matter to distinguish the variety. I produce most of our own seed, but sometimes if we know where to go for reliable seed we go elsewhere.

11140. It has been suggested that the Government should establish seed potato plots for supplying growers?—I do not consider that the Government can do much good in growing seed. The trouble is would the Government get good men? If you get men that are no good the work of course would not be reliable. Growers who are producing good seed soon become known.

11141. Can you describe your methods of cultivation?—I plough the land two months before planting and let it lie, and if it is old land with couch or weeds on it I plough again with the first autumn rains. If it is clean then we let it lie until the seed is ploughed in. After this it is cultivated. This year I put in my potatoes by turning them in on the grass land. The trouble in this case is that the sods do not break up and there is difficulty in digging them. The digger cannot be used.

11142. Do you find the digger satisfactory?—The digger that I got two years ago does very good work but the ground must be well cultivated. It will not work in heavy land but on reasonably good ground it will do good work.

11143. What returns do you get from your dairy cows?—We get about 7 to 8lbs. of butter per cow per week. Since we have been sending cream to the factory we have not taken an accurate record. We have obtained 9lbs. per cow per week. Heifers of course bring the average down, but I should say that 7lbs. per cow is about a fair thing. We milk about 20 cows and dairy all the year round. We send a certain amount of milk to Perth by the night train. We are getting a shilling per gallon on rails at Brunswick. I have no trouble in selling mine this way, but I do not say there is an unlimited market. The railways do not consider the industry sufficiently. At one time there were 150 gallons per day going from Brunswick. The Railway Department altered the train service so inconveniently that everyone but myself has gone out of it.

11144. By the CHAIRMAN: In what respect is the train service inconvenient?—If you cannot get a train here that will land the milk in Perth so that it can be used withing 12 hours, the people will not take it. We used to send by train leaving Brunswick at 9.15 a.m. These cows would have been milked in the morning, and by putting milk on this train at 9.15 would get into Perth in time for the afternoon delivery. They knocked this train out. The next train was 7 p.m., and the cows had to be milked early in the afternoon. This milk was on the train all night and reached Perth in time for the morning delivery. At this time Messrs. Albany Bell agreed to take my milk by a train leaving here at midnight. The trouble was, however, that it arrived in Perth too late for the breakfast trade. We have been in correspondence with the Railway Department trying to get them to run a train to leave Brunswick at about 8 a.m. This would suit everyone from here to Perth, but they say that they cannot run a train to cater for my trade, but the fact is that they are knocking every one else out here. The quality of our milk is satisfactory, but often when it reach Perth it was sour. I have got over this difficulty myself by getting a suitable cool water supply.

11145. To Mr. PAYNTER: We send any cream that we make to the Bunbury butter factory. I find the return from that source satisfactory. Of course we do not get so much out of it as we used to when we made butter ourselves. They get 15 per cent. over-run.

11146. By the CHAIRMAN: Are there any special matter you would like to bring to the notice of the Commission?—No I have no other complaints. I may say I am disappointed with some of the witnesses whom I advised and have not turned up. I might remark in regard to the Brunswick State Farm that I consider that there are too many men on the farm and their wages bill must be too big. The farm is doing good work. In the earlier days I was very bitter against the existence of this farm but I am pleased to say now that the farm is doing all right.

11147. By Mr. PAYNTER: What do you think of their method of dispensing of their surplus stock?—I consider it is satisfactory. The stock is sold by auction.

11148. Do you not consider that the farmers should be able to go there and buy the cattle at a price fixed by the department?—No, I think the present method is satisfactory, but some of the stock which they produced in the first place was far from being so. Some years ago I met a man coming down the road with some young bulls that he had bought and in order that you may judge of the quality of these I bought one of them from him for two bags of chaff. They used to try and rear their calves on pollard and with a dash of milk in it, and the result was that they turned out some awful stuff. In regard to the repatriation question there are 2,000 or 3,000 acres of the Brunswick estate left which has been locked up so far. Now they tell us that it is for the soldiers. We are opposed to this, as it is unfair to put men on to this class of land. Most of them will not be experienced men. Of course, in the hand of the right men land is all right. I find some of this particular class of land is some of my best pasture country. Under cultivation and proper manuring it is wonderful the clovers and grasses it grows. I drained it but this is difficult. I have done a good deal of drainage, but I cannot do this to any great extent, as I should only inundate my neighbours.

11149. By Mr. PAYNTER: Does the land in this district require liming?—Well, I have seen no particular benefit from it so far. I have applied lime without any result. Of course, the lime might not have been any good. Abrolhos guano and super phosphate seem to do best.

11150. Do stock become unthrifty on this land?—You cannot rear stock on the uncultivated land although on the cultivated land they do all right. To commence with we could not keep dairy stock on our land. We used to have to send them away to the coast for two or three months. Now they are in condition all the year round. There is no doubt dairying is going to be a great thing in this district. With a few cows a man can keep on this own land all the time without going out to work for someone else. Returns from cows are regular, not like growing potatoes for instance, where the returns are precarious.

11151. Do sheep do well?—Yes, but you cannot run a lot of sheep where you are running cattle.

11152. Is the carrying capacity good?—The carrying capacity of my country is increasing to such an extent that I intend to go in for breeding sheep. The scarcity of labour will prevent men from going in for dairying to a great extent. I and my two boys do all the milking on our place. There is no reason why a farmer with one hired man cannot milk up to 15 to 20 cows each day. (The witness retired.)