751. What did you think of that country?—There were some patches on the Oldfield and the Young, but generally speaking I do not think much of the country towards Fitzgerald Peak. It is spewey. In very wet country the horses go down to their knees in the gravelly loose soil. I do not think it would be at all suitable for agriculture. When you get to the Munglinup there is excellent mallee country. It is a big mallee. There are patches of 2,000 or 3,000 acres of gum trees, and there is some good mallee there. If you go a distance you get into the sandplain again, which is good for nothing except grazing purposes, and fairly poor for that. Then again at the Nannup, comparatively speaking, the mallee is small. When you get away from the rivers you lose the better class of mallee.

752. Did you think the Oldfield and the Munglinup uncommonly good country?—Yes, particularly good, but you soon run out of it.

753. And you get into country with poison in it?—Yes, good patches of poison.

754. From Munglinup to Coranup?—Yes, you get some good Yate country. You run out of the mallee. From Fanny Cove it is thick mallee, and across there are fair patches, but it is interspersed with sandplain.

755. You know the Young River?—Yes.

756. There is some very good country there?—Patches, not extensive. When you get into the mallee there it is a class of country I do not like.

757. There is a lot of mineral country?—Yes, what I call spew. I had not the time to go through the lot of it. There are good patches of mallee on the road from Fanny Cove to Norseman. I saw there where patches had been burnt out and a heavy crop of grass came up with the mallee suckers. Then it was burnt out the next year, and that kept it for years as an open paddock.

758. By Mr PADBURY: How far from Norseman?—Fifty or 60 miles. It is to the East of Fanny Cove.

759. Did you make those surveys on the Dalyup?—Yes.

760. Did you travel far from the Dalyup?—I walked over that country a good deal towards Scaddan. It is patchy country.

761. There is a good deal of good mallee?—Yes, generally speaking, West of the present surveyed line, towards North of the Dalyup there is good mallee country, some of the best; it is of even grade. A good many blocks have been surveyed and taken up, but thrown up again.

762.The want of facilities?—Yes, they could not manage very well. Away to the east the mallee belt runs to Mr .Ragged. I have been through a good deal of it. I travelled along the coast as far as the Thomas River. I rode through with a pack horse to Mt Nay. There is dense big mallee South-West of Mt Nay.t is of fair quality, but it is some of the most dence mallee I have seen. I had to get off and lead my horse at times. Of course it is patchy.

763 Dempster Bros. used to grow crops at Mt Ridley in those day Did you ever see a crop there?—No. There is some fine country towards Fraser's Range.

764.Do you know Cowalinya?—Yes, there are some good patches there.

765. Cowalinya is 70 miles from Esperance, and there is a good class of country?—Yes

766. The grass is always there?—Yes, it is excellent country. There are patches of salmon gum there.

767. Those grass patches occur in different parts of that grass country, good quality grass.

DONALD FRASER GOLLAN, agent, residing at Beverley, sworn and examined:

768. By the CHAIRMAN:We understand you have a knowledge of the Esperance mallee lands?—Yes.

768. When did you first go to Esperance?—In 1996.

770. Where did you obtain practical experience as s farmer, and what was your experience at Grass Patch?—Ihave been farming all my life. I was 16 years of age when I came out from the Old Country.I had engaged in farming in Scotland, and I farmed in South Australia for 30 years until the rabbits cleared me out. I was at Grass Patch for 10 years. I was engaged by the Esperance Farming Company to look after their property at Grass Patch, having been appointed to succeed a son of Judge Hogginbotham of Victoria, who was the manager of that Company's farm at Grass Patch. This company was a Coolgardie syndicate promoted by Bow-Scott and others, Whose names I do not remember at present. That was in 1896 or 1897. The first crop at Grass Patch was a failure, due to putting it in raw ground. The country was just rolled and the mallee burnt; no fertiliser was used. I could have cut a crop in some parts if i had had the machinery, but it was such a complete failure that it was not worth while going to the expense. The company asked me to put in as many acres as I could. I put in in 250 acres, but, as I have stated, there was no crop.That was eight years after they took it up.

771. In what year did you put in your first crop?—In 1896 or 1897.

772 Did you go stright to grass patch after your arrival at Esperance?—I came over with some bullocks first of all, with the intention of doing some rolling. The bullocks were quarantined and after their release I was on my way to Coolgardie when I was offered the appointment by the Esperance Farming Company

773. What was the Inducement to start farming in those days?—The idea was to grow chaff for the teams, but by the time it got to be successful the Norseman railway was open and then, of course, it was found that chaff could be taken there cheaper from Northam and the other Eastern districts

774. did you grow any good crops before the property was sold?—I got two tons to the acre on fallow ground. After the first year's failure I thought there was too Professor Lowrie , who had them analysed for me. He told me afterwards that I was mistaken and that salt would be my trouble. He said, "If you can get plenty of rain to keep down the salt it will be all right" He also advised me not to bring the subsoil to the surface, but to continue to work