for the last 12 years. The lowest figure realised has been 13s. net for early lambs. We have exported lambs from here but not with satisfactory results. Just now I do not see any great reason for exporting, the local market holding good prospects. As a rule the early lambs are produced on artificial feeding. About 1½ pound of chaff per day is of great assistance to the ewe. If the paddocks are large there is a tendency for the ewe to leave the lamb and go to the feeder. Small paddocks are essential for satisfactory artificial feeding. The Beverley district is very patchy, there being no big continuous stretches of first class land. Without mixed farming we should not be as successful as we are. Had I been growing wheat alone I should have starved. I am chairman of the local agricultural society.

(The witness retired.)

GEORGE THOMAS SMITH, Farmer, East Beverley, sworn and examined:

9682. To Mr, PAYNTER: I have been farming in this district all my life. I hold a little less than 4,000 acres of freehold, of which just on 3,000 acres is cleared. All is fenced, subdivided and fully equipped with buildings and plant. I carry 22 working horses, a little over 1,000 sheep, and a few pigs and cows. I crop from 600 to 700 acres, of which 450 is fallow. The average yield over a period of years is 14 bushels, the highest having been 32 bushels in 1905. In those days we used about 45 pounds of super. on new land. At present we use a bushel of seed and ¾cwt. of super. Cropping costs 25s. 6d., exclusive of interest and depreciation. I have not considered the question of bulk handling.

9683. To Mr. VENN: We do no dairying. I would not call this a dairying district. The summer is too long and dry. Our rainfall is reliable. Even in the dry season Beverley farmers got 4, 5, and even 10 bushels. Wheat growing alone is not profitable. I would walk off my land for £4 per acre. Clearing costs from £1 to 35s.

(The witness retired.)

HENRY WILLIAM AFRIC TANNER, Farmer, Beverley, sworn and examined:

9684. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been farming in this district for 17 years. In partnership with H. M. Fisher & Co. I hold over 8,000 acres, of which only 520 acres is not yet freehold. Over 5,000 acres is cleared. All is fenced and equipped with buildings. We have a permanent water supply. We carry about 35 horses and shear about 4,000 sheep. We have 60 pigs and nine cows. We are cropping about 300 acres of wheat and 600 acres of oats. Cropping costs from 33s. to 36s. Some of the crop after feeding off went 25 bushels. The average would be 17 or 18 bushels. The method of harvesting oats is the same as for wheat. We generally use the Sunshine harvester on the oats although the reaper-thresher gives satisfactory results. We have given up growing wheat for the reason that it does not pay. The sheep have to pay for the wheat. The year before last we had 2,000 acres under crop, and the wheat averages ran from eight to 19, giving a general average of 13 bushels. In a normal year the value of our land is about £4 per acre. We top the market with fat sheep every year. They are Romney Marsh cross and are fattened on the oats. We generally grow peas for fattening. They do well even allowing for the percentage destroyed by grubs. We keep our lambs on the peas after weaning. After the lambs come off, the wethers are put on. Peas give a handsome return and as a result of the peas the crop next year is wonderfully fine. I think oats a profitable crop for fodder alone. For several years it would have paid us to grow oats. It is seldom they finish the season under 3s. a bushel There has been no rise in wheat in comparison with oats, and oats are not affected by wet ground to the same extent as wheat. We feed the oaten stubble off. This year we harvested only the best of them and any small area that did not come on quite so well at the end we left. After putting sheep on we got a very good self sown crop without burning off at all. The year of the drought we had 220 acres sown with oats and peas. That would be a bushel of peas and less of oats. We used the oats to keep the peas from blowing away. We feed our crops heavily. Off the area we had in peas we got 500 bags. We sow peas about June. We have not harvested our own peas but I am sure there would be a handsome profit in it. We generally sow a bushel of peas and sow them with oats. I think two bushels should be sow them with oats. I think two bushels should be sown if one were going to harvest. We use Dunn's field pea. Feeding off a crop gives the benefit to the ewes and lambs. We have never exactly calculated the commercial value of that benefit. In the following year we get a wonderful sward of grass.

9685. To Mr. VENN: I hear a lot crying down the price of sheep to-day, but as long as wool is up I do not see how sheep are going to decrease in value. Nearly all the lambs were eaten last year and I think it will be the same this year. I do not think there will be any occasion for exporting lambs. A certain class of lamb is required for export. We get the best results from Romney Marsh cross, because it gives the better wool. Two-tooth Romney Marsh wethers cut up to 15 and 16 pounds of wool. Our heaviest lambs would weigh 70 pounds. We dip our sheep in Cooper's. We always crutch because it saves the wool and we have no trouble with the fly. We get no tick or lice here. A few years ago we had lice in the crossbred sheep, but it did not touch the merinos. We generally drop a month after the shears, dipping only once. We have some English stud sheep, Romney Marsh. This year we are on a share farming with the whole of our wheat, about 550 acres. The basis of our share farming is that we find all the plant, the men have to keep it in repair. We find the manure and seed and they have to do the work and find the bags, the twine and the insurance. They are all on a good wicket, but they are good men. They will take half the return. They are allowed the extra cost of manure from £4 7s. 6d. to £5 2s. 6d. That will be pooled