set of implements and six working horses. I had no capital when I came here. To-day I owe outside the Agricultural Bank £110. I owe the bank £230. I have 100 acres in crop.

7940. By Mr PAYNTER: How much seed and super. do you use?—100lbs of super to the acre and a bushel of the late wheat and 70lbs of early varieties. The highest average yield that I have had was 16 bushels, this year. Last year I obtained eight bushels. In the year of the drought seven bushels. I only stripped 170 acres out of 400 acres. To put in and take off a cop would cost about 10 bushels. I believe in fallow, and of what I put in, the unfallowed was the best crop. I generally plough about four inches. The tariff is a great burden upon the farmer and the duty on machinery is simple ruination. I think bulk handling would be a very advisable step, as I consider that bags are unreasonably costly. If there were elevators at the railway siding it would pay to have a wagon built specially for the conveyance of grain, and one lot of bags would last for a couple of years. I have had a lot of black head, due to the dry spell in September last. I have not drawn the attention of the Agricultural Department to the fact. The head were beautiful but there was not a grain of wheat in them. I pickle and grade my wheat, all except Yandilla King. Land here is too poor for artificial crops, or at any rate, until it is properly worked up. I keep pigs for my own use and pay 30s a week and keep for wages, but the class of labour is unsatisfactory. The average hours worked are about nine a day. I have to depend entirely on wheat as my land contains so much poison. Still, in a few years I hope to have the poison eradicated and then I shall go in for sheep. A thousand acres of first class land ought to be sufficient for a man in this district and of this he should crop annually 250 acres all fallowed. I think land rents are far too high, because the land is practically worthless for a couple of years at least. The first crop on light country is no use to a man at all. The payment of rents to all new settlers should be extended to the end of his term and there should be five years' exemption. This year I have £30 to pay for rent, and after paying it I shall have nothing at all left. The best results in this district arise from Yandilla King; Gluyas and Alpha in the light country. On the heavier country Turvey has averaged 30 bushels at Yoting; it is Federation, which is very good in some places but not in others. On the whole I think I shall make a success and I am quite satisfied with my property. My partner went to the war and put a proposition to me to buy him out. The first day he landed he was killed. The well that I referred to is in the middle of the sand plain. I put a bore down first and struck salt water at the edge of the forest.

(The witness retired.)