WEDNESDAY, 23RD JANUARY, 1918 (At Busselton) Present: J O Giles Esq., Chairman H H Paynter, Esq.

---------------------

PERCY CARTER, Farmer, Lennox, Busselton, sworn and examined:

11067. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been on the land in this district for 25 years. My brother and I have 486 acres. It is all freehold, 11 miles from the railway station, all fenced, and about 90 acres cleared. All of the cleared land has been under the plough. We have 2½ acres of orchard, and have grown potatoes on 40 acres of our land. We have the necessary house and buildings, and satisfactory plant. We milk four cows, have three working horses, four mares, and 50 pigs. We started with about £300 capital. We have found it necessary to borrow since, and this we did from the banks, but have since borrowed from private sources. We go in for potatoes chiefly, and graze a few sheep annually. It is our intention to go in for dairying, on a larger scale than we do now. I consider we are making a success of our holding, and that our prospects are good. Getting the country cleared is the trouble; this is a very heavy item.

11068. To Mr PAYNTER: I have been growing potatoes for 25 years on my land. Our average is a trifle under five tons. We never use less than 11 cwt. manure to the acre. The Delaware is the variety we grow.

11069. Do you find the seed is running out?▬Unless great care is taken we find there is a tendency that way.

11070. Do you have any difficulty in securing manure?▬Not so far. I like for the winter crop one bag of ammonia, two bags of super, and three bags of bonedust. We do not use potash. We have tried it, but it does not make any difference.

11071. It has been suggested that the Government should establish seed potato farms; do you favour this?▬No; I consider that each grower should provide his own seed. I do not believe in the Government doing too much in this direction.

11702. What fertiliser do you use for the summer crop?▬I find that the Cuming Smith manure is as good as any other. But for the winter crop I use the mixture above referred to.

11073. What do you estimate is the value of your land?▬The Bank's valuation is £5 per acres, but I would not take this price for it. I consider that it is worth £6 per acres. You see we have got beyond the development stage. The bank wanted to advance us £800, but I went to Perth and got £1,000 in about five minutes.

11074. What is the cost of clearing?▬It costs about £25 per acres to clear this land. We have ten acres of cleared country on which we keep three cows and a calf and five horses, for four months of the year. There is good feed on it even now.

11075. To the CHAIRMAN: I obtain my seed locally from the carious growers. That which I keep I pick over very carefully and plant only the best tubers. Years ago when we used to grow other varieties we used to save out round seed, but now we save the big potatoes and cut them, and find we get better results from the big tubers cut than we have done by planting the round seed. I have experimented with different fertilisers, with the result that I now use the one I have spoken about. I tried ammonia and superphosphate mixed, then potash and ammonia, but they were no good. Potash evidently is not required in this land. By not using potash I save £3 per acres. What I want to point out is the necessity for growers to experiment in the matter of fertilisers for their particular class of land. I think it would be a good thing if you drew the attention of the Government to the necessity of purchasing Marybrook estate for repatriation purposes. It is ringbarked and 70 per cent of the timber is down on the ground. It grows splendid natural clovers, and is admirably adapted for potato growing, pig raising, etc.

11076. What is your opinion of the fruit industry?▬Down here I do not think a man should grow more fruit than he can use himself.

11077. Does this country want drainage?▬It has been drained by the Government to an extent, but it wants subsidiary drains. The present scheme has certainly done a lot of good. (The witness retired.)

   -------------------

GAVAN FORREST McGREGOR, Farmer, Quindalup, sworn and examined:

11078. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been settled 12 years in this district, of which I am a native. I have 1,020 acres, 940 of which is freehold and the rest C.P. I am 12 miles from the railway station. The land is all fenced with the exception of a few acres. About 100 acres is cleared, all of which has been under the plough. I have no orchard but cultivate Lucerne and have about five acres under intense culture. I have a good house and buildings and the necessary plant. I have only just gone in for sheep. So far, I have only just gone in for sheep. So far, I have only 17. I have 50 head of cattle, 19 horses, and a few pigs.

11079. What capital did you start with?▬I had no capital. I bought the property, and it had a mortgage on it when I started to work it. I have not had to borrow any further money.

11080. Can you make a good living on the land?▬Yes, I can make a good living but that is about all. The interest on the mortgage is a heavy handicap. I go in for dairying principally and this season am