some of it through Norseman. Norseman is the cheaper by a long way. The freight on the steamer is outrageous. I have no machinery of my own beyond a plough.

273. By Mr. PADBURY: Have you had any water trouble?— No. The water is good in the dam, and I have good catchments on my land. My farm is three miles from the railway survey.

274. By Mr. McDONALD: What is the nature of your land?— It is all ordinary mallee country. I have not seen any salt in the country. No samples have been taken of my land. After fallowing about three inches deep you could see the line of crop where it had been disced. It was infinitely better than that which had not been disced. Undoubtedly my land which has not had sufficient cultivation.

(The witness retired.) EDWIN HOLMAN, aged 46, farmer, Esperance-Norseman-road, near North Patch, married— 3 boys and 3 girls, ages 5 to 23 years— sworn and examined: 275. By the CHAIRMAN: What lands do you hold in this district?— My eldest son and myself hold 1,000 acres between us, location 48, including a homestead block. I have had no previous experience of farming. I understand stock fairly well. I have 400 acres cleared and over 400 acres fenced, with three wires. Some uncleared land is within the fencing. In all I have close on five miles of dropper fencing. I took up the land in 1912. I came down in June of that year. I have had three successive crops. I have done very little dicing, for the most part relying on the plough. I have cropped from 100 to 130 acres each year. Last year I got 60 tons of hay from 75 acres, or 16cwt. per acre. and this with all the rust and septoria. Some of it was five feet high. Stripping gave me 6½ bushels on the average. I tried Florence, Alpha, and Crossbred No. 73, about three acres of each.after cutting all the main crop I came to this and found it rusted.I cut round and round,and the Alpha being a little more than the others made me go into Florence, where I found it was not rusted so I left it and it stripped 11 bushels, although affected with dry blight. I generally sow 60lbs. of super and 60lbs. of seed. That is in the early wheats. I would sow about 45lbs. of Yandilla. This year I have 100 acres in, about 20 acres is rough fallow, the balance is ploughed in. I used the same quality of super. I have some Yandilla King and a little. Correll's No.5 and some Florence, Bunyip, and Alpha. I have also 20 acres of oats. It all looks fairly well, considering the relatively dry season we have had. I have two dams, one of 650 yards, 9 feet deep, and the other about 200 yards, 7 feet deep. I ran out of water last year. I have 12 head of cattle, including calves, six horses, including a foal, and 45 pigs. Last year I carted odd loads of wheat to Norseman. It is worth £5 a ton to a carrier. I have had assistance from the Agricultural Department. My rent and interest have been paid by the Industries Assistance Board. All the land of this district should be fallowed and worked on the dry farming system. it is the only way to make it pay. The more the land is worked the better it becomes. The plough seems to settle the suckers. My ground is a mixture of clay and sand. There is no salt on my land as far as I know. Certainly it is not too salt to grow wheat. The water in the dams is perfectly fresh. there are dingoes about, but I have not lost anything to them.

276. By Mr. PADBURY: Have you cultivated the same land year after year?— No, still I believe it is a good scheme for a year or two. It serves to shake the suckers up. I think this district can be farmed at a profit, but only provided we have a railway

(The witness retired.) FREDERICK WILLIAM OTTREY, aged 32 years, farmer, Norseman-Esperance-road, married, no children— sworn and examined:

277. By the CHAIRMAN: Have you ha any previous experience in farming?— Yes; all my life in Victoria and New Zealand. I hold a thousand acres of C.P. and homestead lease in this district, namely, location 101. It was taken up for me by my brother in 1910. My brother has another thousand acres adjoining. I have cleared 100 acres. I have a 600 yard dam. 10ft deep. The water is perfectly fresh. I have three miles of fencing, one wire, a two-roomed iron house and a small shed. The present will be mu fifth crop. I used 50lbs. of seed and the same of super. The land has been ploughed every year and fallowed once or twice. The only year the return was not good enough was 1914, the year of the drought, when I got only six bushels. I cut about 8cwt of hay. In the following year I got 12 bushels of wheat and a ton of hay. I had in 130 acres of crop sown in the same proportions as before. I still have most of the wheat at he farm, some 200 bags and I have 40 tons of hay left. I carted 20 bags of wheat to Esperance last week and got 4s. 3d. a bushel. The whole of the land put in that year was late fallow unworked. This year I have in 135 acres, pretty well all stubble. I burnt 60 acres of the stubble; most of the rest was stubble from the hay. I ploughed it in. I use the same quantity of seed and super. The crop is promising to pan out at nine or ten bushels. I only worked it to beat the suckers. Some of the cleared land unworked has a lot of suckers. I have had assistance from the Industries Assistance Board. I am not satisfied that a living can be made on this land under existing conditions. If we had a railway we could do very well.

278. Would you leave the district for another if you were offered a farm equally well improved and furnished with railway facilities?— I would be inclined to leave the country. if I left the district.

278a. By Mr. McDONALD: You would not accept another place in lieu of this?— It would depend on the place offered.

279. By the CHAIRMAN: You have not got any stock?— Only have a horse and a cow and one pig. I have seen other crops in the district this season. Generally speaking, those on fallow are better than others not fallowed. I have all the machinery I require except a harvester and stripper. We generally arrange with other settlers for what we have not. Inadequate methods of farming and inexperience have been responsible for the poor crops in the district.