Mallee - Part 1

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ments in one. In order to turn it into a cultivator or a scarifier it is necessary to alter the shares. The mould boards are taken off to make it into a scarifier it is necessary to alter the shares. The mould boards are taken off to make it into a scarifier, and the plough shares are removed and replaced by the scarifier shares. To make a cultivator out of it it is necessary to take off the scarifier shares and replace them with the cultivator shares. The machine can also be used for fallowing. It cost me £75, and the whole of it is made of spring steel. I find it a splendid implement, and believe it to be the only one in the State. 61. By Mr. McDONALD: What number of horses do you use in the plough?—Six light farming horses, worked by my son and myself, put in 200 acres. With these we ploughed, sowed, and harrowed. I have also a heavy disc harrow, a four-leaf stump-jump harrow, and a bike stripper. The last-named is bent under like a bicycle wheel, hence its name. I also have a twine binder, and a Clinker oil engine, by Ivan & Ivan, of Sydney, six horse-power, which cost me £80. I have a Bagshaw chaffcutter, a large six-ton wagon, a spring wagonette, a strong heavy dray, a drill, tanks, scales, etc., and other implements to numerous to mention. 62. By Mr. PADBURY: What kind of drill have you?—It is a disc drill. 63. By the CHAIRMAN: How many horses have you?—I have sold them all. It is no good keeping them. 64. Are you leaving any members of your family to look after the place?—Unfortunately, I have none left. My daughters are all married, my wife is dead, and both my boys are at the front. I have a friend, Mr. Gilmore, who is looking after the property while I am away. 65. Do you cart much of your produce to Norseman?—It is worth £4 10s. a ton on account of the bad state of the roads. 66. What is it worth to cart produce to Norseman?—It is worth £4 10s. a ton on account of the bad state of the roads. 67. Can you cart for that?—Yes. I have made money carting at that price from Grass Patch when the roads have been good. 68. Is there good water along the road?—Very good indeed. When I was doing carting at £4 a ton I was paying for water at three places. 69. Do you cart any produce to Esperance?—Yes, chaff. It is worth about the same price as to cart to Norseman, inasmuch as I get back loading in the way of stores, etc., It is called 68 miles to Esperance from my place. 70. You have been in occupation of your holding for 13 years?—Yes, but I was only farming for 12 years. For the first time 12 months I was hung up with the Esperance Road Board. The dispute was concerning a road which they wanted to run through my property, and to which I objected. The only thing the district needs is access to market. With that we could do very well. I am satisfied that a man could go into that district and do very well if he had a market for his produce. 71. Do you consider that there is much land available in the food rainfall areas?—There are thousands of acres there suitable for wheat growing and mixed farming. I cannot say much about the country to the East and West, but my boys have reported that there is better land there than where we are. If my son had lived it was his intention to take up a thousand acres some five miles to the East of my place. He gave the country a good name.

72. Have you seen anything of the other farming lands of the State?—No, but coming up from Albany the other night I heard a very sad account of the country. When I left my district the wheat crops were as high as a table. They were the best I have seen in the district since I went there. 73. By Mr. McDONALD: Were you farming in South Australia?—Yes, on the Yorke Peninsula. I was also on my father's farm at North Richmond. 74. Was that mallee country?—Yes, but I happened to be in a belt of shea-oak and ti-tree country. 75. How does that country compare with the land you are now farming?—I think the country between Norseman and Esperance would compare more than favourably with the Peninsula country. The rainfall is about the same, and the country in one way is very similar. It is a limestone country. We, too, have plenty of limestone down there, and it is a good thing. 76. Were they working the salt lakes on the Peninsula in your time?—Yes. I grew crops right down in a lake, and yet I have been able to scrape up, enough salt to cure a bullock's hide. In my opinion we are a little deficient in salt in our country, and if there was a little more salt the land would be better. I have seen my father in South Australia pickle his wheat with salt, and we have had to break it up with a pick the next morning before we could broadcast it. 77. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you think there is anything in the statement that there is too much salt down your way to grow wheat?—It is a scandalous report, and there is no truth in it. There is hardly enough salt down there. 78. By Mr. PADBURY: Are you not on salmon gum country?—There is salmon gum and mallee there. I have only been cultivating the salmon gum country, but I think my mallee country is every bit as good as, if not better than, the other. I have tried a little of the mallee country and obtained good results. I used no manure and cropped it for the first time, but one could hardly count the sheaves going over the binder. 79. Have you cropped the same land year after year?—Yes. I cropped one piece for seven years in succession without manure, and got good results. 80. Do you plough or only cultivate?—As I brought into use new land I just cultivated it. It was not farmed as it should have been, but I had not the strength. 81. Have you sold any hay on your place?—No, but I have sold a good deal of chaff. 82. What was the price per ton?—It was according to the Norseman market. I have sold 80lb. bags from 5s. to 7s. a bag. Before the railway was dumped down I used to get from £10 to £15 a ton for chaff delivered at Norseman. Since the railway came along I have sold it for £4 10s. a ton, and it was worth that to cart it. The chaff was of just the same quality. When the Hon. James Mitchell came along with the members of the Advisory Board I cut up some chaff specially, and when I had finished he said—"I must congratulate you, Mr. Lewis, this is the best quality of chaff I have seen in Western Australia." I have cut thousands of tons of chaff and know how it should be cut.