GOOD SEASON IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24905, 19 June 1946, Page 9

GOOD SEASON IN AUSTRALIA

INCREASE IN FAT LAMB PRODUCTION LAND DESTROYED BY EROSION “The season here is one out of the bag,’’ writes Mr R. McGillivray, formerly Fields Superintendent for the South Island for the Department of Agriculture, who is at present on a visit to Australia. Mr McGillivray, who will be in Australia for some, months, sends interesting comment on several subjects, including irrigation and soil erosion.

, One hears quite a lot about water erosion in parts of Australia, but from what I have seen during various visits to the Common wealth, water erosion damage is small when compared with wind damage, he writes. All the same, in parts of the western slopes beyond the highlands of New South Wales and In north-east Victoria great damage has been done by water. Originally the eroded land was covered by forests of various kinds, from scrub to large trees, and much of this was of the open order, with a plentiful sward of native grasses giving a fairly secure cover for the soil. In most places the commencement of erosion was due to the complete destruction of forest growth, which lessened the protection for the native grasses, and this, combined with overstocking, led to rapid deterioration. This damage to farming and grazing land is widespread and varies from the early stages of depletion to cases where the land has been destroyed from a productive point of view. This loss is difficult to figure out, but it is readily apparent that it has been very great over large areas of what was once good grazing and cropping land. Wind erosion is seen at its worst in parts of the mallee district of northern Victoria, in western New South Wales, and in northern South Australia on the lighter types of propping land. In most of these areas the scrub coveting was destroyed without sufficient preservation of shelter belts to protect the cultivated land. The state of much of this country is deplorable and no description can adequately convey any idea of the devastation that has been caused, but it may be mentioned that on offe area in western New South Wales there* were 500,000 sheep 45 years ago. Nov/ the same area is carrying about 2000 cattle, and the •sheep population is little more than 5000.

Where water erosion is prominent, some of these areas are subject to a high rainfall, but the trouble is not ’po Siuch due to the rainfall as it is to the estruction of the native vegetation. k ln cases where there is a fairly thick sward, the erosion damage is slight. In some of the sown grassland the pasture plants sown have been of poor quality, with a very brief period of usefulness, and this has resulted in the soil being left bare. Heavy rains soon do very great damage. The soil oh many of these eroded areas is very fertile, and on such areas good strains of pasture plants do Well and remain productive for many years. The Department of Agriculture in New South Wales has done some useful work ill combatihg erosion, but much more Work is required and in some quarters it is claimed that the only remedy is the planting of belts of forest trees.

A Profitable Project During a. visit to northern Victoria and the Wakool portion of the Riverina in New South Wales some interesting particulars about irrigation were gleaned. The Wakool irrigation area is over 500,000 acres in exient, and the settlers have a district; research committee, which investigates all the problems relating to irrigation in their area. The committee is representative of the settlers rural bank. Department of Agrculture, Water Conservation Commissioners, and Scientific and Industrial Research Department. According to all accounts, this committee is a real live body and carries out a wide investigation of soil conditions and the effect of water on different types of soil, and at all times aims at encouraging efficient methods of using water. In this way it appears to have done an exceptionally good job. After an examination of records, the committee came to the conclusion that wild flooding was wasteful and had no merits at all. Contour flooding had limitations, and was found useful only where land was unsuitable for the border method, which gives full water coverage. It was interesting to see the different soil types oh portions of the area, and it was evident that some responded to irrigation much better than others. The red soils appeared to respond splendidly to water and to carry good pastures, but irrigation has been successful on all types, although the red soils show up better than others.

One interesting point was that irrigation some days before sowing did not give as good results as sowing in the dry soil and watering the checks some days later. It was also found advantageous not to have the surface soil too fine, as a fine surface before watering caused a puddling when the water was turned on and later caking of the surface. The Wakool is a very promising irrigation area. Rice has already been grown, and a great extension of this crop is expected. In years to come as much rice will probably be grown there as on the Murrumbidgee. irrigation in the Goulburn Valley, in northern Victoria, was commenced in 1882 and to-day it is a most prosperous area and has the largest fruit growing and canning industry of its kind in the British Empire. It is still growing. The town of Shepparton in this area has a population of about 13.000, and within a radius of 30 miles there are 50.000 people. The production of the Goulburn area is so big that fruit has to be sent to other centres for cool storage to be returned later for processing and export. Besides the fruit industry, there are 21 Wheat silos, six butter factories, two flour mills, a freezing works, and factories dealing with tomatoes, vegetables, and tobacco. . American visitors during the war declared that the Goulburn Valley was the most prosperous place they had ever seen and some expressed a very decided intention to return and partake of the prosperity of this wonderful district. The total cost of the irrigation areas in northern Victoria has been £12,000.000. The estimated value of production from these areas has now reached a figure of £13,000,000 a year, so it has been a distinctly payable set of schemes. The Merino in Australia

Of recent years it had been predicted that with the development of the fat lamb industry, merino sheep m Australia Would show a rapid drop in , numbers. An official statement made j recently shows, however, that there I has been only a slight decline over the . last 25 years. In certain states, name- . ly Victoria and South Australia, there ■ has been a considerable increase in I crossbreds and other recognised fat lamb producing breeds, but on a worn basis the Australian percentage of pure merino was 76 per Cent. 30 years ago. and that is where it is to-day In Western Australia and Queensland merino wool amounts "•to 97 per cent of the total production of these two states, and in New South Wales to 83 per cent. In Victoria the figures show a fall m merino wool production from 64 per cent, to 43 per eent. in the last 30 yE lTis noticeable in certain districts in the various states that many graziers are now embarking in the fat 'amb business with a very great amount. success. On improved pastures in parts of Victoria exceptionally fine tambs have ben raised of recent years, and as pasture improvement develops and still more land goes under irt'gti™ in the northern portion of the state, fat lamb production will develop mto a very large business. In Gippsland it is noticeable that some farmers are turning from dairying to sheep and the Romney breed is doing well there. It seems certain that Gippsland will eventually be one of our great fat lamb producing areas.