You could have tanks to take the grain to the siding, or even use stronger and better bags from the harvester to the siding. I have no disease in my crops. I pickle my wheat. This year we put in through the harvester and it went splendidly. I have not tried growing artificial grasses, but fruit trees, with attention, do well. On the present price of wheat pigs would not pay. A man in this district should have at least 1,000 acres of first class land. A man wants the heart of a lion to work a farm single handed. One man and a team should be able to do about 250 acres annually. Doubtless cooperation amongst farmers would be a good thing. We are attempting it now throughout these districts and will have small cooperative companies to work in conjunction with the Westralian Farmers. The cost of wheat handling alone would justify it. The farmers could do all the receiving and despatching at the siding and the agent could be eliminated. There is a great deal of waste also where there are three agents operating 10,000 or 12,000 bags. One man would be quite sufficient. I think that with one exception the land laws are liberal. If there had been exemptions from all rates and taxes for five years it would have been advantageous. The land classification is an absolute farce. The block I wanted when I came here was marked 24s. and another block 12s. 6d., and a third one £1. I said, failing to obtain the 24s. block, I would take the other two. A classification officer came along and reduced the 24s. land to 13., and reduced my £1 block to 15s. In the first place I would have preferred the first block , and would give £2 an acre for choice. The authorities should not advance on scrub land. We Have a couple of hundred acres that only produce four bushels on scrub plain.

7958. By Mr VENN : Do you go in for sheep?--- We must have wire netting before we can tackle them, and also the rabbits must be fenced out. A man at Kumminin informed me this morning that he had 100 acres of crop destroyed by them. At my place you will see 100 rabbits, where a few years ago there were only two or three. Farmers should fence in and destroy them. There is too much waste and unoccupied land, which becomes a breeding ground. Dingoes are becoming numerous also. Three months ago in the lake country I saw seven in one mob.

7959. By the CHAIRMAN : What is your opinion of the future of the district?--- I have every faith in it. I can make a success of it if I can get a loan to clear 300 acres of good land and give up scrub land altogether. If I had all my forest land cleared I would be out of debt. It takes three years to clear the scrub land properly, and when you have got it cleared it only produces about four bushels to the acre.

(The witness retired)

ARTHUR MILTON STEVENS, Farmer, Bruce Rock, sworn and examined :

7960. By the CHAIRMAN : How long have you been in this district?--- Five years, and previously I had been sheep farming on the Hunter River, New South Wales. I have 951 acres and have an interest in another 1,000. I manage both. The price was 12s., since reduced to 11s., for the 951 acres, and 8s. for the 1,000. The 951 acres is situated on the railway line, a mile from the siding. The other land is about 2½ miles away. There are 350 acres cleared on the 951 acre block, and 150 acres on the other. My water supply consists of tanks on each property, 1,200 yards on one and 800 yards on the other. The former is 9ft. deep. It is not covered and cost 1s. 3d. a yard to construct two years ago. I am a single man and have a camp of two rooms. I have no stabling, but have a shed for machinery and chaff, 40ft. by 30 ft. I have a full set of farming implements, eight working horses, some fowls, and 300 sheep. My capital was £100 and horses equivalent altogether to £200. I owe the Agricultural Bank £400 on one block and £100 on the other. I have no other liabilities. This year I have 300 acres in crop.

7961. Have the department officials been of any assistance to you with information as to the best method to adopt in clearing, improving, ploughing and cropping?--- I think the department is doing well in the way of advice.

7962. By Mr PAYNTER : How much fallow have you got?--- None. I believe in fallow, but I crop the full quantity of land that I have cleared. I use 45lbs. to 1 bushel of seed per acre and 60 to 120lbs. of super. The highest average yield that I have had was 19 or 20 bushels last year. this year the crop will go 13 bushels right through. It cost 11s. or 12s. to put in without super. or seed, but about six bushels would be the total cost of putting in and taking off. I use a 10 furrow shearer plough, and six horses doing six acres a day. I plough about two inches or three inches. I have a 25 Tyne cultivator, 8ft. 3in., with which I do 12 to 15 acres. I have a 15-drill which does 14 acres, and a 5ft. Sunshine harvester that does six acres. No doubt bulk handling would be an advantage if it could be inaugurated. I have had a bit of smut in my crop. Sometimes I pickle but I do not grade my seed. I do not pickle it when it is free of smut. A man should have at least 1,000 acres in this district and should crop 300 to 400 acres annually under the best methods. Cooperation would be a good thing, but, unfortunately, the farmers do not pull well together. The land laws and regulations are satisfactory. Nevertheless the settlers should be free of rent for five years because when starting he wants every penny he can lay hands on. I favour Gluyas Early. Federation requires all the conditions to be favourable. It costs £1 for clearing forest land.

7963. By Mr VENN : How long have you had sheep?--- Not long enough to say whether they will pay or not. We will have a bad time with the rabbits I am afraid as they are breeding, but they do not burrow at present. We have dingoes and I have to yard my sheep. They keep down poultry. Open dams would have a tendency to cause an increase both of rabbits and of dingoes. They should be compulsory fenced, and also the settlers holdings.

7964. By the CHAIRMAN : I would like to have the figures by which you make up the cost of putting in your crop?- A man on the plough at 30s. a week and keep would be 4s. per acre, horse feed about 2s. an acre, drilling 3s., taking off 3s. to 4s.