Extracts.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 475, 23 May 1857, Page 5

Extracts.

' '''fn-'k paper' reis Australian Agncultiiral kixd-. JEfa>i?fcfa.ftur4 'SoAiefy,' rat!UJinjeetmg"'& Sydneyj'4& Tit% J ftfr- April ;)a^ 'by:M& T. Wi ghep!i6rd, ;/ItHe l!foH6wtng i;em*rka'ble passages occur/1' We ; take the report'froiii: the 'Sydney Mothiiigi HeraM? c^ . w 0.-'.>; iv/ .-ii,.-: Unless iomethin^ ibfeflpeedilyidoneto render, j pur natural; pasture lands^npye productive than ! they «$ present, are, our, p^puktjion. wUl.sopn ; pu^. gJ^pw.t^ sppply. of. ammal food, available i from them, and coiisequenuy; either have ioi-'e1- I sort to 'feeding |6f "'&&&. af^eatly ; increased 1 exp«fuse, i!6r 'Worse,' ha^re! to depend on | oilier for it^notHwithstiattding 1 eiidimotti'Extent of county* which we occupy, j And Lam of opinion that this state ,«ifc affair^ is ; much closer (U^QivAis;thiin afc-first; sight appears. ; ]S Tp doubt, „it> will, ibe, diffiqujt .tot fl?a% people, believe in such a^ possibility as ; th^,,partiqularjy in ; tlie jfape of tljjfj..va«%7q'u^npities of' gopjct beef and mutton annually sent'td fhe^'allow pot,]until within tlie last ;<3ut; Wersihce; population poured in 'iipon lis trough the gold; discoveries tHia 'sacrifice of ifoodl bad to diminish, and *is -ndw ooniphiibely discontinued, exicept at sbme ofr the. ihost/[distant apdiQut?fif-the-^vayv localitiesi the dsnj#nd-; for ;butche,rß': meat bejng, ,now aboujt .to, ,the snppjy.; |The ■, colonyi of y.ictpriaj althougjij:! expensive and miach ' richer in natural pastures than^ any 'other of the Australian igrbup, yet finds herself cbmiielled Bo buy f beef and motwn from her Neighbours :tolfche Extent of amillion'sterling per^animm'at lefast.! Tasmania w in a' similar posilioni' although net! 4o such ah extenfe. " Let it be;granted, thenjthat. the! present (consumption; lof Amsti^ajia; in. this; i .J*h.e..p^e^enll^: ( B^HEly, ; jti •&Uowß-^ l t^t,ias i the,■;B9p'J^Jia^p;^p^8 l ■ ; liO/^u9tv the quantity,of meat require increase. . But'\ve ,hiave .already,, -stocked nearly ; all our aVailabie; country, therefore tfei's "cojinfry 1 must" be1 made iripre prHauc^iy'e^ ot the supply' must'i cease to; increase' iriqiianti^y, and; i6f tioiirseth^ increased requirenlents Kof' i(the people be 'triet frofli some otlxer quarter;' : Although i <we< hay«j taken it;ifoi; granted that-rthe present:.demand is met by aj corresponding supply, so far as the. congregated! Australias aife : and: Jam prepared' from this position to prove that, unless means! „b;e (taken, and successfully ] carried ouj; without; i-delay.;tp,-increase .the o^^oujr^jivtiv^ .feeding-gro.un4?i we a^e ; PR; the;eye 'qf feeding or y n}P.?e likely and- more, ruinou.Sj if, ,niit.; anoi'e-disgraqefnj, pn the eve m .iihpprtation^ yet; I, am; clearfy ;,9,f,v ppjmipn, that \ye Jb^ve ,already .passed; that iPU&i. J^here the ordinavy^sjlpply is! , equal to the id^mand, I am ; led, to tWs'flisagre-e;-i .,con.4u^n*^i;spite,,pt'^^. : able a strong^^eaireto ar|rive : at a ; different onp,from the fpllpwing con-sidei-ations-:—nFirst,,the position; witl| regard to this question o£ Yictoria^.^smania^and Imay i also add, South Australia, all ,of ; >vh,ich colonies' .are purchasers ijofobeef. and muttqn, from their elder .sifttei 1, ; iN-ew., South. \, 'secondly., ,ttie ->vi)ule,,^ri yearly 80,, pf;jbhe available,jCountryi , being already; ;^xily stppXed,,£(,nd producing its jHaximtum under- .'.;. and . ■ last,; but not)least,;. the fact that, 9Wing to the absence of long drought?^suph as| colonists of , twenty-ov. tbJHy years', standpg. .cannot fail to :,\'have. wi.tnessed.K whenj .ey.en; in, ( those, days of - limiteAinumbers.r^reitaxebeeu n^krly imn ashore -■■ oi\) Stary.atipn,. |?oini, and • a\l. but madift.a. total wreck in Famine Straits. Through t^e.^bsencQ ; rof these,, I may; say; for ;iifteen jy.ears.past, at . leagfcto anything like,the experience.,of, the pre-! , iVious .fifty^e.ars, large,,jtraqtf,of, country, nave V.been<;sfcocked .with, oattle- and sheep,.]vhich/'in former, year^i were totally unsui^ed f^r s.uf}E.purt . poses owing, to tlie y^ant of water.qi1 gi^s»or, ,Wh^ '. Such as. weve common.; twenty, ,0^ thirty years ago are very likely, nay,.certain,'.^9',,far,,as human reasoning:,pan ; foretell, v tp,us visit us .' again, in*. vKbich event thousands; upon. jJhon-* ■: sandt of square miles of; poun^yj will jiiave ti), Jbe , abandoned j,.and {millions of cattle and' s^eeji :, mustperifehr Godfpr|)i4that.^e-ftbojatd see it^ ■t bufertve. mpstjcertainly sijalVifiAve^neglecftptak^ . the, j necessary ; steps to initigatp i -r--a!6. 1 least tie 1 effects of I sneh awful .v isitatjpn^., VShould '^-4 be visited with: tyro, years',drought,..! anp^eparied .'as we.have beeUiMiiibrmer times;.perhaps nearly half the,: cattle, in,.tne. colonies would ,be, lost; aiid;Such/ft strpke^wouid,, apct for.years after, Render 14s; dependent,upon other counti-ies for. .a large .portion of i our] anj.mal ibp^., ■,' | ; To set on foot some sclieme by which such

difiasfcrpuftioonseqttencea maybpi(if only partially) preyented^ ougl^t [to be the earnest endeaKowof e^yei-y,^^ wlpm^whp, has-the., wdjtar^,o^,b4Sfs9un ? pies may permit. More, especially. sKbntd trie legislature consider1 tndr;Buhject''and !ientfe4yßtir 1 I»Tbarnr 'the m^anr'and^ry $em'"info%tiect j of ¥en9elring'6t/r pastures' (lihe'.'Maitfs^'bf-tKe ■ 06untTy)'mofe! pro^uctSvfe'^nd^indtel pe rtmanßnt: thaiijinnforthniately,rthfey are n«Wii ■■>'• /ai-.i j u>. .-.