NOTES ON FARMING.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 323, 23 November 1860, Page 2

NOTES ON FARMING.

The estate of W. Lyall, Esq., M.L.A., is on th« shore of the Western Port Bay, -and-'lies between that bay and the Great Swamp. The land is extremely level, and the soil consists < of a strong tenacious marine clay of a dark color, but in general, greatly enriched by deposits of seaweed, which in some places is so abundant, as to give a peculiarly red tinge to the soil. So abundant is the decayed vegetable matter in some parts that, like the peat lands of the old country, the grounds will readily burn if ignited during the dry summer months. Mr. Lyall, informs me, that he has grown sixty bushels per acre, on this description of land; a fact which shews the capabilities of this portion of the colony, and which, when considered in connection with the circumstance, that both at Kyneton and ou the rich lands near Wamambool and Port Fairy, the same quantity of wheat per acre has occasionally been produced, proves that the finer lands in this colony can produce a crop equal to' that of any in the world. The best cultivated lands in the world never produce more than about sixty bushels per acre; whilst here, this quantity has often been yielded under the most simple, if not rude system of cultivation. But these facts also serve to prove that there is something lamentably defective in the style of colonial farming, when we find from the.

pgn'cullural staMstics, compiled by the Registrar General, that the average number of bushels yielded per acre in this colony does not exceed nineteen or twenty. As I mentioned, in my former communication, the land about Western Port is so wet that draining is urgently required, as well for the production of grass as for the growth of cereals. So level is the surface, and so little does the land rise above the level of the sea, that the creeks and watercourses, which have not cut a deep channel for themselves, are soon filled, and flow freely over the surface. This used, however, to be the case in a much greater degree formerly than it is now, as far as Mr. Lyall's property is concerned; for at his own expense he has had the principal creek cleared of living and dead timber lor several miles, so that now the floods never rise aud overflow the banks as formerly. The creek referred to used to be called the Yallock, but it now figures in the map as the Bullock, for the same reason probably as Mount M'lvor was changed into Mount Ida, and Swan Hill • into Castle Donuington—-such is the irresistible tendency of the genius of refinement arising from a diffusion of classical knowledge and taste! Across this creek, which flows throughout the summer, a dam is now being constructed with sluice-gates of sufficient capacity to allow the winter floods to pass through; but which are intended to be shut during the summer, so that the creek will be always kept full: so high, in short, that the water can at any time be diverted over the surface of the level enclosed fields for the| purpose of irrigating them, whilst the surplus water is intended to drive a waterwheel aud grind flower, cut straw into chaff, or do any other necessary work required. Mr. Lyall, however, does not intend to proceed rashly in applying irrigation to his grass lands, for he is under some apprehension that on such level ground, iv the absence of a thorough system of drainage, irrigation applied during the summer months may have a tendency to produce rushes. He intends to try the effect of irrigation on«a small scale, but iv the meantime, he contemplates keeping full throughout the summer the large open drains which I shall now proceed to describe. Mr. Lyall has contrived a new style of fence which I think admirably adapted for the locality, but which is especially suitable for districts which are both wet and destitute of good timber; for, whilst the plan adopted gives a first rate tence and furnishes an excellent well cultivated soil for the growth of hedges, it serves to drain the fields of their surface water. But a particular description of such fences will both explain this more fully, and at the same time furnish the necessary information to those who may wish to adopt them. The posts consist of trees about one foot iv diameter; these are cut into lengths of •even feet, and are then split into two halves, so that each cut gives two posts. The posts are sunk two feet into the ground, and three wires are stretched upon them, at regular distances;—the lowest wire being fully two and a-half feet from the ground. At the distance of three and a-half feet from the centre of the line of the fence, on each side, au open drain is formed, two spits wide at top and two deep. The material dug from this drain is built up underneath the wire fence, go as to form an elevated dyke two feet high and having a base of about five feet. Along the top of this mound thorns or briars are afterwards planted, which will in due time constitute a good living fence From the circumstance that each post is one rod from another, the whole number required for a mile of fencing is only three hundred and twenty. The fence presents such a formidable appearance that no stock ever attempts leaping or otherwise crossing it; and even the best steeplechaser would be satisfied probably with a look at it. The total expense of fencing, including the cutting of the open drains on each side, is five shillings per rod, or twenty shillings per chain, or .£BO per mile.

For level wet lends, this mode of fencing is doubtless the best that can be adopted; for it is a most mistaken action that many people harbor that it is desirable to have water standing for several months on the surface during the winter months, for such a condition tends to destroy the best summer grasses, whilst it tends also to produce water grasses which perish whenever the water begins to dry up. In reference to the extent of such improvements already effected it may be mentioned that, in fencing m and in subdividing the land, which is all purchased, sixty miles of fencing has been erected, whilst upwards of eighty miies of drains have been dug. Four thousand head of cattle and four hundred horses are all depasturing upon enclosed pnrchased land. When speaking of cattle it may be well to mention that Mr. Lyall possesses some beautiful pure-bred Hereford cattle of his own importation, or the progeny of such, —one or two of which took first prizes at the recent Melbourne show; but it is of no importance to the public to mention that some experiments that have been tried with the whitefaced Herefords and the shorthorns, have proved that the former breed of cattle are worthy of more attention than they receive from the public generally. Mr. Lyall mentions that he has found by experience that, at three years old, the Herefords return him twenty -five .shillings per head more than shorthorns of the same age. It would not be correct to draw a conclusion from this fact that therefore the Herefords are in all cases to be preferred to the shorthorns, but merely that for tiie climate and general locality of Western Port, the former breed of cattle are apparently preferable; but at the same time, the remarkable difference in the profits arising from the two breeds points out that the Hereford is deserving of much more favor than it at present commands.

Mr. Lyall has a considerable extent of land under cultivation, with a view to prepare the ground for laying it down with artificial grasses. Some experiments of this kind have already been tried with abundant success; one crop of grass has already been cut this season, and a second one is well advanced. An, experiment has also been tried by sowing English grasses and clovers on a piece of native pasture, without breaking it up, and I have never seen a more dense mass of vegetation. Another piece of cultivated ground has been sown with many different kinds of grasses, and all of them are growing most luxuriantly. In addition to the. many other impiovements effected, a portion of rich land, over which used to rise the high spring tides* has been cut off from the sea by an embankment, whilst two sluice gates opening outwards allow any rain or other waters to escape. Remarkable is the change that has taken place in the vegetation inside of this embankment. Instead of salacious plants tall grass is now springing up.

It is near this spot where Mr. Lyall lias turned out a number of English hares, which are occasionally seen and appear to be doing well.

I was a good deal surprised to find that on the coast at Western Port, an insignificant species ot mangrove exists, though in many places it is evidently perishing. I believe that some of this scrub was at one time burned, as a substitute for the barilla plant, and to obtain. the article known in commerce by this name, and it does not appear in sufficient quantity for this purpose. I do not know whether it is the black, red, or white mangrove, but it is very different in its mode of growth from the mangrove which grows within the tropics of Australia, on the north-east coast. The latter has its trunk, .if such it can be called, at the surface of high water, whilst it sends out as many roots outwards and downwards, to the soft mud as it sends branches into the air. But the Western Port mangrove sends up a stem, or bunch of stems, from the mud as any other tree or scrub springs from the ground, whilst the roots it attempts to throw out are seemingly -quite rudimentary, and come to nothing. It would be interesting to find out the cause of its perishing, for although the sea does not now rise so high, as I have already mentioned, by one foot, as it did nine years ago, it still flows far beyond the line upon which the mangrove grows.