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KANGAROO ISLAND
■ - ' -v ' / ■'
PROPOSED EXPERIMENTAL FARM |
■VISIT BY COM3fISSrONEE OF. CROWN
. . LANDS.' ' ■ fj
The Commissioner of Crown Lands jind
•Minister of Agriculture on "Wednesday
said:—In company with the director of
Agriculture <1 left. Adelaide tor KangaixxS
Island last Wednesday audi returned^ on
Monday night. The object of our visit
was to see whether anything could be
■done in the direction of : starting an. ex
perimental farm io demonstrate, if -jx>s
sible, •whether the ironstone rubble eoun
try could be made productive. Wje have
under consideration two sections in the
.Hundred of MacCiillivray, which are .at
present Crown lands,>rhich, it is <thox>ght,
will prove suitable for the purpose in
view, and tbe question of starting a farm
will be taken into consideration by the
Government at an earlv date. ' "
In respect to the island generally, I
was under the impression prior to" my
visit, that at was a very much mote bar
ren country loan I-am inclined to think
it is, from the opinion I'formed during
my'brief -visit; I felt that, with an
average, rainfall of over 20 in., although,
the country may be' somewhat cold a&d
uninviting at the present time, when,
lUie scrub is cle-ared and suitable methods
of cultivation and manuring adopted," a
large area- of the ■ island "will be
suitable at least . foT the pro
duction of fodder crops and consequently
for the' raising of stock for dairying pur
poses. From wbatU could see of some of
the ■ fruit tre?« • that have al
ready been planted . by . settlers,.
Sh-ere are £lso b>ig possibilities in tie
direction of the establishment of apj>le
ore-hards on "the island. The good rain
fall and enuable climate should be con
tributing factors to a successful a pule
production. At any rate, it will be tbe
object and duty of our agricultural ex
perts to demonstrate whether anything
can be done with this class of country,
and I look forward very hopefully that
their efforts in fhat direction will meet
■with success.
"We weTe offered a property comprising
sonie of th<j .'battler-class land for an
experimental tarm. but we felt that it
was. preferaible to start. on virgin land
and land that was-, typical of the greater
portion of the country; and conseqiiently
it- was decided not to (entertain the offer
that had been "Submitted.
large quantities of vacka gum are at
nresent being exported from the island,
'but I felt that the methods of gathering
and extracting the gum are primitive,
and- I tb.-nk some better method could
b'1 devised bv means of. which the waste
which is going on at present would be
avoided
T'ho portions of the island under culti
vation are showing the beneSts of the
good season, -though in common with
every oiber part of the State Kangaroo
Inland had a had trme, comparatively
^peaking, during "the last season.
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