Albert Bucknall examined.

2027. Do you not pursue farming at all.?—very little; I do farm a little.

2029. Have you prepared any papers?—No, I have not. I did not exactly understand the routine, and I thought it was usual merely to ask questions, so I did not prepare; but, as your time is very limited, it may be better for me to prepare a report. I have been here all the morning and have heard the questions that have been asked, and I can form an idea of what you require, and I can prepare it and send it in.

2030. Is the farming in your district of the ordinary character, I mean by that, do the farmers grow wheat, oats, barley, rye, and potatoes?—No potatoes, entirely wheat, and oats and barley; those are the principal crops, and a little rye. It is too dry for potatoes.

2031. Are you aware of any what I may call foreign products that would grow to advantage in your district?—No, I do not know of anything; a great many things would grow if we had irrigation, but the rainfall is comparatively little, and it is too dry for anything other than those we grow.

2032. What is your rainfall?—From 15 to 24 inches.

2033. Is the district suitable for fruit?—Yes, I should think so, judging from the public and private gardens in the districts; they always grow remarkably well.

2034. Is irrigation applied to fruit-growing?—No; there is no irrigation at all there.

2035. Fruit, then, would do without irrigation?—I think so,

2036. What kinds of fruits?—Apples, pears, plums, and apricots, and all the larger fruits.

2037. Peaches?—No; they used to grow very abundantly at one time, but of late years they have died away.

2038. Is there any viticulture?—No, only in private gardens. There are no large vineyards.

2039. Do you get good grapes?—Yes, very good. A few amateurs have grown vines, but it is only on a very small scale.

2040. If the vine grows so well, why do not some of the farmers go into vineyards?—It has never been brought before them.

2041. They want teaching it?—That is it. There was some talk at one time of a man starting a vineyard near Mary borough, but he did not. I do not know why.

2042. You said some crops would grow if you had irrigation; what crops have you in your mind?—Potatoes upon the flats and upon the rich ground, and we cannot grow any root-crops now except in very excepttional spots in the low flats. 2043. Indian corn?—Yes, and mangolds and all root crops, I think, would grow upon the better soil. They are grown to a slight extent now, but only on a few small patches of moist ground.

2044. Is the wattle cultivated in your district?—Yes, in the Majorca Government plantation. It grows exceedingly well there. 2045. How long has it grown there?—Three years.

2047. Have you any idea of the dimensions in the stem?—About four inches—three to four inches.

2048. How many years will it be before they are fit to strip bark, do you think?—If they grow at the same rate as they have grown now, I think another four years would bring them to maturity.

2049. Have you had any experience in bark-stripping?—None whatever.

2050. You do not know what quantity per acre would be got?—I do not. The wattle then grew naturally in the bush in the old days before the trees were cut down, and there was so much stock. Twenty years ago there were many of the native wattles growing.

2051. Are English trees planted at all?—Yes, some by private people, and in the Majorca plantation.

2052. What is the elevation of Majorca above the sea, do you know?—I could not say.

2053. Lower than Ballarat?—Yes, lower than Ballarat.

2054. Is there any kind of product that you would recommend, that would live in your district, that you think it would be advantageous to cultivate different from what you are doing at the present time?—Yes, all root crops if we have irrigation; but I do not think, under present circumstances, anything more could be done.

2055. Are any oranges grown about Maryborough?—Yes, they grow very well, but the skins are remarkably thick. The trees bear fairly, I Think.

2056. But the rind being thick may show that you have the wrong sort of orange?—They say not, but I do not know myself.

2057. Are lemons cultivated at all?—I think not.

2058. Any Indian corn?—Yes, they grow it on the low parts and fiats near the creeks.

2059. Successfully?—Yes, very small patches; you can hardly call it growing.

2060. For green fodder or for grain?—For both, but mostly for the green fodder.

2061. Has ensilage been tried at all in your district?—No, not at all. In the ranges between Dunolly and Clunes and Lexton, you may say the timber grows remarkably. It is natural timber. None has been planted but that grows very fast indeed. It is always cut down as soon as it grows.

2062. You think it is well fitted for the cultivation of the more useful timbers?

—Exceedingly, because all the timber has been taken away from there. It is only saplings now.

2063. What is the formation of the soil?—Slate ranges. The timber is remarkably sound and solid, and there is a lot of ironbark timber. It is good burning wood, and the mines will always give a price for It. When the timber was being taken from there to Clunes they gave two shillings a cord for it more than for other timber.

2064. You represent the Clunes district too?—Yes.

2066. Do you know Mr. Cox, of Talbot?—Yes.

2067. There is no particular recommendation that you have to make to produce some different kind of product from what you produce at present that would be advantageous even to experiment on?—Not under present circumstances without irrigation.

2068. Is dairying carried on to any extent in your district?—No; the largest dairy that I know of is that of a man who makes about 200 lbs. a week of butter at certain times of the year, when the grass is more plentiful; but he is only one, and there are not many like that, and he does it in the ordinary method; he has no improved principles.

2069. You heard what one witness stated here to-day upon the subject?—Yes.

2070. Will you make that known in your district to the dairymen?—I shall do so. The witness withdrew.

Theophilus Fisher examined.