin. It is, however, by popular usage limited to 
 the plain that extends from Murchison northward to the 
 Murray, through which winds the Goulburn River after its 
 debouchment from the ranges. Here it is to be understood 
 in a still more restricted sense — it is to be taken as includ- 
 ing only that portion of the plain commanded by the works,
 
 16.^ 
 
 actual or ])rojected, of the Goulbnru irripition scheme. 
 This comprises, east of the river, the projcfted East Goul- 
 biirn Irrio-ation Trust district, with an area iu round num])ers 
 of225,UUU acres: and west of the river, the district of the 
 existing Rodney Irrigation Trust, with an area of 278,000 
 acres, and that of the Echuca and Waranga Waterworks 
 Trust, witli an area of 272,<»OU acres, or about 775,000 acres 
 in all. 
 
 The district of the proposed East Goulburn Irrigation 
 Trust — it lias not been actually constituted — includes a great 
 part of the Shires of Shepparton and Numurkah, and smaller 
 portions of the Shires of Goulburn, Euroa, and Yarra- 
 wonga. 
 
 Irkigation Trusts. 
 
 The Rodney Irrigation Trust district is nearly cotermiuus 
 with the Shire of Rodney. The Echuca and Waranga 
 Waterworks Trust district, comprising part of the Shires 
 of Echuca and Waranga, has also been constituted. Within 
 the area referred to as the Goulburn Valley there are also 
 included the Towns of Sheppartou, Xumurkah.and Wunghnu, 
 Tatura, Kyaliram, and Mooroopna. These, which have a 
 joint population of 5,260, are not reckoned as part of the 
 area commanded by the works. That area is 775,000 acres 
 on both sides of the river, with a total rural population of 
 10,400 persons, an annual rateable value of £145,000, and 
 an immediately dependent urban population of 5,260, settled 
 in six towns that are "^-ithin the borders, though excluded 
 from the area, of the irrigation district. Each of these towns, 
 excepting Wunghnu, has a separate water service of its own, 
 some of them dependent on the irrigation works as their 
 source of supply. The lands on the east side of the river 
 are supplied with water for domestic and stock use only 
 l)y the Goulburn River, the Broken River (which is one of 
 its tril)iitaries). and the Broken Creek (which is an aflSuent 
 of the Broken River j, also by some artificial channels sup- 
 plied chiefly by pumping from these sources. The west side 
 of the river has a much more efficient system — a very com- 
 plete reticulation, comprising nearly 400 miles of channels, 
 supplied In- gravitation from the national works constructed 
 l)y the Government. These are ample to provide fully for 
 domestic and stock wants, with a surplus available for the 
 irrigation of a limited area.
 
 169 
 
 The Murchison Weik. 
 
 The national works, designed to provide water for the 
 service of the Gonlbiirn Valley, comprise a weir on the river, 
 about 8 miles above Murchison ; a channel ou the east 
 side from the weir, northward about '.]0 miles ; a (dianuel on 
 the west side, about 26 miles north-westerly, to a large 
 reservoir to be constructed at the Warauga Swamp ; and a 
 channel from the Waranga reservoir, about 40 miles further 
 north-westerly, to the crossing of the Campaspe River. Of 
 these there have been completed to date the weir, the off- 
 take regulators at the heads of both the eastern and western 
 main channels, and about 15 miles of the channel on the 
 west side, with two regulating sluices and offtakes on it. 
 The weir is a large and costly structure of solid masonry, 
 with flood-gates of cast and wrought iron, manipulated by 
 turbine gearing, and lowering into chambers provided for 
 them in the boily of the work. The constructed portion of 
 the western main channel has a normal mean width of 121 
 feet, by a carrying depth of 7 feet, and is capable of conveying 
 a volume of rather more than 100,000 cubic feet of water 
 per minute. The sum expended on these national works to 
 date — inclusive of the cost of lands taken, the large area 
 submerged above the weir, the provision of roads and bridges 
 in lieu of those interfered with or destroyed by the works, 
 and the other charges incidental to such an undertaking — 
 has been £418,000 ; and a further sum of £754,000, or a 
 total of £1,172,000, will be required for their completion. 
 Besides this, the trusts have expended on woi-ks, chiefly for 
 the supply of water for domestic and stock use, a sum of 
 about £140,000 advanced to them by the Government ; and 
 will have to expend a further £800,000 before water can be 
 made fully available for irrigation throughout their districts. 
 
 It will be understood that as the Goulburn River must of 
 necessity be the soiu^ce of water supply for irrigation within 
 this district, and as on the east side of tlie river there has not 
 yet been constructed a single mile of channel from the weir, 
 there can be no irrigation on that side of the river. On the 
 west side the main channel has been carried 15 miles, and 
 the construction of a further 4 or 5 miles will be proceeded 
 with immediately. The reticulation channels of both the 
 Rodney and the Echuca and Waranga Trusts are supi)lied 
 from the national channel. The works of the former are 
 already caj)able of giving a supply for irrigation to part of 
 the trust area, and they are being enlarged and extended so
 
 170 
 
 as, in time, to be able to supply the whole. Those of the 
 latter are on a smaller scale, adapted to provide an ample 
 suj^ply for ordinary use, but not for irrigation, except in a 
 very limited way. To enable them to carry a full irrigation 
 supply they must be enlarged in the same way as those of 
 the Rodney Trust are being now. It is within the area of 
 the Rodney Trust, therefore, that any irrigated lands are to 
 be looked for in the Goulburn Valley. 
 
 Irrigated Holdings. 
 
 Within the district of the Rodney Trust about 2,000 acres 
 have been prepared and planted with fruits intended for 
 irrigation, and a similar area has been prepared and laid 
 down under various kinds of fodder crops, also intended for 
 irrigation. The fruits most largely planted are raisin %dnes, 
 and, after them, wine grapes, apricots, apples, and mixed 
 fruits. The irrigated green crops are chiefly lucerne ; and 
 there are some areas of maize, sorghum, amber cane, and 
 broom corn. The lands irrigated or prepared for irrigation 
 are not in compact areas, but are scattered over a compara- 
 tively wide area — a circumstance which adds materially to 
 the cost of suj)plying them with water, and in various other 
 ways handicaps the cultivators. Some attempt has been 
 made, however, to establish settlements here on similar lines 
 to those at Mildura and Reumark. The Ardmona Estate, 
 Mooroopna, containing 1,000 acres, was purchased by a 
 syndicate, cut up, and sold in blocks var}dug from 10 to 100 
 acres to intending cultivators. The whole of the estate is 
 commanded Ity the channels of the trust, and most of it has 
 been planted with vines and fruit trees, and are now under 
 irrgation. One of the blocks is devoted to the growth of 
 nursery stock. The experience of the proprietor is that, 
 with the climate and soil of the Goulburn Valley, irrigation 
 is highly beneficial, im])roving both the quantity and quality 
 of every description of fruit, the olive only excej)ted. With- 
 out water the raising of nursery stock would be impossible. 
 The same ])arties who negotiated the sulxlivision and sale of 
 the Ardmona property similarly operated on an area of land 
 near Toolamba, also commanded by the trust's channel. 
 
 It is in this locality (the neighbourhood of Mooroopna) 
 that there is to be found the greater part of the irrigated 
 land within the district of the Rodney Trust. About 2 
 miles from Ardmona is the Lake Erie farm of Mr. Michael 
 Kavanagh. On this jiroperty there are 60 acres laid down
 
 171 
 
 in lucerne, divided into paddocks and kept under irrigation. 
 This land has maintained eight sheep to the acre throughout 
 the summer. Mr. Kavanagh has also 10 acres under mixed 
 fruits and 20 acres under raisin vines irrigated, the whole in 
 excellent condition and bearing annually a heavy crop of 
 fruit of unexceptionable quality. Several of Mr. Kavanagh's 
 neighbours have areas under lucerne, chiefly used for beeves 
 and dairy cattle, and plantations of vines and fruit trees. 
 Wherever there is water available the lucerne paddocks and 
 the plantations are under irrigation, and the area is con- 
 tinually being extended. 
 
 Population Wanted. 
 
 On the east side of the river, though there is no irrigation 
 and no water yet available for the purpose, there is a 
 considerable area of planted land. There are, in fact, more 
 than 450 acres of jtlantations, two-thirds of which, or about 
 300 acres, are in close proximity to the Town of Shep- 
 parton. These plantations comprise apples, apricots, 
 peaches, table grapes, and mixed fruits. There are no 
 grapes grown specially for raisin- making nor for the pro- 
 duction of wine, but the possibility of having to dispose of 
 surplus produce, and eventually probably of the bulk of the 
 crop, Ijy drying, seems to be kept in view in all planting. 
 Besides the fruit plantations there are a good many small 
 areas of lucerne, maize, sorghum, and broom corn. The 
 plantations generally are kept in a high state of cultivation, 
 and it is surprising what crops of fruit are obtained, both as 
 to quantity and quality, under dry tillage. 
 
 The devotion of the soil to intense culture (for which it is 
 so well adapted), the utilization of the water of the magni- 
 ficent river that nature has provided, and its application to 
 the land as solvent for the stores of plant food it contains, 
 can only be the work of time. The land is there far beyond 
 the possibility of utilization by its present handful of 
 occupants. It is of unexceptional quality ; the water is 
 available, or is rapidly being made available, to stimulate 
 its productiveness and develop its resources. It is not 
 possible to doubt that time will solve the problem of how 
 this development can be best accomplished. 
 
 The Lower Loddon and Gdnbower Districts. 
 
 The Lower Loddon and Gunbower districts may be briefly 
 described as including the alluvial plain that stretches from
 
 172 
 
 Bridgewater. on the Loddon River, northward to theMnrray, 
 and emhracing the hinds adjacent to the latter river from 
 the head of the Gnnbower in the east to Swan Hill in the 
 west. It is distinctly of deltaic formation. T^^ith the excep- 
 tion of some isolated tracks of hill country of comparatively 
 small extent — such as the sTauitic outcrops of the Terricks 
 Range, Mount Hope, and the Pyramid — it consists of an 
 almost absolute level, built up of the water-borne silt 
 carried down by the rivers from the high lands of the 
 Dividing Range. The southern portion has been so built up 
 by the agency of the Loddon ; the northern by that of the 
 ]\Iurray. of which the Loddon is a tributary. Its deltaic 
 character is attested by the numerous old river channels 
 that furrow its surface, and by the network of effluents and 
 anabranches that constitute one of the most striking features, 
 especially of the portion adjacent to the confluence of the 
 rivers. That jxtrtion of the district bordering the 3Iurray 
 River and its anabranches — the Gunbower, Barr Creek, and 
 Murrabit — is subject to innudation by the overflow of the 
 river. Over some portions these floodings occur every 
 winter : over a larger extent, some miles in width at some 
 points, inundations occur only in winters when there is a high 
 river : but no means has been yet suggested whereby one 
 can foresee or foretell when these seasons of high flood will 
 occur. For the protection of the river bank lands, earthen 
 levees have been built along portions of the frontage, and 
 these have proved of service in saving the farmers' crops 
 from destruction by the overflows. There are about 5 
 miles in length of lev^e so constructed by the Benjeroop and 
 ]\Iurrabit Trust, and about 8 miles by the Swan Hill 
 Irrigation Trust. There is also a further length of 2 or 
 3 miles constructed by the Water Supply Department 
 for the special purpose of protecting the head of the Kow 
 Swamp supply channel. This likewise affords protection to 
 a limited portion of the area. 
 
 The gross area of the district treated of in this report is 
 aVjout 1,251 •,<»00 acres, whereof about four-fifths are irrigable, 
 either by gravitation or by means of a lift of a few feet only. 
 The rural jtopulatiou of the district is, in round numbers, 
 about 11,000, and there is an urban population of 2,400 in 
 the towns and villages of Swan Hill. Kerang, Boort, Durham 
 Ox, Pyramid, Mincha, ]\Iacorna.and Cohuna. It is watered 
 by the Loddon River and by the Murray and its effluents. 
 The works for the distribution of the water supply are under
 
 173 
 
 the control of the Loddou United and Swan Hill Shh*e 
 Waterworks Trusts, their function being- limited, however, 
 to providing for ordinary domestic and stock requirements. 
 But a great part of the area, aggregating a total of 523,000 
 acres, is under the control of irrigation trusts that have 
 been carved out of and excised from the old water trusts. 
 Of these seven in the southern part of the district take their 
 supply from the Loddon, namely, Tragowel Plains, East 
 Boort, North Boort, Leaghur-and-Meering, Waudella, 
 Twelve-mile, and Dry Lake. The Loddon itself is regulated 
 and controlled by a national work — that is, a work under 
 the direct control of the Water Supply Department — the 
 Laanecoorie weir and dam, situate upon the river at a point 
 about 16 miles in a direct line above Bridge water. It 
 has a storage capacity of 610,000,000 cubic feet, or 
 3,812,000,000 gallons — that is, one-sixth greater than the 
 Malmsbury reservoir, as recently improved and enlarged. 
 Its purpose is to regulate the river by storing water during 
 flood, so as to maintain the flow during the dry seasons. The 
 middle portion of the district has three existing irrigation 
 trusts (Marquis Hill, Keraug East, and Macorna North). 
 These will take their supply from a national work that is 
 now approaching completion. A canal, consisting in part 
 of an artificial cutting and in part following the line of 
 natural creeks, will convey water from the Murray when in 
 flood into a large reservoir, formed by embanking and other- 
 wise improving the Kow Swamp. From the reservoir a 
 channel will carry the supply for delivery to the trusts. 
 The northern part of the district has five trusts adjacent to 
 the Murray frontage and supplied from that river. These 
 are the Cohuna, Kooudrook, Slyall, Benjeroop and Murrabit, 
 and Swan Hill Irrigation. The areas of the trust districts 
 are exceedingly various. The Tragowel Plains has nearly 
 250,000 acres, the Cohuna 100,000, while the Dry Lake has 
 but a little over 1,500. The trust works are all in a con- 
 dition to deliver water over the greater part of their areas, 
 while most of the trusts have their schemes practically 
 completed. The middle and northern portions of the district 
 are supplied from the Murray^ — the former by means of the 
 Kow Swamp scheme of works, the latter from the river 
 direct ; or it would be more accurate to say that they will be 
 so supplied when the projects in hand have been completed. 
 A present feature of the Lower Loddon and Gunbower 
 country is the popularity of dairying among the smaller
 
 174 
 
 holders and the increasing output of dairy produce, chiefly 
 separated cream to be sent to Melbourne for conversion into 
 butter at the Victories. To this industry irrigation is a 
 priceless boon, and a sufficient sujjply of water for ordinary 
 use a prime necessity. There must be good drinking water 
 for the cattle, and a proper supply for the dairy. Winter- 
 irrigated straw crops for conversion into ensilage would 
 prove of immense value ; watered paddocks of lucerne and 
 sorghum promote the health of the beasts, and augment 
 the milk-giving faculty of the cows through the summer. 
 
 The necessity for an artificial water supply was here more 
 obvious. The demand for a supply for irrigation is more 
 urgent than in the Goulbmm Valley. At the same time, 
 the natural facilities for j^roviding them are far less. This 
 is esjiecially true of the southern part of this district — 
 that commanded by the water of the Loddon River. Still 
 the available volume is such as, with a proper system of con- 
 servation and distribution, carefully supervised and wisely 
 administered, to be capable of rendermg immense service to 
 the farmers. 
 
 The Castlemaine and Bendigo Districts. 
 
 The Coliban system of works, the principal portions of 
 which were carried out dm-ing the years 1805-70, but which 
 have since been much extended and improved, form, as is 
 pretty generally known, the basis of the water supply to 
 Castlemaine and Bendigo. The principal storage basin of 
 the scheme is that on the Coliban River, at Malmsbmy. Its 
 original capacity, measm-ed from the sill of the outlet to the 
 level of the waste weirs, was 2,908,0UU,00<J gallons ; but, in 
 consequence of the supposed insufficiency of the flood escapes, 
 the whole of the storage was never fully availed of, and the 
 practical capacity was thus no more than 2,400,000,000 
 gallons. Improvements carried out some four or five years 
 ago have increased the available contents to 3.255,000,000 
 gallons. The catchment area of the reservoir includes 72,U00 
 acres of country, with a mean annual rainfall varying from 
 28 inches in the lower to 45 inches in the upper portion, and 
 the whole of which is of a character favorable for the dis- 
 charge of the rain precipitated on its siu-face. Besides the 
 princijial reservoir, there are eleven minor storages scattered 
 throughout the supply district, all of them except three — 
 the Harcourt and the Upper and Lower Grassy Flat reser- 
 voirs — being connected to Malmsbury, and chiefly fed from
 
 175 
 
 it. From the Malmsbury reservoir the supply is carried in 
 an open channel to the area served hy the works. The dis- 
 tribution is by branch channels and by reticulations of iron 
 piping. There are in all 187 miles of main and branch 
 channels, and pipes are laid for the service of the tenements 
 in the whole of the towns. The distribution area embraces 
 the towns and villages of Castlemaine, Chewton, Fryers, 
 Maldon, Elphiustone, and Taradale, Bendigo, Eaglehawk, 
 Huntly, Lockwood, Marong, Raywood, and Sebastian, and 
 some smaller hamlets, with the mining districts and part of 
 the agricultural and horticultural lands adjacent thereto. 
 There are also two small trusts supjtlied from the works of 
 the Coliban system — the Harcourt and the Emu Valley 
 Irrigation Trusts. 
 
 The original purjjose of the Coliban system of works was 
 to supply water for the mines of the Castlemaine and Bendigo 
 districts ; and no doubt was entertained, at the time of their 
 initiation, that they would bring in a revenue amply suffi- 
 cient to warrant the outlay incurred for their construction. 
 The service of the gold-fields towns was a secondary matter. 
 The supply to the mines themselves — for sluice-washing 
 auriferous earth, for engine boilers, and for the stamper 
 boxes and ripple tables of the quartz batteries — was relied 
 on as the main source of revenue. 
 
 The major portion of the irrigation from the Coliban sys- 
 tem is of orchards and vineyards ; a little water is used for 
 raising green forage crops, but its total is quite insignificant. 
 In the Harcourt and Barker's Creek portion of the Castle- 
 maine district, there are over 500 acres of fruit planted. 
 Almost the whole of this area is irrigated, in a greater or 
 less degree, from the Coliban works ; and such plantations 
 as are not now commanded by the channels have been laid 
 out in anticipation of extensions. 
 
 The orchards are chiefly on the granitic soil formed from 
 the detritus of the Mount Alexander Range. An idea of 
 the success of the fruit-growing industry here will best be 
 conveyed by describing one of the orchards. That of Mr. 
 Lang is fairly typical of the better class of these properties. 
 He has 25 acres planted in fruit (apples and pears predomi- 
 nating), other kinds being peaches, ^^lums, cherries, table 
 grapes, oranges, and lemons. The trees (apples and pears 
 especially) bear heavily, and the fruit is of excellent quality. 
 One tree during the past season yielded twenty cases of 
 fruit ; a good many of them yielded fifteen to sixteen cases ;
 
 176 
 
 bnt these are exceptioual, a fair crop ])eiii,2: six cases from 
 each full-gTowu mature tree. Mr. Lang thinks that com- 
 mand of water is a condition essential to successful fruit- 
 growing- in the Castlemaine district. The bulk of the crop 
 is disposed of in Melbourne, Bendigo. and ('astlemaine, but 
 a portion has during each of tlie past four years been ex- 
 ported to London. In the present season 600 cases of apples 
 liave been despatcbed to England, all packed in the modern 
 American manner — that is, each se|)arate apple rolled in a 
 sheet of tissue paper. The cost of transit to London, in the 
 cool chambers of the mail boats, is about 4s. 6d. per case, 
 which, at recent prices, leaves a fair profit to the grower. 
 The trade is enlarging. Besides fruit-growing there is a 
 little dairying in the Barker's Creek district, and the two 
 industries seem to run well together, the refuse from the 
 cow-yards forming excellent manure for the trees. In the 
 CampbelFs Creek district, lying south-east from Castle- 
 maine. there are about 350 acres planted with fruit, the bulk 
 of which is cultivated dry, though some of the orchards get 
 a partial supply from the pipe reticulations. 
 
 A lew miles south-east from the City of Bendigo, in the 
 valleys of the Sheepwash, Emu, and Axe Creeks, there are 
 about 1,000 acres under plantations of various kinds. About 
 600 acres are under vines, and 400 acres are under other 
 descriptions of fruit. None of this area is irrigated, bt^t the 
 necessity for watering during the past season has been pain- 
 fully obvious ; indeed, of late years, it has suffered a great 
 deal from drought. The works of the Emu Valley Trust 
 command the greater part ot this area, and could be 
 extended so as to command almost the whole. The vines 
 are nearly all of Mdne varieties. Many of the vignerons — 
 all the larger growers — are wine-makers, working up their 
 own crops and purchasing those of their smaller neighbotirs. 
 The wines command good — some high — prices, and are well 
 in request. To the north of Bendigo, along the Huntly-road, 
 and the valley of the Bendigo Creek, about 600 acres of old 
 diggings have been taken up. under the provisions of a law 
 recently passed, for fruit-growing, and al)Out 250 acres have 
 been reclaimed and planted with trees and vines. A good 
 example in this way has been set by Mr. Carolin, late mayor 
 of the city, who has invested a large sum in the business. 
 About 400 acres are commanded by the Huntly race, and 
 the balance by one of the pipes of the reticulation. Lower 
 down the Huntly-road there are about 240 acres of orchards
 
 177 
 
 and vineyards, all commanded by the Huntly channel, and 
 occasionally getting a supply from it. Along the Specimen 
 Gully race, between Crusoe Gully reservoir and Eagleiuiwk, 
 there are 150 acres under fruit and vines supplied in dry 
 seasons, and in some measure in all seasons, from the 
 channel. On this line, owing to the character of the soil, 
 fruit cannot be successfully grown without command of 
 water ; while in the neighbourhood of the Huntly race it 
 can. 
 
 The Wimmera District. 
 
 The country watered by the Wimmera River, its tributaries 
 and effluents^ — or rather that portion of it that is commanded 
 by the work of irrigation schemes existent, or that have 
 been actually projected^may be described as lying within 
 the following boundaries : — From the Town of Stawell, by a 
 line about 18 degrees north of east to Clear Lake, 8 miles 
 south-west of Noradjuha, a distance of 50 miles ; thence by 
 a line northerly, passing by Mount Arapiles to the inlet of 
 Lake Hindmarsh, about 55 miles ; thence by a line south- 
 easterly to the debouchment of the Richardson, at Lake 
 Buloke, 58 miles ; thence by an irregular line southerly, 
 following nearly the course of the Richardson River, the 
 Swede's Creek, and the Melbourne to Adelaide railway line, 
 about 60 miles to the commencing point. It includes an 
 area of nearly 2,000,000 acres, about 170,000 of which in 
 the north-west portion have been settled under the provisions 
 of the mallee sections of the Land Act 1890. Excluding 
 Stawell (which is strictly a mining town) it contains the 
 following towns and villages, namely, Glenorchy, Lubeck, 
 Murtoa, Minyip, Sheephills, Warracknabeal, Jung Jung, 
 Horsham, Dimboola, Noradjuha, Natimuk, Donald, and 
 Rupanyup, and several small hamlets. The entire urban 
 population numbers 8,000. Of the towns mentioned Murtoa, 
 AVarracknabeal, Jung Jung, Horsham, Dimboola, Natimiik, 
 and Donald have pipe systems of water supply admin- 
 istered by water trusts. A supply to Glenorchy is adminis- 
 tered by the shire council. The rural population of the area 
 numbers 16,000 ; and the annual rateable value of property 
 iu the rural district — that is, exdusive of the towns and 
 villages — is in round numbers £246,000, an amount that 
 appears high as compared with the valuation of other rural 
 areas in the northern districts. Its affairs in the matter of 
 water supply are administered — in the east by the Wimmera 
 
 1359. M
 
 178 
 
 United Waterworks Trust, aud in the west hy the Western 
 Wimmera Irrigation Trust, and, as to a small portion, by 
 the Lowan Shire Water Trust. The water supply to the 
 Borough of Horsham is administered by a separate urban 
 trust. 
 
 The whole of the area, if we except a small portion of the 
 Grampians Range that intrudes on the southern boundary, 
 is of alluvial formation, though generally much more 
 irregular in profile than the eastern portion of the riverine 
 plains in Victoria. The soil is generally of good quality, or 
 from fair to good, of loam, varying from sandy to clayey ; 
 the subsoil more retentive than the surface soil, and with a 
 varying infiltration of lime. 
 
 Excluding the portion held under the mallee settlement 
 provisions about one-third of the area is held as originally 
 selected in blocks not exceeding 320 acres ; the remainder 
 chiefly in blocks of from 640 upwards to 3,000 or 4,000 
 acres, but for the most part not exceeding 1,000 acres. There 
 are also some half-dozen properties of larger dimensions, 
 and about 20,000 acres of lan<l are let in ftirms of from 100 
 to 300 acres each. 
 
 The farmers of the Wimmera district were among the 
 first to avail themselves of the facilities offered by the 
 Government for the provision of efficient systems of water 
 supply in the rural districts. The leading features of their 
 scheme are a succession of weirs on the Wimmera River at 
 points favorable for diversion, and the construction of lines 
 of channel, with distributaries for the service of every part 
 of the area. The river weirs are the Glenorchy, the Ashens, 
 the Longerenong, and the Dooen weirs, the main purpose of 
 which is the diversion of water from tlie river, though they 
 act to some extent as storages. There is also a weir at 
 Horsham, whose sole purpose is to ini})Ound water for the 
 suj)])ly of the town. From the Glenorchy weir a short 
 artificial channel leads into the head of the Swede's Creek, 
 an affluent of the Richardson River, which in turn empties 
 itself into Lake lUiloke. But for the suj)]»ly thus artificially 
 diverted from the Wimmera the Lower Richardson would in 
 most years have no flow whatever, and when it ceases to flow 
 it soon becomes so salt as to be unfit for ordinary use. 
 Another short cut from the weir carries a sujjply into the 
 head of the Dunmunkle Creek, from which diverge the 
 Laen, Lallat and ]\Iinyip channels, and their numerous 
 branches, and lower down the ( 'arron channel and its
 
 179 
 
 branches. Like the Swede's Creek, the Duumiinkle Creek 
 would have no flowing water in the greater part of its length 
 in most years but for the water artificially diverted into it. 
 From the Ashcns weir is supplied the Ashens and Murtoa 
 channel, with its numerous In-anches. The Longerenong 
 weir diverts a supply into the Yarriambiac Creek — a naturaL 
 effluent of the Wimmera, the supply to which would,, 
 however, be both scanty and precarious but for the influence- 
 of the weir in raising the surface level of the river and 
 regulating the diversion. The Yarriambiac supplies the 
 Bangerang channel and branches on the east and the Cat's- 
 Swamp channel and brandies on the west ; the surplus it 
 carries to Lake Corong. From the Dooen weir a cutting of 
 about a mile and a quarter leads to a pumping station. 
 Here the water is pumped through an iron main a further 
 distance of a mile and a quarter, with a rise of 54 feet, into 
 a basin, whence is led the Dooen-Kalkee channel, with its 
 numerous branches. A noteworthy feature of this portion 
 of the works is tliat in seasons of drought, when the 
 Wimmera at Dooen ceases to run, water can be delivered at 
 the weir from the Wartook storage reservoir. The Wartook 
 reservoir, in a valley of the Grampians near the head of the 
 Mackenzie, is the only storage of any magnitude yet con- 
 structed for the service of the Wimmera country. It has 
 a drainage area of nearly 30 square miles, and a capacity of 
 1,037,000,000 cubic feet, equal to rather more than that of 
 the Yan Yean reservoir. From this storage the water flows 
 down the natural course to the head of the plain at a point 
 about 22 miles south from Horsham, thence a branch is 
 diverted into the Burnt Creek, and thence again into the 
 Wimmera at Dooen and at Horsham. From the same point 
 is diverted the Natimuk channel, the Lower Mackenzie itself 
 also, of course, getting a supply. At a distance of 7 miles 
 down the Natimuk channel there ia a diversion into the 
 Norton Creek, which is crossed here ; and 17 miles further 
 down the channel bifurcates, the Natimuk branch being 19 
 and the Arapiles branch 25 miles in length. The Wimmera 
 country has thus a good water supj^ly for domestic and stock 
 use — good, that is, as compared with the state of aifairs 
 before the days of water trusts and Government assistance 
 in the form of loans. Doubtless it is susceptible of great 
 improvement, by the provision of additional storages and 
 by the extension and multiplication of the channels ; that 
 is a mere matter of time and cost. But neither the
 
 180 
 
 towns nor the country can now be said to be in any sense 
 badly off for water. Besides the domestic supply the works 
 are capable of affording something to be employed in irriga- 
 tion, especially from the channels dependent on the Wartook 
 storage. 
 
 The colony system of settlement has been attempted here 
 with some show of success, the colonies being generally the 
 result of the action of syndicates, who sell land to settlers 
 at prices ranging from £10 to £20 per acre. Burnlea is 
 close to the Wimmera River, and within the Borough of 
 Horsham ; it derives a supply of water from a branch of 
 the channel from Wartook storage. It contains a total of 
 550 acres, all of which is reticulated with channelling. A 
 considerable portion has been sold, chiefly to business people 
 in Horsham, and of these 50 acres are planted with mixed 
 fruits. Young Brothers' colony has also been all reticulated. 
 The purchasers in the Young Brothers' colony are chiefly 
 tradesmen and workmen settled in and about Horsham. 
 £30U worth of produce — grapes, apricots, and peaches — 
 were sold from the settlement in 1893, and the returns have 
 since largely increased. Riverside is on the south bank ot 
 the Wimmera, a few miles above Horsham. It contains 
 430 acres, all reticulated, and all sold to actual or intending 
 settlers, the bulk of whom are business people or mechanics 
 from Melbom-ue and other towns. Of the latter a few have 
 entered into possession, are settled, and working in the dis- 
 trict. The holdings have been planted with vines and fruit 
 trees. At Dooen there is an area of land subdivided for sale 
 and settlement, reticulated, and supplied by a branch from 
 the Dooen pumping main. About two-thirds of it have 
 been planted with vines and fruit trees. Quantong is a 
 co-operative settlement, on the right bank of the Wimmera 
 River, about 12 miles west from Horsham. It contains 
 2,253 acres of sandy loam, whereof 500 acres have been dis- 
 posed of, chiefly to mechanics and others from the towns. 
 Some ten or twelve substantial wooden houses are built or in 
 course of building by settlers, and several blocks of land 
 have been planted. The Arapiles colony is near Mount 
 Arapiles, 20 miles west from Horsham and 5 miles from the 
 township of Natimuk. It contains 640 acres, whereof 200 
 have been sold in blocks of 10 acres and upwards, most of 
 the purchasers being trades people in >s'atimuk and Horsham, 
 though a few are of the agricultural class. Besides these 
 colonies there are a number of individual holders who have
 
 181 
 
 patches of irrigation, eithvY fruit trees, vines, or lands i)er- 
 manently laid down in fodder plants. Some are supplied 
 from the channels, some by pumping from the river. These 
 settlers cultivate fruit trees, lucerne, sorghum, and pastures. 
 The fruits, other than gra})es, comprise apricots, peaches, 
 almonds, oranges, lemons, apples, and mixed fruits. The 
 vines are cliiefly of raisin varieties, though no raisins are yet 
 made on any commercial scale, and there is no wine-making 
 in the district. 
 
 (JONCLUUING KeMARKS. 
 
 These embrace by far the greater portion of the areas 
 within Victoria where irrigation is now practised as an aid 
 to agriculture. There are others, certainly. At Bacchus 
 Marsh there are two small trusts, one of which has its 
 scheme of works practically completed and in operation, the 
 area operated upon, however, being exceedingly small. Then 
 there are several trusts whose works are in process of con- 
 struction, but have not yet proceeded so far as to be able to 
 supply any water to irrigators. Among these are the 
 Campaspe Trust, the scene of whose operations is the land 
 on both sides of the C'ampaspe River, in the neighbourhood 
 of Rochester ; the Bairnsdale Irrigation Trust, formed with 
 the view of irrigating the extensive and fertile area bordering 
 the Mitchell River above Bairnsdale, known as the Liudenow 
 Flats, and the country adjacent; and some others of less 
 note. 
 
 As to the probable eventual outcome of irrigation in 
 Victoria, it may be briefly summarized thus : — Many of us 
 have been too sanguine ; men are prone to be so in view of 
 any novelty that jiromises increase of wealth. But, this 
 admission being unreservedly made, there remains the solid 
 fact that a large section of the land of this colony cannot be 
 turned to its most profitable account without the aid of irri- 
 gation, the necessary water supply for which is likewise 
 available ; and that prominent among the accelerating or 
 retarding causes in the realization of this profit must be the 
 action of the State in guiding, promoting, or discouraging 
 the movement.
 
 182 
 
 THE MILDURA IRRIGATION COLONY. 
 
 In introducing a system of irrigation into Victoria, the 
 Government not only passed the Irrigation Act, under 
 which the various water supply trusts have been formed, but 
 made special arrangements with a firm of Californian experts 
 for the establishment of an irrigation colony — Mildura, on 
 the Murray River, being the result. An extensive grant of 
 land with liberal water ])rivileges was given on easy terms 
 to the Messrs. ChafFey Brothers, of Ontario, California, on 
 condition that they would establish such an irrigation colony 
 as would not only prove the suitableness of the mallee 
 country for such purposes, but also serve as an object-lesson 
 on irrigation to settlers in other parts of Victoria. The 
 Mildura colony, which has now been ten years in existence, 
 has proved the suitableness of the mallee for irrigation pur- 
 poses, and has served as a valuable object-lesson in various 
 branches of fruit-growing under irrigation, and the preserva- 
 tion and marketing of several varieties of fruit, although the 
 colony itself, from a number of causes to be herein explained, 
 has not been so successful as was at one time expected. It 
 is sufficient for the present to say that the causes of such 
 disappointment as has been met with in connexion with 
 Mildura are in no way connected with the profitableness of 
 irrigation as a system, or any natural unsuita])leness of the 
 «oil or climate for the purposes originally intended. 
 
 Founding the Colony. 
 
 Five years after the agreement was made with the pro- 
 moters, Mr. Stuart Murray, the Chief Engineer of Water 
 Supply, wrote as follows : — 
 
 " Any account of the progress of irrigation in Victoria that 
 did not take note of Mildura would be incomplete. Tlie 
 Mildura settlement is the scene of the greatest experiment in 
 irrigation yet undertaken here, and the success or failure of 
 irrigation at Mildura would have largely influenced its 
 success or failure throughout the colony. The Government 
 has not invested money in the ( 'liafiFey enter ])rise as it has 
 invested money in the form of loans advanced to trusts, ami 
 in the construction of costly national works in the Goulbnrn 
 Valley, in the Loddon Valley, and throughout the settled 
 jiortions of the dry northern districts : yet it has a distinct
 
 CULTIVATING AN ORCHARD. -MiLDURA. 
 
 GATHERING FRUIT.-Mildura.
 
 rio^bt of property in Mildiira in virtne of the concessions it 
 has made to its founders. They liave been given, subject to 
 the fulfilment of certain conditions on their part, a block of 
 50,000 acres of land as a free gift, with a further area of 
 200,000 acres on very favorable terms. But, more than 
 all, they have had handed over to them a large share of the 
 colony's inheritance in the waters of tlie Murray River — a 
 concession, practically in perpetuity, of so much water as 
 may l)e required for the complete irrigation of this enormous 
 block of 250,000 acres, and for the service of the community 
 of, it may be, 500,000 or more of people that will eventually 
 dwell there. 
 
 " The agreement between the Victorian Government and 
 the Messrs. Cliaffey was signed in May, 1887, and possession 
 of the property was entered upon on the 4th of August follow- 
 ing. The progress may be briefly summarized as follows : — 
 The present population numbers 4,000, of whom nearly one- 
 half are actually engaged in the clearing, jireparation, and 
 cultivation of the soil, either as land-owners or as workmen. 
 The area of land sold by the Messrs. Chafi'ey is, in round 
 numbers, 17,000 acres, whereof 10,000 have been planted, 
 500 are under various kinds of annual or green crops, and an 
 additional 3,000 are cleared and ready for cultivation or 
 planting. The remainder are held for future improvement. 
 Of the plantations about two-thirds consist of raisin vines. 
 The others, in the order of their importance, comprise wine 
 grapes, apricots, oranges and lemons, peaches, olives, and 
 other fruits. The expenditure by the Messrs. ChafFey on 
 works for the service of the settlement has been far in excess 
 of that provided for liy their agreement. These comprise 
 eleven pumping plants (ranging from 200 to 1,000 horse- 
 power each), 150 miles of main and 300 miles of secondary 
 and distributing channels (whereof about 3 miles are lined 
 with concrete, made from the local lime), together with 
 syphons, flumes, bridges, and other secondary works. 
 
 " So much for the extent and character of the settlement 
 and the work done. Now for the results of the work, in its 
 financial and commercial aspects. So far the settlement 
 has been maintained chiefly by the capital brought into it by 
 the settlers themselves and by the expenditure of the firm of 
 Chaffey Brothers and Co. Little of what it has produced 
 has been sold to the outside world. No doubt a material 
 contribution to the support of the settlers has been derived 
 from their own produce. Some of them have earner! a few
 
 184 
 
 pounds by growing fodder for the horses employed by the 
 tirm and in other simihir ways, and one or two of the more 
 energetic and enterprising have made a living by su^jplying 
 fruit" and vegetables to their neighbours. But all this con- 
 tributes nothing to the sohition of the main problem. Even 
 the few tons of raisins and dried apricots purchased from the 
 settlers by the firm last year, or the larger quantity pur- 
 chased this year, go but a little way towards soh-ing it. The 
 price the iirm -niHpay for these small lots of first produce is 
 hardly any criterion of what the world will give for the 
 general bulk of the crop, when the whole of the land is under 
 cultivation and the limit of the local market has been 
 reached. It is a fact that, at the present moment, as much 
 as 5d. per lb. may be obtained in Melbourne for first-class 
 samples of colonial-grown cooking raisins, and good currants 
 fetch a price but slighly lower. In the London market, 
 however, good currants are worth no more than Hd. per lb., 
 cooking raisins 2^d., and the best table raisins 7d. The 
 difference between the Melbourne and London prices is due 
 to the import duty of 2d. per lb., the cost of freight, 
 insurance, &c., and the addition of the charges of the 
 merchant and shipper. 
 
 " The wine industry at Mildura is on a somewhat different 
 footing from the dried-fruit business. Victorian wine may 
 be feirly said to have already found its place among the 
 beverages of the world. Rutherglen and Great Western are 
 not fo well or widely known as Bordeaux and Dijon, but they 
 are undoubtedly in a fiiir way of becoming so. People who 
 drink good wine, and who can afford to pay for what they 
 drink, consume tlie wines of these localities, not because they 
 can get no other, but of choice. They are drunk under 
 their proper titles in England, and to some extent on the 
 continent of Europe ; and there is good reason to believe 
 that they are ustd for blending purposes, or, in other words, 
 for the production of high-priccd French clarets. Vic- 
 torian wine, therefore, may be said to have passed the 
 ordeal. Its price, in competition with other wines of a like 
 class, is established ; and the grower who can live by his 
 vineyard now may assume that he is in possession of a 
 property that will maintain its value, and that will provide 
 a living for himself and his descendants in per]jL'tuity. But 
 Mildura will not produce good wines of tlie claret and Bur- 
 gundy class. Auy attempt to produce these, in its soil and 
 climate, would result in failure. But it will produce good
 
 
 
 ' 1^1^.1 
 
 
 "* •' ^i'- 
 
 
 
 
 J^-i
 
 185 
 
 wines of another class —heavy-bodied, rich, or fruity red 
 wines, suitable for the manufacture of port or for blendino- 
 with the thinner but more delicately-flavoured dry wines', 
 will do well here. So also probably" will the heavier class 
 of sherries. The results thus far obtained from the vine- 
 yard of Messrs. :\Iurray and Seal, in Deakin-avenue, point 
 to this conclusion ; and there is everv reason to think that 
 the crops will be heavy. The deep "soil, strongly impreo-- 
 nated with lime, the hot sun, and the ever-available wate'r, 
 will insure a large production of must. For high-class 
 brandy Mildura will, in all probability, attain a reputation 
 that will be worth money to vignerons. 
 
 " It would be hardly possible to speak too highly of the 
 manner in which the Messrs. Chaffey's firm has given 
 efi'ect to their part of the agreement relating to the Mifdura 
 settlement, or the pains they have taken to instruct, guide, 
 and assist the settlers there. It has been such as to entitle' 
 them to all the assistance and support the Government can 
 fairly and lawfully give. The position and j^rospects of the 
 cultivating land-owners is as hopeful and promising as 
 reasonable men will expect. By the outlay of a little capital 
 and a good deal of hard work, the industrious may be as- 
 sured a present livelihood, under conditions that to most 
 will prove agreeable. The future promises competence, 
 independence, fortune, to those who are willing to labour and 
 wait." 
 
 Progress Suspended. 
 Soon after this date troul.le arose at Mildura. The long 
 period of prosperity in Victoria began to give place to 
 commercial depression. Many banks and other financial 
 institutions failed, and the promoting companv — Chaffey 
 Brothers Limited— which had been lavish in its expenditure 
 began to get into serious difficulties. The income of the 
 company depended largely upon the selling of land in 
 the irrigation colony, and land sales almost entirelv ceased, 
 partly on account of the general depression, and partly owing 
 to serious disputes which arose between the promoters and 
 the settlers. These disputes were continued for a lengthened 
 period, and finally the promoting company was compelled by 
 adverse circumstances to go into liquidation. As the pro- 
 moters were no longer able to perform their functions under 
 the contract the Government was obliged to step in and 
 make arrangements for the proper carrying on of the colony.
 
 186 
 
 Careful inquiry was made, the various interests concerned 
 were considered, and an arrangement, which it is expected 
 will be satisfactory, was made under an Act of Parliament 
 passed into law during the year 1897, 
 
 The New ARRANfiEMEXT. 
 
 Under the Act of 1897 the affairs of Mildura are carried 
 on by the irrigation trust which is elected by the settlers, 
 and possesses the necessary rating powers. The Government 
 of Victoria assists the trust with a sum of £40,700, and if 
 necessary, with an additional £2,000 per annum for five years. 
 Settlers had, in many instances, mortgaged their holdings, 
 and the promoting company had issued del>ertures. Under 
 this arrangement mortgagees have been required to reduce the 
 rate of interest, and advance to the trust the sum of £l.oOo, 
 while the debenture-holders are required to advance £2,500, 
 and expend upon planting and improving property a further 
 sum of £7,500 within five years. The various sums provided 
 are for putting the channels in proper repair, keeping the 
 pumps going, and generally securing the successful carrying 
 out of the original scheme. The financial troubles of the 
 promoters, the necessity of making these arrangements, 
 and the delays which have necessarily taken place have 
 seriously interfered with the progress of the settlement, and 
 caused great loss and disappointment to settlers, but under 
 the new arrangements it is hoped and expected that Mildura 
 will soon enter upon another era of prosperity. 
 
 The Future of Mildura, 
 
 If ]\Iildura's j^rogress had been checked by any disappoint- 
 ing results of irrigation or fruit-growing there would be less 
 hope of a successful future for the settlement. As it is those 
 who are best acquainted with the resources of the settlement 
 are the most hopeful of its future. The returns from the 
 irrigated orchards and vineyards have exceeded expectations 
 both as to quantity and quality. One source of local dis- 
 appointment must ])e mentioned, and that is the discovery 
 tliat there are limited jiatches of alkaline soil which has 
 jtroved to be unsuital)le for various fruits, es])ecially fruits 
 of the citrus family. It was not until irrigation had been 
 carried on for some time and the application of water had 
 brought the silt from an underground stratum that this 
 defect was discovered. The area of such soil, however, is 
 comparatively limited, and the indications of alkaline
 
 187 
 
 deposits are now well known, so that further loss is not 
 likely to be sustained from this cause. Such hinds will in 
 future he avoided by jdanters ; the>- will be devoted to tlie 
 growing of cereal and fodder crops, and there is a very 
 large area availalde for extending the orchards and vine- 
 yards. The yields of fruit as has been said have exceeded 
 expectations, and all qualified judges who have seen the 
 fruit have spoken of them in the highest terms. 
 
 A railway connecting Mildura with Melbourne, Ballarat, 
 Bendigo, and other large towns is necessary to insure the 
 success of the settlement. It was expected by the first 
 settlers that a railway would soon be constructed, but soon 
 after the period of colonial depression the proposal to make 
 this line was indefinitely postponeth Recently, however, the 
 matter has been again receiving public attention, and the 
 Government are now seriously inquiring into the prospects 
 of such a line proving remunerative. Tliere is a growing 
 opinion among public men that a railway to Mildura cannot 
 be much longer delayed, and there is no doubt that railway 
 communication would give a great impetus to the settle- 
 ment. New-comers to Victoria, who may intend entering 
 upon fruit-growing, would do well to see Mildura l^efore 
 settlmg down. Owing to the check which this settlement 
 has met with, planted orchards and vineyards in full bearing 
 can be purchased much cheaper than they are ever likely to 
 be again, and investors who avoid the small patches of 
 alkaline land already described have good prospects of doing 
 well.
 
 188 
 
 FLOCKS AND HERDS. 
 
 The keeping" of live stock may be considered the pioneering- 
 branch of Victorian agricultnre, for it was as pastures for 
 flocks and herds that the fertile lands of the colony were first 
 occupied. The rich natural pastures, and the genial climate 
 of the I'ort Philli}) district, attracted pastoralists from the 
 adjacent island of Tasmania and the more northern portion 
 of New South Wales, and the occupation of the country for 
 grazing purposes led to the discovery of gold with its influx 
 of po})ulation, and the introduction of the various branches 
 of agricultiu-e. At first stock-raising was carried on upon 
 large divisions of country called " runs," which were leased 
 from the Crown, and afterwards when a great portion of the 
 land was alienated large estates were acquired, upon which 
 the grazing of sheep, cattle, and horses were carried on, 
 while the keeping of live stock also became an important 
 feature of the farming system adopted by settlers who acquired 
 smaller holdings. In the colony, therefore, we have the 
 breeding of sheep and cattle as a separate industry, as well 
 as a dei)artment of general farming. Owing to the excel- 
 lence of the natural pastures and the mild climate, grazing 
 has from the beginning continued to be highly profitable, 
 the small amount of labour involved having been a favor- 
 able condition where wages have always been high. 
 
 Sheep. 
 
 The merino wools of Victoria (first known as Port Phillip) 
 are the finest in the world. Mr. G. A. Brown, author of 
 The Merino Sheep in Australia, writes as follows upon the 
 introduction of the merino into the colony : — " Victoria, 
 under the old name of Port Phillip, was the first of the 
 Australian Colonies to demonstrate to the world that merino 
 wool of the exceptional fineness, length of staple, softness, 
 and lusti-e could be grown in large quantities on the wide 
 pasture lands. For nearly half-a-century the wool produced 
 by the famous flocks of Victoria has held a foremost place in 
 the estimation of European manufacturers, and has always 
 realized the highest prices in the markets of Europe. 
 Though great strides have been made by the flock-masters in 
 the other Australasian Colonies, Victoria still holds her pride 
 of place in the front rank. The advantage that Victoria 
 possesses over other pastoral lands in the production of 
 merino wool, of the highest quality, is in a measure due to
 
 189 
 
 the skill of her flock-masters ; but it must be admitted that 
 the beauty of Victorian wool is maiuly o\vin<2^ to the climate 
 and pastures of the country. In summer the heat as 
 measured by the thermometer is very f^reat, but such is the 
 character of the atmosphere that Europeans can work under 
 the blazing- sun, and in the greatest heat, without injury to 
 their health. In winter the cold is never excessive ; snow 
 is seldom seen save on the highest mountains. Frosts are 
 frequent, but not so severe as to injure the stock, and the 
 sharjDest frost is dissipated before the sun is a couple of 
 hours high. The climate much resembles that in which the 
 merino flocks were reared in their old home in the Spanish 
 Peninsula, when they passed the summer in the mountains of 
 Moutanat, the winter on the plains of Estremadura. By some 
 people it has been thought that in this peculiarity of climate 
 lies the secret of the beauty of Victorian merino wool." 
 
 The Land of the Golden Fleece. 
 
 " Victoria," says the same authority, " has been justly called 
 the land of the golden fleece, for it is her golden fleeces that 
 have brought wealth to the country more than any other 
 industry. This colony is another illustration of the truth of 
 the old Spanish proverb — ' Sheep have golden feet, and 
 whenever the print of their footstep is seen the land is turned 
 to gold.' The originals of the Victorian merino flocks were 
 obtained from the mother colony of New South Wales and 
 from the adjacent island of Tasmania. The country was for- 
 tunate in having for its first inhabitants men having sufficient 
 skill, backed up by a fair amount of capital, to secure the 
 finest sheep in both colonies. It is, however, to Tasmanian 
 flocks that the best Victorian studs trace their origin, and 
 even now rams from the island flocks are highly prized, and 
 realize very high prices at the annual ram fairs held in 
 Melbourne. The first to introduce sheep into Victoria were 
 the Messrs. Henty, who sailed fi'om Launceston in 1834, and 
 settled down near Portland, now a small town on the coast 
 of Victoria. These gentlemen were not only the. first to 
 introduce sheep in Victoria, but they were the first colonists 
 who set foot in the land. To Mr. T. Henty and his sons 
 Australia is greatly indebted for the introduction of merino 
 sheep of the highest class. The flock was formed in Eng- 
 land, towards the end of the last century, with pure merinos 
 obtained from the flock kept by H.M. George III. The 
 following notice of this flock appears in Thos. W. Horsefield's
 
 190 
 
 History of Sussex : — 'In the year 1796. Thomas Henty, 
 Esq., purchased the demesne lands in this parish (West 
 
 Tarringj, consisting of 281 acres The breed of 
 
 merino sheep has been brought by Mr. Henty to great 
 perfection, and from his flock many have been sent to New 
 South Wales.* Mr. Henty took first prizes wherever he 
 exhibited liis sheep in England, till at last he became an 
 exhibitor merely for honour, being barred from taking prizes 
 on account of the immeuse superiority of his sheep over 
 those of any other flock in Great Britain. This flock 
 wandered a long distance before it rested in its final home 
 in the west of Victoria. A portion was shipped to Western 
 Australia in 1829 in charge of two of Mr. Henty's sons ; 
 but. finding the sheep did not thrive, they shipped them on 
 board the Cornrcallis and sailed for Tasmania, where they 
 were joined l)y their father with the rest of the flock. Being- 
 unable to obtain the grant of land he was led to expect on 
 leaving England, Mr. Henty sailed for the mainland of 
 Australia, and took up his residence at Portland Bay, in 
 what was then an unknown land. Sheep from Mr. Henty's 
 flock have been used in many of the old and most famous 
 studs of Victoria ; but the flock itself, owing to bad manage- 
 ment and neglect, has been entirely lost. 
 
 "Another source whence early Victorian colonists obtained 
 merino sheep was at the annual sales held by the Van 
 Diemen's Laud Company. This company was formed in 
 1827 with the imtriotic object of relieving England from 
 dependence upon foreign countries for a supply of fine wool. 
 The company imported all descriptions of stock into Tas- 
 mania, and in one year expended £3U,UU0 in the purchase of 
 merino sheep from the best flocks in Germany. Many pri- 
 vate individuals in those days imported Saxon merinos, and 
 of their produce a fair share of the finest specimens found 
 their way across the straits to the rising young colony of 
 Port Phillip. From New South Wales some good sheep 
 were obtained, but almost the only flock of any note was the 
 celebrated Camden flock, established by Captain Macarthur 
 in 1797 with a few pure merinos imported from the Cape of 
 Good Hope. These were the first merinos ever brought to 
 Australia. The only sheep added to this flock were a few 
 purchase<l by Captain Macarthur from George Ill.'s stud. 
 Since that time the flock has been bred without the addition 
 of any foreign blood. The Macarthur family lost their old 
 flock, but it has been preserved in Victoria, and is now in
 
 191 
 
 the possession of the Hon. William Campbell. The Camden 
 sheep did mucli good to the Victorian flocks, there being 
 scarcely a heading stud flock whicii does not owe some of its 
 excellence to an infusion of Camden blood. In a few studs, 
 French sheep, from the Rambouillet flock, have been used, 
 and in one or two others American merinos, from Vermont, 
 have been introduced ; but the finest sheep in Victoria are 
 descended from Saxon merinos, and those are most esteemed 
 that have no other blood." 
 
 The Most Valuable Wool in the World, 
 
 Mr. G. A. Brown, quoted above, pronounces as follows 
 upon the character of Victorian wool : — • 
 
 " With a wide extent of the finest pasture land, and a 
 climate so genial that it was named by the first settlers 
 ' Australia Felix,' it is not surprising that Victoria soon 
 outstripped her neighbours in the production of merino wool 
 of the highest quality. It was noticed by the first colonists 
 that the sheep bred in Victoria grew wool of quite a different 
 character to that produced by Tasmanian or New South 
 Wales flocks. The staple was longer, the wool was softer 
 and had a brighter lustre than had ever before been seen on 
 merino sheep. Beside it other wools looked mean and dull. 
 In its brilliancy and softness it seemed to reflect the sunny 
 skies under which it was growing. The Port Phillip wool 
 became the favorite with European manufacturers, and ever 
 since it has maintained its place as the most valuable merino 
 wool in the world." 
 
 Farmers' Sheep. 
 
 The keeping of sheep on farms has increased with the 
 development of Victorian agricultm*e. With the first exten- 
 sion of agricultural settlement over the various districts of 
 the colony a system of continuous grain-growing was intro- 
 duced, whicli was followed after a few years by a com- 
 bination of cultivation and grazing. For the purposes of 
 this improved system sheep offered many advantages, and 
 consequently the farmers' flocks became an interest of 
 increasing importance. Although sheep-keeping has been 
 greatly" extended among farmers, and increased attention 
 has been given of late years to the improvement of the stock, 
 there is still ample room for development in both par- 
 ticulars. Owing to the special character of the fine 
 wools produced under the exceptionally favorable climatic
 
 1 02 
 
 conditions, the merino breeds have received the hirgest share 
 of attention, hut during recent years the smaller difference 
 between the relative values of tine and long wools, together 
 ^\ith the prospects of an increasing export trade in frozen 
 mutton and lamb has brought several of the English breeds 
 into increasing favour. The Lincoln breed which has long 
 had its sup])orters not only among farmers, but also among 
 some of the large estate-owners, is being more extensively 
 used, and recently flocks of Downs slieep, as w^ell as of 
 Leicester, Romney Marsh, and Cotswold, have been estab- 
 lished by farmers. The suitableness of these breeds to the 
 requirements of farming imder modern conditions is likely 
 to lead to their extensive adoption. 
 
 Wool Exports. 
 
 In 1836 the number of sheep in the colony was 41,332, 
 and the quantity of wool exported in 1837 was 175,081 lbs. 
 In ten years afterwards the colony possessed about 3,C00,00U 
 sheep, and exported 6,406,950 lbs. of wool. Progress after 
 this date was steady, reaching in 1896, a total of 13,180,943 
 sheep with exports of wool amounting to 116,902,609 lbs. 
 The value of wool exi)orted, the produce of Victoria, in 1896 
 was £4,011,962, Owing to the reduced price of wool in the 
 markets of the w^orld, increased i^roduction has not been able 
 to maintain the total export value of this staple at the 
 standard of some twenty years ago, but production is now 
 upon such a scale that a small rise in the market would soon 
 swell the volume of value ]>eyond previous limits. The 
 extensive wool stores of Melbourne are amongst the promi- 
 nent features of the city, and during recent years large 
 quantities of this wool have been sold in the colony, buyers 
 from all parts of the world attending the local sales in order 
 to obtain sup])lies at first hand. Fi'om 60 per cent, to 70 
 l)er cent, of the colony's wool jiroduct is now disposed of at 
 the local sales. The possiliilitics of increasing production 
 being considerable, it is likely that exj)orts of wool will 
 increase and that this staple will maintain its place among 
 the leading contributors to the sum of the colony's wealth. 
 
 Light Horses. 
 
 The first need of the pastoral settlers who occupied the 
 extensive grazing hinds of the colony Avas ibr riding horses, 
 and this need was supplied by the importation of thorough- 
 Ijred stock from England. In the earlier times of the
 
 V.K) 
 
 colony racing- was established as t\w. most popular amuse- 
 ment, and tlie liacks used in doing the ])ioneering work of 
 the colony soon became renuirkable for speed and endurance. 
 A liking for good horses thus easily established has been 
 maintained through all subsequent changes. The meetings 
 of the Victoria Racing Club, at the Flemington course, near 
 Melbom-ne, have become national events, and racing is a 
 popular sport in all the country districts, while the importa- 
 tion and breeding of thoroughbred horses receive a large 
 share of attention in all parts of the colony. Light driving 
 horses are much used in colonial life, and their breeding is 
 an important branch of rural industry. During recent years 
 the American trotting horse has been introduced, while 
 ponies of all kinds, which have long been represented, are 
 becoming more numerous. The principal outside market is 
 the Indian army, and to this Victoria sends large numbers 
 of remounts and artillery horses. 
 
 Dkaught Hoeses. 
 
 The discovery of gold and the introduction of agriculture 
 caused a demand for draught horses, and colonists from tlie 
 first showed a preference for good animals. Importations 
 of high-class stallions and mares from Scotland and Eng- 
 land were at once introduced, and systematic breeding was 
 introduced, the standard having been continuously raised by 
 fresh importations. Local conditions proving highly favor- 
 able, the early breeders were successful, and they have been 
 followed by increasing numbers of imitators, so that Vic- 
 toria has not only been able to supply its own requirements, 
 but has sent large numl)ers of draught horses to the neigh- 
 bouring colonies. English bred horses are represented in 
 the colony, but the more popular breed is the Clydesdale. 
 There have been fluctuations in the values of good draught 
 horses, but on the whole the business of the breeder has been 
 a profitable one, while owing largely to the demand created 
 by the mining development in Western Australia the pros- 
 pects at the present time are highly encouraging. The 
 number of horses of all kinds in the colonv increased from 
 180,342 in 1873 to 431,547 in 1894. 
 
 Cattle. 
 
 In the pioneer days of the colony cattle increased so 
 rapidly, and the consumi)tion of the limited po})ulation was 
 so small, that large numbers of the stock had to be boiled 
 1359. N
 
 l'.»4 
 
 down for the tallow, which, with hides, constituted an 
 exportable product. This state of things was changed by 
 the influx of population which followed the discovery of 
 gold, and cattle-raising became a profitable industry. 
 Settlers fi'om the first believed in keejiing good stock, so 
 that the Shorthorn and Herefords were introduced at an 
 early date. The Shorthorn herd retained the most perma- 
 nent hold of public favoiu-, and in the 70"s there was a 
 " Shorthorn boom " in Victoria, dm-iug which as high as 
 4,00U guineas was given for an imported " Duchess "" bull 
 and 2,0U< » guineas for a locally bred heifer. A period of low 
 prices followed, and several of the best herds were broken 
 up, resulting in stock animals of the first quality being 
 widely distributed over the colony. A nimiber of first-class 
 stud herds have been retained, and the general stock of the 
 country has been more gTaded up, while Victoria continues to 
 do a good business in stud animals with some of the other 
 colonies. There are pure herds of Herefords and Polled 
 Angus cattle, with a few Devons ; but the Shorthorn is the 
 most popular of the beef-producing breeds. In 1873 the 
 cattle of the colony numbered 883.763, and there was from 
 that date a gradual increase, reaching 1,833,900 in 1894. 
 
 Dairy Cattle. 
 
 The jx)pular milking breeds of cattle, viz., Ayrshires 
 and Jerseys, were introduced at an early date by the 
 importation of pure stud animals, and since the recent 
 extension of dairying the numbers have greatly increased 
 while Holsteins and Kerries have been added. By the use 
 of these herds the ordinary cross-bred dairy herds of the 
 colony are being improved, but it cannot be claimed that the 
 average milking qualities of the dairpng cattle are satisfactory. 
 Dairying has increased too rapidly for the breeding of the 
 Ijest kind of cows to keep pace with the demand. Breeding, 
 liowever, is receiving some attention, and the use of the 
 milk tester will enable our dairymen in a few years to 
 produce a more profitable class of stock. That dairying 
 should have jiroved highly remunerative by the use of the 
 ordinary stock of the country before breeding for the special 
 purpose could be carried out, gives an indication of the 
 liberal margin of profit possessed hx the industry. The 
 retin-ns for 1896 show a total of 462,578 cows on dairy farms, 
 and 217,930 calves.
 
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