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Southland Times, Issue 1522, 12 January 1872, Page 3

Paemtsgin Tasmania. — The Australasian ot December 19 says : — Some of the farmers of Tasmania are contributing to the local journals detailed statements tending to snow the utter unprofitableness of their avocation. With dear labor, dear money, bad roads, high taxes and only one small market, the condition of the corn-grower seems to be as unsatisfactory as that of the fruit-grower. One agriculturist gives his expenditure upon, and returns from, 90 acres during two years' cultivation. The loss on the first was £174, while that on the second was still greater. The whole proceeds of 90 acres did not pay the expense of reaping, threshing, cartage, and commission, leaving out of the question ploughing and preparing the land, rent, and every other charge. " This is not an isolated case," he says, " but the common case with all neighbors, with the exception in their favor that they mostly put in with one ploughing. I ploughed many times. The following I calculate as the cost of a farm servant : — Wages per week, 10s ; keep do, 10s ; wear of tools and damage, Is. Total per week, 21s. Taking the price of wheat at 5s in town, or 3s on the farm, ifc will thus take 7 bushels of wheat per week, or 365 bushels per annum, for each farm servant ; and if the loss of time by illhealth, drunkenness, &c, is taken into account, this will be below the average." Shut out from the Yietorian markets by our abominable tariffs, and having no expanding demand to provide for in the restricted community at home, the condition of the Tasmanian farmer appears to be cheerless both in the present and in the future.