II 1091 191+ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES » El I .:--■:;/ ,; :i □ l;'HM&'l ||j fr^Mj t"i'^M'''J □ l!'flM;l TASMANIA Crown Lands Guide 1914 Published by Authority of THE HONOURABLE JAMES BELTON Minisler of Lands and Works !TY OF CAL1FOR OS ANGELQS AUG 12 1359 LiLJRAKf * olm 'feoVT. PUBS. ROOM John Vail. Government Printer, Tasmania 1914 TASMANIA CROWN LANDS GUIDE 1914 IT BUSHED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE HON. JAMES BELTON, MINISTER OF LANDS AND WORKS & o b a 1 1 : JOHN VAIL, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. ^TASMANIA 1914 HP PREFACE. VH This is the Tenth Edition of the Crown Lands Guide, a publication which is compiled from the most reliable sources, mainly for the information of persons abroad who may desire to come and settle in Tasmania. It contains a digest of the Land Laws and Regula- tions, and gives reliable information upon the settlements of lands in every district throughout the State, setting forth the prices, terms, and conditions under which Crown lands may be purchased and may be leased and occupied for pastoral, manufac- turing, or other purposes, under the provisions of " The Crown Lands Act." Prominence is given to the value of the timber industry and the regulations under which the famous hardwoods of the State are being developed ; by the inclusion of a special report by the Chief Forest Officer (Mr. J. C. Penny); and by the insertion of a num- ber of photographic views, which indicate the progress being made in the timber, agricultural, and horticultural industries of the State. Reference is also made to the advancement made in closer settlement, for which, in regard to climate, soils, water, &c, Tas- mania is admirably adapted. The special reports from the district surveyors on the Crown lands available for selection in the various districts throughout the State are calculated to give a good general idea of the char- acter of the country and the facilities that are being provided for its development ; whilst the necessarily condensed reports from the experts attached to the Agricultural Department convey much practical information that will be found very useful to the selector in the early stages of his enterprise. Attention is directed to the great advantages which Tasmania offers to those who desire to engage in the fruit industry (one of the most lucrative in the State), and to the room for expansion of -« »r*.r^rr*rt the same, especially in the favoured districts of the Huon (in the south), and the Tamar (in the north). A useful article is contributed to the Guide by Mr. L. A. Evans, Secretary to the Immigration Committee, on matters affect- ing immigration and the orcharding industry generally ; whilst the various references made to the beauty spots of the State are intended to convey a general idea of the natural attractions of the country for the benefit of tourists and others. The information supplied in previous issues has been carefully revised and brought up to date, under the supervision of the Sur- veyor-General and Secretary for Lands (E. A. Counsel, Esq.). JAMES BELTON, Commissioner of Crown Lands. 25th May, 1914. INDEX. PAGE Administration 5 Agricultural Bank 158 Produce 109 ,, Districts 150 Industry 143-190 Auction Sales 22-25 Periods of 23 Arthur. County of 44 Areas of Country Lands sold 192-193 ,, for Special Settlement 29 Apple-gro wing 163 " Applications to purchase 9 ,, lease 35 Avoca 188 Bagdad 172 Bailiffs of Crown Lands 2 Barrington l85 Business Licences 40 Buckingham. County of 46 Butter Factories 117 Brunv Island 48.99.172 Carnarvon 190 Caves 107 Classification of Lands 6. 101 Climate 43, 190 T*oTrdrTirnTs of Purchase 28.102 Conditions of Purchase at Auction 23.25 Contracts 22 Credit Purchasers to make Improvements 28 Country Lands sold. Returns of 193 Clearing Land 104 Crown Lands Bailiffs 2 Ch aracteristics of Tasmania 42 : TToser Settlement Ill Collectors of Timber Licences, &c 2 Residence Licences, &c 4 County of Arthur 44 Buckingham 46 Cornwall 50 Cumberland 55 „ Devon 55 ,, Dorset 60 ,, Franklin 66 ,, Glamorgan 67 ,, Kent 67 Lincoln 68 Vlll PAGE County of Monmouth 76-79 „ Montagu 70 „ Montgomery 78 ,, Pembroke 79 ,, Russell 83 ,, Somerset 88 Wellington 89 „ Westmorland 107 Crops 147,148 Yields of 109,194 Construction of Roads 40 Commercial Timbers 122 Dairying Industry 117,191 Districts 118.120 ,, Factories 117 Department of Lands and Surveys 1 Derwent Valley 174 Devonport 187 District Surveyors 2 Digest of Land Laws 5 Discount allowed for Prepayments 29 Default in Payments 29 Notices 32 Definition of Lands 6 Devon, County of 55 Digest of Lands Act 5 Dorset, County of 60 East Coast . 80 Estate in Land 34 Eucalyptus Trees 128 First-class Agricultural Lands 24 Fees for Business Licences 40 ,, Residence Licences 40 Survey 18,19 Fees payable at Crown Lands Office for Publications, &c 197,201 Fees for Timber Licences 136 Fingal 53 Flinders Island 97 Forfeitures 32 Forestier's Peninsula 80 Franklin, County of 66 Furneaux Group of Islands 97 Farming Industries 108 Factory, Butter 117 Fruitgrowing 109, 140, 168,176, 181 Forage Crops 148 \ Forestry 122 ,, Nursery 137 Forth 185 Frankford 189 Grazing Leases 35 ,, Licences 38 Grant Deeds 34 IX PAGE Glamorgan. County of 67 Glenorchy 172 Glen Hiion 191 Government Publications 196 Game Protection 195 General Return, Crown Lands Branch 192 Harbours 190 Homestead Areas 12,102 Huon District 170 Hunter Group of Islands 98 Irishtown 186 Improvements, Payment for 37 to be effected 28.103 Islands of Tasmania 77 Kent. Countv of 67 King' Island 191 Kindred 186 Land Values 181 Lands and Surrey Department 1 Sales. Return of 192 Selection of 101 Lands Suitable for Selection 46.48,52.62,64.68.76, 80, 83, 90, 98 Leases for Grazing purposes 35 ,, Other purposes 37 Logging 132 Railway purposes 38 Sawmilling 132 Licences for Residence 38 for Business 40 Lilydale 188 Livestock Returns 194 Lincoln, County of 68 Logging Areas 132 Lakes of Tasmania 94 Mersey Valley 175 Merino Sheep 115 Mining Areas 14,102 Towns 28 Monmouth, County of 79 Montagu, County of 70 Montgomery, County of 78 Maria Island .' 99 Macquarie Group of Islands 100 Maps and Plans, Price of 197 Mode of Selection 103 Mooreville Road 187 Names of District Surveyors 2 North Motton 187 Notice to Defaulters 32 New Ground 187 Observations on Settlement 101 Occupation of Land on Mining Fields 38 Officers of Department 1 X PAGE Occupation Licences 38 Ornamental Timbers 126 Orcharding 140. 168. 176. 181 Payment for Improvements 37 of Survey Fees 101 Pastoral Produce 109 Poultry Industry 160,191 Preston 186 Public Reserves 8 Purchasers on Credit to make Improvements 28. 103 Purchase at Auction 22 Pembroke, County of 79 Plans and Maps, Price of 197 Private Contract, Sales bv 23 /Rain fall * 43.98 Residence on Lands 28 , , Licences 40 Reserves for Public Purposes 8 ,, for Timber 8 Roads, Construction of 40 Railways, Leases for 38 Renting Crown Lands 35 Revenue Returns 192 Ridgeley 185 Ringa rooma 62 Russell, County of 83 Royalty on Timber 132 Rent of Sawmill Areas 132,6 , , Logging Areas 132 Stock-breeding 114 _|dUs_ 144 TScale of Stamp Duties 33 Timber Fees 136 Survey Districts 2,5 Surveyors, District 2 Second-class Crown Lands 25 Selection of Land 9.101 Schedule 2 9 „ 3 10 ,, of Payments for Third-class Land 11 ,, ,, ,, Homestead Areas 12 „ ,, „ Survey Fee 18 ,, ,, ,, Land Purchased at Auc- tion 22. 26 Survey Fees, Scale of 18.19,20 Fees 101 ,, of Land 16 Special Areas for Settlement 2!! Sale of Land at Auction 22-26 ,, by Private Contract 23 Sawmilling Areas 6 , , Leases 132 Sawmills 132 St. Marvs 189 XI PAGE St. Helens 189 Statistics, Crown Lands Branch 192, 194 Somerset, County of 88 Schouten Island 100 Scottsdale 188 Stamp Duty 33 State Agricultural Bank 158 Staverton 185 Stock, Returns of 194 Stoodley 185 Table Cape 188 Temperature 44 Tasman Peninsula 80, 174 Transfers of Land 33 Terms of Purchase 102 ,, ,, at Auction 22-26 Town Lands 23 ,, in Mining Districts 28 Tyenna 190 Timber Industry 122 ,, Trees, List of 138 ,, Reserves 6 Beds 47,88,126 ,, Royalty on 132 Third-class Lands 26 Transfer of Land 33 Three Hummock Island 90 Upper Flowerdale 187 Uses of Tasmanian Timbers 128 Wharves, &c, Lease of 37 Westmorland, County of 107 West Tamar 56 Wattle Grove 190 Wellington, County of 89 Yields of Crops 108 INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. An Ayrshire Herd 119 Apple Orchard, Lilydale 191 Apple Orchards, Bagdad Valley 169 Bush Sawmill 133 ,, Tramway 127 Blue-gum Piles 125,129,135 Burnie 57 Cattle at Gunn's Plains 108 Clearing the Land 104 Constructing a Bush Tramway 127 Devonport from the South-west 54 Fruit and Hop Country, Bushy Park and Macquarie Plains 1^ Fruit Show, Hobart, 1914 165,167 Farm on River Tamar 155 Xll PAGE Fruit and Hop Country 173 Farm Horses 13 1 Huon River at Huonville 49 Harvesting at Colebrook, Coal River Valley 153 Huon River at Shipwrights' Point 182 Hereford Cattle 114 Harvesting Wheat, Sorell 31 Hobart from Lansdowne-crescent 7 Huon Timber Company's Mill 131 ,, Tram, Geeveston 41 Hereford Cattle 114 King River Gorge, Mt. Lyell Railway 63 King Solomon's Caves 69 Lake George and Mount King William 17 Lake Sorell 2< Launceston 13 Meander River at Deloraine 21 Mount Victoria, East Coast 121 Muscovy Ducks 162 Moonlight on Great Lake 96 Mt. Lyell Smelters 75 Mt. Bischoff Dressing-sheds 87 Orchards at Glenora 141 Orchards at Huonville and Ranelagh 171 Orchard Nursery, River Tamar 91 Panoramic View of Penguin 59 Prosser's River, from Road, near Paradise 81 Pioneer Farm at Mole Creek 145 Potatoes, Lilydale 155 Pea-crop, Sorell 149 Queenstown, near Mt. Lyell 73 Ra nelagh 143 Regatta Point, Strahan 65 Sheep 106. 115 S.s. "Ceramic" Shipping Fruit at Ocean Pier, Hobart Frontispiece Scamander River 61 Split Rock, Great Lake 95 The North Esk River 51 The Gordon River 45 Tasmania Gold Mine, Beaconsfield 39 Table Cape Butter Factory 118 Tree-felling in Geeveston Forest 123 View of Pens, Springvale, Egg-laying Competition ... 161 Woolmers, Longford 113 TASMANIA. DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEYS- Offices: Davey-street, Hobart. tTommtssioiuT of vTiotou iiantts Hon. James Belton, M.H.A. Surbrgor-tfintrral antr Sfrrrtar;i> for Jian&fl And Chairman *>1 Trustees of Agricultural Bank: E. A. Counsel. Clerical Staff: Assistant-Secretary for Lands — W. N. Hurst. Cashier and Accountant and Collector of Stamp Duties — F. Turner. Clerks— T. P. Molloy, C. B. Pitman. D. Guilbert, J. L. McGough, J. Cronly, Miss E. Todd. Miss F. Lewis, D. Hickman. Engrossing ('huh — R. C. Bompas. ^forestry Staff: Chief Forest Officer — J. C. Penny. Chief Inspector of Timber — T. J. Stubbs. tfrofrssional Staff: Chief Draftsman — Leventhorpe Hall. Draftsmen — E. P. Lovett, A. B. Howell, O. Roper, C. K. Oldmeadow. J. M. Clarke, W. Scott, L. Turner, A. Oldmeadow, A. Weber, O. M. Weber. E. W. Simm, F. Blake, S. H. Barnett. Messenger — C. E. Emery. Branch Office, St. John-street, Launceston. Draftsman and Officer in Charge — T. Garrard. Clerk — A. Parry. Messenger — T. Bryan. J9i8trtct ^urbeporsj : Name of District. 11 Name of District Surveyor. Address. Buckingham Combes Hobart Deloraine C. M. Archer Elizabeth Town Devon A. C. Hall West Devonport Dorset (',. T. Eddie Invermay Moorina G. C. Smith St. Helens Fingal Thos. Clark Fingal King Island C. A. Goddard Stone Buildings, Hobart Montagu c S. Wilson Zeehan Russell I). Jones Waratah Tasman Peninsula .1. H. Hinsby Kingston-road, Hobart Wellington Central l<\ E. Windsor Wynyard Wellington East 11 F. Miles Burnie Wellington West K M. Harrisson Smithton Kent and Lake District C. E. Radcliff 3 Lord^street, Queen- borough Flinders Island R. B. Montgomerv Campbell Town Mersey .1 Wilks Sheffield Uatltffs of Proton ftanos ano (IToUrrtora of Ctmfcrr ttirrnre jfeeg. &c. District. Name of Officer. Address. Avoca L. A. Herbert Avoca Beaconsfield J. W. Waterman Beaconsfield Burnie H. Cleveland Burnie Bothwell J . Reardon Bothwell Balfour L R. Nibbs Balfour Brighton G. Hildyard Brighton Campbell Town J. L. Go ven Campbell Town Cheshnnt Estate G. McCarthy Cheshnnt Estate Circular Head A. W. Evles Stanley Clarence A. Tait Bellerive Copping C. Cooley Copping Deloraine W. Browne Deloraine Devonport A. J. Harris Devonport Emu Bay H. Cleveland Burnie Esperance W. Lisson Dover Evandale W. Devitt Evandale . , ,. Fingal H. P. Hynes Fingai Flinders and sur- F. H. Archer Cape Barren' Island rounding Islands George Town M. Mackey Lefroy Glamorgan C. W. Berresford Swansea Glenorchy M. Conlan Hobart Gormanston G. A. Bradlev Gormanston Green Ponds E. C. Flude Kempton Hamilton J. Upchnrch Hamilton Hvthe G. K. Hall Hythe New Norfolk- T. C. Crawford Macquarie Plains District. Name of Officer. Address. New Norfolk C. Griffith New Norfolk i YV N. Hurst Hobart J. C. Penny Hobart Hobart s G. W. Ward Hobart 1 T. Males Glebe Town Woolmers Estate \Y T. Spencer Woolmers, Cressy Huoii { .1. Anderson Franklin H (J. Crosswell Huonville Port Cygnet and N. T. S. Telford "Woodbridge ; also N. Bruny Bruny Kingborongh T. Lynskey Kingston Kentish Sheffield King Island P. T. Sullivan Currie Harbour Latrobe J. Montgomery Latrobe Launceston 0. E. Hedberg Launceston Leven \Y . C. Longman Ulverstone Lilydale C. P. Foley Lilydale Longford ('. C. Lyndon Longford Ne\i' Town T. Males Glebe Oatlands L. H. Kooke Oatlands Patersonia and St. A. R. Cooper Patersonia Leonards Penguin C H. Harris Penguin Port Cygnet B J. A. Harris Lovett Portland . P. C Largan A. Wicks St. Helens Lottah Queenstown C. E. Tomkinson (Queenstown Richmond .1 F. Dore Richmond \ w . C. Gaudy Derby cv Moorina Ringarooma -, A. H. Jones Ringarooma f A. Brown Gladstone Scottsdale J. Donohue Scottsdale Sorell J. Carr Sorell Spring Bay \\ Woodorth Triabunna Strahan R. Tiiompson Strahan Zeehan A J. Levett Dundas Table Cape W H. Stewart Wynyard Tasman A. Cole Premaydena Waratah A. Court Waratah Westbury J. Dwan Westbury Zeehan J. Lonergan Zeehan Krsrt»fnrr. tjusturss, ana lOrrupatton itirrncfs. Officers Authorised to issue Residence, Business and Occupation Licences under " The Crown- Lands Act, 1911." Town. Mr J. W. Waterman Mi- A. J. Harris Mr F. H. Archer Mr W C. Gandy Mr A. J. Levett Mr H P. Hynee Mr J. H. Wilkes Beaconsfield Bnrnie Cape Barren Island ... Derby Dundas Fingai Gladstone Hobart Launcftston Lottah Lefroy Linda Mathinna Moorina Mount Balfour Patersonia Queenstown Ringarooma (Mr. A. H. Jones Sheffield I Mr. T. Gillam Stanley Mr. A. W. Eyles Strahan Mr. R. J. Thompson Scottsdale Mr. J. Donohue St. Helens Mr. P. Largan Name. Mr. W. N. Hurst Mr. T. Garrard Mr. C. A. Wicks Mr. M. Mackey Mr. G. A. Bradley Mr. R. S. Kelly Mr. F. E. Bomford Mr. L. R. Knibbs Mr. A. R. Cooper Mr. J. Can- St. Marys ... Ulverstone ... Waratah Wynyard Zeohan Mr. W. L. Shegog Mr. W. C. Longman Mr. H. C. Court Mr. W. H. Stewart A. J. Levett CROWN LANDS GUIDE. ADMINISTRATION. The Minister of Lands controls the Departments of Lands and Surveys, Public Works, and Agriculture. Of these three Depart- ments the Public Works Department deals with the expenditure of moneys voted by Parliament for the construction of Public Works, or arising from the Road Fund provided for under Part XIII. of " The Crown Lands Act." The Department of Lands and Surveys is under the supervision of the Secretary for Lands, who is also Surveyor-General ; it controls all business connected with the sale, leasing, or disposal of Crown lands, and all public surveys. To facilitate the despatch of business the heads of the various Departments pay periodical visits to Launceston and other important centres. LANDS AND SURVEYS. The business of the Department of Lands and Surveys is trans- acted by virtue of " The Crown Lands Act, 1911," and previous Land Acts. For the convenience of survey operations, the State is divided into 16 survey districts. The names and addresses of the district surveyors are given in the list of officers attached to the Depart- ment (vide p. 2). The district surveyors will always be prepared to give informa- tion to intending selectors without charge, unless the selector should wish the surveyor to personally visit the land before an application is made. Digest of " Crown Lands Act " at present tn Operation. Lands of the Crown are defined to be any lands in the State which are or may become vested in the Crown, and have not been and are not dedicated to some public use. The Governor in Council, if he thinks fit, may, by Proclamation, withhold or withdraw from selection, sale, or leasing, any lands of the Crown. The Governor in Council may make, alter, or amend Regulations under " The Crown Lands Act," such Regulations to be published in the " Gazette." The Minister of Lands for the time being is the Commissioner for the disposal of lands of the Crown, and has the power of mak- ing all contracts, leases, or licences, and in such capacity may sue or be sued. The Governor may, from time to time, appoint a Surveyor- General, who shall also be Secretary for Lands, and shall have the direction and conduct of all surveys for any public purposes, whether under this or any other Act, and shall perform such duties as may be assigned to him by the Commissioner. The Governor may from time to time appoint a Conservator of Forests, who shall perform such duties as may be assigned to him by the Commissioner. Classification of Lands. (Part I.) Lands are divided into two classes under " The Crown Lands Act, 1911," as follows : — i. Town lands, comprising all lands situate within any city, and all lands within a distance of 5 miles from the nearest point of any part of the boundaries of any city, and all lands situate within the boundaries of any town : ii. Rural lands, comprising (a) First-class agricultural lands. (t>) Second-class lands. (V) Third-class lands. The Commissioner may decline to enter into a contract or refuse any application for the sale and purchase of any Crown land in any case in which the land selected or applied for is considered to be auriferous or to contain minerals, or which, in the opinion of the Commissioner, is likely to be required as a Timber Reserve, or for obtaining timber therefrom for sawmilling purposes, or where the cost of providing a road is excessive, or for any other special reason. The Governor in Council may, by Proclamation in the " Gazette," except from sale and reserve to His Majesty such land as he sees fit for the preservation and growth of timber. The Commissioner may from time to time issue to any person a lease of Crown land for the purpose of obtaining timber there- from for sawmilling purposes. Every such lease shall be issued in respect of an area not exceed- ing 1500 acres to any such person for any term not exceeding 21 years, and shall be subject to such regulations, conditions, and stipulations as may from time to time be prescribed ; but no lease shall be granted of a greater area than 100 acres for the taking of timber within 5 miles of any town situated in any mining field. Reserves fob Public Purposes. (Part I.) The Governor in Council may, by Proclamation in the "Gazette, ' except from sale and lease and reserve to His Majesty such land as may be required for — i. Public roads or streets, or other internal communications, whether by land or water : ii. Military or defence purposes: in. Sites for the erection of public libraries, public halls, museums, literary or scientific institutions, hospitals or almshouses for aged or infirm poor, or places for the interment of the dead : iv. Sites for public wharves or quays, breakwater-, or land- ing-places : v. Sites for trigonometrical stations or for other purposes connected with the survey of the State: vi. Places for purposes of public recreation and amusement : vu. The preservation of water-supply: vi ii- Irrigation works, dams, reservoirs, aqueducts, water- courses, drains, sewers, or other works: ix. Sanctuaries for birds, or for acclimatisation purposes: x. The preservation of game or fauna or flora, either native or imported : xi. Any purpose of public safetv, convenience, health, Or enjoyment : xii. For any other public purpose that he may think fit, whether similar to anv of those above mentioned or not. Any lands so excepted from sale, and reserved to His Majesty, may be subsequently vested in any person or body of persons, cor- porate or incorporate, subject to such conditions, reservations, exceptions, and limitations as the Governor in Council shall see fit to impose. The Governor may, by notice in the " Gazette," except from sale and reserve as a school allotment any portion of the lands of the Crown, wherever situate, not exceeding 5 acres in extent ; and upon such land being occupied for educational purposes the same may be vested in the Minister of Education, as provided in this Act. It shall not be lawful for the Governor to except from sale and reserve to His Majesty, or to dispose of, except by sale under this Act, any Crown lands as sites of places for public worship or for any other religious purposes. Any lands wdiich have before the 17th day of September, 1868, been reserved for sites of places of public worship of any religious denomination may be granted. In every town that may be surveyed and subdivided for sale, before any lots are put up for auction the Commissioner may except from sale any area not exceeding 20 acres of land for recrea- tion purposes, in one or more blocks, and such other blocks for such other public purposes as he may deem necessary in accordance with the provisions of " The Crown Lands Act." When any land has been reserved for streets, roads, 8 £ s. d. Cash at time of purchase .... +V, pur. money 16 8 1st year £§ residue 1 5 2nd year .tV .. 1 5 3rd Vear T \ .. 2 10 4th Vear .. 2 10 5th vear .. 2 10 6th Vear .. 2 10 7th vear .. 2 10 8th vear .. 2 10 9th Vear .. 2 10 10th vear „ 2 10 11th Vear „ 2 10 12th vear .. 2 10 13th vear ., 2 10 14th vea .. 2 10 £33 6 8 and in like proportion for any greater or smaller area than 100 acres. 12 Every pei^son who has purchased any land under Part II. may make a further purchase, provided that the total area held by him by virtue of such purpose does not exceed, in the case of — - first-class agricultural land, 200 acres; of second-class land, 30U acres; and of third-class land, 600 acres nor consist of more uian three lots: and if such lots adjoins the total frontage on any road or stream shall not exceed the maximum frontage that would be allowed if the selections had been made in one lot. Additional selections shall be subject to all the conditions of original selections. Homestead Areas. Any person of the age of 18 years or upwards, who is not the holder on credit of any land purchased under this or any previous Act may select and purchase, at the price and upon the terms set forth in the Schedule (4), one lot of first-class agricultural land not exceeding 50 acres nor less than 15 acres, and upon the Commis- sioner notifying him that the land is available, and can be pur- chased in accordance with his application, shall be entitled to receive a certificate in the form prescribed ; and such certificate shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, authorise the person obtaining it to enter upon and take possession of the land described therein, and to hold possession of, occupy, and improve such land to the exclusion of any other person or persons whomsoever, and to bring and maintain actions for trespass committed thereon. £ s. d. 50 acres at £1 per acre 50 Add one-third for credit 16 13 4 Purchase-money £66 13 4 Schedule (4). s. d. £ s. d. Cash at time of purchase 2 per acre 8 4 1st year ... Mil. 2nd year ... Nil. 3rd year ... Nil. 4th year 10 per acre 2 1 8 5th year 10 ,, 2 18 6th vear 10 „ 2 18 7th 'year 2 0,, 5 8th year 2 ,, 5 9th year 2 „ 5 10th vear 2 „ 5 11th year 2 „ 5 12th year 2 0,, 5 13th year 2 0,, 5 14th year 2 „ 5 15th year 2 ,, 5 16th year 2 0,, 5 17th year 2 0,, 5 18th year 2 0,, 5 £66 13 4 and in like proportion for any smaller area than 50 acres. 14 Every person who has purchased land under the last preceding section shall, within four years from the date of the certificate mentioned in the last preceding section, take, in his own person, possession of the land, and personally occupy the same ; and if pos- session be not taken as aforesaid, the Commissioner may cancel the certificate mentioned in the last preceding section, and thereupon the land shall, without any further proceedings, be absolutely for- feited and open to application by another person, or to other dis- position, in the discretion of the Commissioner. In cases of illness vouched for by sufficient evidence to the satis- faction of the Commissioner, or in other special cases, the Commis- sioner may, in his discretion, by writing under his hand, grant per- mission to the selector to be absent from his land, without prejudice to his right therein, for such period as the Commissioner shall specify in such written permission. The purchaser of any land under Section 27 of this Act shall occupy such land for the full term of five years, and shall during such term of five years effect substantial improvements on such land to the value of One Pound per acre of the whole of the land; otherwise such land, together with all improvements thereon, shall be liable to be forfeited to the Crown. Mining Areas. The Governor may — i. Proclaim any Crown land a mining area: ii. Alter or revoke the proclamation of any mining area. Crown land situate within any mining area shall be sold or dis- posed under and be subject to the provisions of this part. Provided, however, that any land within a mining area shall be subject nevertheless to all the provisions of " The Mining Act, 1905," and shall be available for all the purposes of such Act. Any person of the age of 18 years or upwards may select and purchase, subject to the provisions hereinafter contained, one lot of first-class land within any mining area, not exceeding 100 acres, at a price to be fixed by the Surveyor-General in the prescribed manner : Provided that when any such Crown land within any mining area is within a distance of 1 mile from the nearest point in the boundary of any town, such land may be selected and pur- chased in lots of not less than 10 nor more than 20 acres. Crown lands within any mining area not purchased under the provisions of the immediately preceding section may be sold by the Commissioner by public auction, and if offered for sale by auction and not sold, then by private contract, in the manner provided by Part V. of this Act. No land within a distance of 1 mile from the nearest point in the boundary of any town shall be sold under this section as second- class land- 15 All such land shall, previously to being submitted to public auction, be surveyed in lots of not more than 100 acres, and, in the case of first-class lands, of not less than 10 acres, and, in the cass of second-class lands, of not less than 30 acres, and, in the case of third-class lands, of not less than 50 acres. The upset price of land submitted to auction in any mining area shall be fixed by the Governor, and in the case of first-class land shall not be less than One Pound per acre, and in the case of second-class land shall not be less than Ten Shillings per acre, and in the case of third-class land shall not be less than Five Shillings per acre. Any first-class land purchased under the provisions of this Act within any mining area shall be occupied by the selector or pur- chaser thereof, or by some member of his family, or someone employed by him or in his behalf, for at least three years before a grant shall be issued therefor, and in default of being so occupied such land shall be liable to be forfeited to the Crown. Such occu- pation shall be commenced within two years after the date of the contract of sale and purchase. The Governor may, on the recommendation of the Surveyor- General, reserve from sale, by notice, any area outside of and adjoining any town boundary as a firewood reserve for the use of the inhabitants of the town. Such firewood shall only be cut under the authority of the Commissioner. Under "The Mining Act Amendment Act, 1911," gold and silver on or below the surface of all land in the State, whether alienated or not alienated, are the property of the Crown, unless the grant expressly includes them. All other minerals on or below the surface of all land in Tasmania which was not alienated from the Crown before the 14th of November, 1893, are the property of the Crown. By Section 344 of " The Mining Act Amendment Act, 1911," machinery is provided whereby persons may make an application to the local wardens for a permit to enter upon private land for the purpose of mining upon certain conditions. Sections 350 and 351 provide machinery for arriving at the compensation which the owner will be entitled to receive for loss of the surface, severance, &c. All lands selected or alienated under the provisions of this or any previous Act may be resumed for all or any of the purposes included in the term " mining purposes" as defined by "The Mining Act, 1905," by His Majesty on paving compensation to the selector, grantee, or purchaser thereof for the value, other than that of gold or other metals or minerals contained in such land, of the lands and improvements so resumed in the manner prescribed by "The Lands Resumption Act, 1910." All lands of the Crown which are sold or in any manner alienated from the Crown, or in respect of which a lease or licence to hold or occupy the same for other than the purposes of mining, or winning, 16 getting, or working metals or minerals is issued, shall be sold or otherwise alienated, leased, or licensed as aforesaid only as regards the surface, and down to such depth below the surface, being not less than 50 feet, as the Governor may by any order-in-council direct. Survey of Land selected for Purchase. (Part III.) When a selection of first-class land is approved by the Commis- sioner the applicant must pay the expense of surveying such land in the following manner : — To the amount of the prescribed survey fee a sum of Two Shillings and Sixpence in the Pound sterling (or part thereof) shall be added by way of interest, and the applicant shall pay one-fifth of the whole amount upon demand, and the balance by four equal annual instalments. Example. £ s. d. Survey fee for 100 acres il U Interest at 2s. 6d. in the Pound 17b £12 7 6 Repayments. £ s. d. One-fifth on demand 2 9 b 1st year 2 9 b 2nd year 2 9 b 3rd vear 2 9b 4th year 2 9b £12 7 6 and in like proportion for any greater or smaller amount of survey fee. Applicants for second and third class land must pay survey fees in cash within 30 days of demand. The first annual payment must be made one vear after the date of the sale and purchase of the land. A purchaser may at any time before forfeiture of the land pay off the balance of survey fee % and in every case a deduction shall be allowed in the sum added by way of interest proportionate to the amount then due. The non-payment of any part of survey fee shall have the same operation upon the rights and privileges of the purchaser as failure to pay an instalment of the purchase-money, and any portion of survey fee remaining unpaid after the same has become due may be recovered as a debt due to the Crown. On payment of one-fifth of the survey fee the Commissioner shall cause the land to be surveyed, but the payment of the whole or part of such survey fee shall not confer upon the applicant any estate or interest in such land or any title thereto. ~7 - ' 18 IE 'C 1 F « a. - > 0. >. 5 it a — a> o ^ l| .□ floeooooofflotootccooooec Sag —. .1 >r> — i >o i~» ic o in »>» i/r in CI > n x 5" » "? ff» iff l> iff O 'C t"» iff (M :_•— ^ — i-i i— I — r- 1 i— I .—I H p- I— I .— c _ ~ ^ „ rt rt - h m ?i n m « « « w TJOOOOOOC [a'lOOCOiOOO ^-fiffXt-C^XC CC'C'ffCC'ff ^ = H3 -O S r. — 0! 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A « a' 03 j3 03 "^ 05 be 03 a as •-S "° 55 2 ^_ ~a CO I- ^ 'Z i £ S 33 a 3 8'l I Eh «< 20 fe :- - ~ D 5 (B x rjji-lO — C IT. ■* Oi j c^»ocDt-aCG:oc■ ^ o ID . fc. -T Si •*•_ 5 9) .9 a ~ CO P-'QOOO^'ncOOtOCOCQ oocooooococooooo incoioo^i-not-iccoco oiccoou; oooooo'cooo HHrnHi- -111) tM CI 11 CO ^ocno«3«ocicioc^ ■ oO'-eiCTOwooiOim o o o o o o o o © o o o o o o o o Ci.omiOOO'O'OOOCC-COOlO o iO IO "^ t- OD Ci O) H fN *f O X t- 00 J5 IO ■* ht a •n'C • - - w w o c < ii re -r< i- tc j: : OOQO=«OC = Q O < lO ED i. — 11 — — r- 11 n ■ 3 o o _ |iau;QQgoc ; - ; z. : — -.J -" — .-. ■" X f li - — -^ -i (51 ?i ro ro "*"«" 3 — 35 ■& £ - ~ 2eS - Q3 S -3 — ' a. > ft< c -= - ^S 2 ~ a> «~ r. i( .2 33 33 •- ai /- T3-C r CJ X & si js.a pq U S D o ~ HI 5 -= *~ "3 2 >*=! 5 33 I, » © § y -c 3 ? > A >.,-^ ™ 33 - r a> is — t< 5. o r • 33 -r 5" ""^ (» 33 / or. *> .O 33 •- -* r '- - 3 ft •-£? « ■- '53 p, c s ~ 3 — Xai C~ / - 3 3 _ si 93 -C 33 . c 3 £ 3 .3 — •= ct 22 Contracts. (Part II.) The Commissioner and the applicant for any land for purchase upon credit shall, after survey, mutually enter into contract for the sale and purchase of the land, at the price and upon the terms, and subject to the conditions contained in the Act. No person shall become the purchaser of any Crown land who is in respect of such land a servant of, or an agent or trustee for any other person, or who, at the time of his application, has entered into any agreement to permit any other person to purchase any such land, or any part thereof; and all contracts, agreements, and securities made, entered into, and given with the intent of evading the provisions of this section, shall be illegal ; and if any person shall (in evasion of the provisions of this section) become the purchaser of any land, all the right, title, and interest of the purchaser, and all moneys paid in respect of such land, and the land itself, with all improvements thereon, shall be absolutely for- feited, and the said land shall again become Crown land. Any person who shall enter into a contract or agreement declared to be illegal shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and on conviction be liable to be fined in any sum not exceeding One hundred Pounds, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding Two years. No application to select and purchase land shall be received from, or in the name of, or on behalf of, any person under the age of 18 years, and every applicant shall state in his application that he is of the age of 18 years or upwards. Every purchaser of Crown land between the ages of 18 and 21 years shall be subject to the same liabilities and have the same rights under this Act as if he were of the full age of 21 years. Sale by Auction. (Part V.) The following Crown lands may be sold by public auction: — All rural lands not excepted from sale under this Act, and all town lands. The lowest upset price of Crown land offered for sale by auction is One Pound per acre for first-class agricultural land, Ten Shill- ings per acre for second-class land, and Five Shillings per acre for third-class land. All lands to be offered by auction must be surveyed and deline- ated in the public charts of the State before being offered for sale The area of any lot of rural land put up for sale by auction must not exceed 200 acres of first-class agricultural land, 300 acres of second-class land, or 600 acres of third-class land. No land shall be sold at auction within a mining area as second-class land within a distance of 1 mile from the nearest point in the boundary of any town, and no land shall be sold as third- class land within any mining area. 23 No person under the age of 18 years shall be entitled to pur- chase any land at auction, nor shall any person hold on credit at any one time more than 200 acres of first-class agricultural land, 300 acres of second-class land, or 600 acres of third-class land. The highest bidder at auction becomes liable for the payment of deposit, and if such person shall fail to pay the amount necessary under such bid on the day of sale, such person shall be guilty of a breach of agreement under this Act, and shall forfeit and pay a penalty of double the amount of the deposit in respect of which default has been made. Auction sales are held during the months of April and October in each year at Hobart, Launceston, Latrobe, Scottsdale, Derby, St. Helens; Ulverstone, Burnie, Deloraiue, Smithton, Stanley, Zee- han, Strahan, Queenstown, Flinders Island, and King Island, and at such other places as the Commissioner may appoint. Sales by Private Contract. If after a sale by auction any lots remain unsold, the Com- missioner, within 21 days, causes a list of such lots to be prepared, and a notice published in the " Gazette " to the effect that 14 days after the date of notice, the lands included in such list may be sold by private contract, at the upset prices therein specified ; and such lands will be sold to the first applicant ; but if more than one application be received for the same lot at the same time, the lot must again be put up for auction. Applications to purchase lands under private contract must be made within one year after the lands were last put up for sale by auction, and before the publication cf any subsequent notice of sale thereof by auction. The terms of payment for lands sold by private contract are exactly the same as the terms of payment for lands sold by auction. No lands within 5 miles of the cities of Hobart and Launceston may be sold bv private contract. Terms of Purchase at Auction. Town Lands. Upon the sale of any town lands, the purchaser may pav the purchase-money in cash, or if at the time of sale such purchaser declares that he is desirous of being allowed credit, credit shall bs allowed upon the terms hereinafter mentioned : but no town land shall be sold on credit where the price is less than Fifteen Pounds. The terms of credit for town lands purchased at auction or by private contract shall be as follows: A sum equal to one-third of the price shall be added by way of premium for the allowance of credit, -and the amount of the price and the premium together becomes the purchase-money of the land ; the purchaser pavs a 24 deposit of one-fourteenth of the purchase-money at the time of the sale, and the residue of the purchase-money is paid by 13 annual insta 1 ments of one-fourteenth of the purchase-money, the first instalment to be paid at the expiration of one year from the time of sale. Example of the mode of Payment where (Jredtt is taken for a Town Lot bought for £21. £ s. d. Sale price 21 Credit premium, being one-third of sale price i Purchase-price £28 U £ s. d. l-14th deposit to he paid at the time of sale '2, U U Leaving to he paid in 13 annual instal- ments of £2 each 26 U £28 U No purchaser of town land upon credit shall be entitled to pay off the balance remaining unpaid of the purchase-money, nor shah a grant deed be issued for the land, until the purchaser has made substantial improvements upon the land to the value of a sum equal to the purchase-monev contracted to be paid for such land. First-class Agricultural Land. Upon the sale of any first-class agricultural land, whether by auction or by private contract, the terms of purchase shall be as follows: — A sum equal to one-third of the price shall be added by way of premium for allowance of credit, and the amount of the price and premium becomes the purchase-money of the land, and the purchaser pays a deposit of one-fortieth of the purchase-money at the time of sale, and the residue of the purchase-money is pay- able by 14 annual instalments, as set forth in Schedule (6), the first instalment being due at the expiration of one year from the date of sale. Schedule (6). £ s. d. 100 acres at £1 per acre 100 Add one-third for credit 33 6' 8 Purchase-money .. £133 6 8 £ s. d. Cash at time of purchase — One fortieth of purchase-monev 3 b' 8 1st vear '. 9 5 8 25 £ s. d. 9 5 8 i) 5 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 y 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 y 5 8 V) 6 4 £133 6 8 2nd year 3rd year 4th year 5th year 6th year 7th yea r 8th year yth year 10th year 11th year 12th year 13th year 14th vear and in like proportion tor any greater or smaller amount of purchase-money. Second-class I. and . iJpon the sale of any second-class land, whether by auction or private contract, the terms of the purchase are as follows: — A sum equal to one-third of the price is added by way of premium for allowance of credit, and the amount of the price and premium becomes the purchase-money of the land, and the purchaser pays a deposit of one-fortieth of the purchase-money at the time of sale, and the remainder of the purchase-money by 14 annual instalments^ as is set forth in Schedule (7) ; the first instalment is to be paid at the expiration of one year from the time of sale. Schedule (7). £ s. d. 100 acres at 10s. per acre 50 Add one-third for credit 16 13 4 Purchase-money t-'b0 13 4 £ s. d. Cash at time of purchase — One-fortieth of purchase price 1 13 4 1st vear 4 12 10 2nd year 4 12 10 3rd vear 4 12 10 4th vear 4 12 10 5th 'vear 4 12 10 6th year 4 12 10 7th vear i 12 10 8th Vear 4 12 10 yth year 4 12 10 10th year 4 12 10 11th year 4 12 10 12th Vear 4 12 10 26 £ s. d. 13th year 4 12 10 14th year 4 13 2 £66 13 4 and in like proportion for any greater or smaller amount of purchase-money. Third-class Land. Upon the sale of any third-class land, whether by auction or private contract, the terms of purchase are as follows: — A sum equal to one-third of the price is added by way of premium for allowance of credit, and the amount of the price and premium becomes the purchase-money of the land, and the purchaser pays a deposit of one-fortieth of the purchase-money at the time of sale, and the balance of the purchase money by 14 annual instalments, in accordance with Schedule (8) ; the first instalment to be paid at the expiration of one year from the date of sale. Schedule (8). £ s. d. 100 acres at 5s. per acre 25 Add one-third for credit 8 6 8 Purchase-money £33 6 8 £ s. d. Cash at time of purchase — One-fortieth of purchase-price 16 8 1st year 2 6 5 2nd year 2 6 5 3rd year 2 6 5 4th year 2 6 5 5th year 2 6 5 6th year 2 6 5 7th year 2 6 5 Sth year 2 6 5 9th year 2 6 5 10th vear 2 6 5 11th vear 2 6 5 12th vear 2 6 5. 13th vear 2 6 5 14th vear 2 6 7 £33 6 8 and in like proportion for any greater or smaller amount of purchase-money. LAKE SORELL. Conditions of Purchase (Part IX.) Improvements on Rural Lands. At the expiration of one year from the date of the contract of sale and purchase of any first-class agricultural land, the pur- chaser shall begin to effect substantial improvements on the land purchased by him, and shall continue in each year during eight consecutive years thereafter to effect substantial improvements on such land of the value of not less than Two Shillings and Sixpence per acre for every acre of the land purchased by him ; and in default such land shall be forfeited to the Crown ; but if he has expended more than Two Shillings and Sixpence per acre in any year shall be entitled to credit against his liability in any subse- quent year for such extra expenditure ; the total amount to be expended need not exceed the sum of One Pound per acre. Before the expiration of one year from the date of contract of sale and purchase of any second or third-class land, the purchaser of such land shall begin to effect substantial improvements thereon, and shall continue in each year during the five consecutive years thereafter to effect substantial improvements on such land of the value of One Shilling for every acre thereof ; and in default of making such improvements such land shall be liable to be forfeited to the Crown : Provided that every purchaser having expended more than One Shilling per acre in any year shall be entitled to credit against his liability in any subsequent year for such extra expenditure ; and the total amount so to be expended in such improvements need not exceed Five Shillings for every acre of such land. Residence on First-class Rural Lands. All first-class rural lands purchased under " The Crown Lands Act " shall be occupied by the purchaser thereof, or by some member of his family, or by some one employed by him on hia behalf, by habitually residing on such land for at least five years before a grant be issued therefor, and in default of being so occupied, such land shall be liable to be forfeited to the Crown. Such term of five years shall commence to run four years after the date of contract of sale and purchase, and shall be continuous. Sale of Land in Mining Towns. (Part VII.) The Commissioner may sell by public auction the surface of any Crown land occupied as a residence area or as a business area. Any person being the holder of a residence licence or business licence, who shall be in lawful occupation of any residence area or business area, and who shall be the owner of buildings and per- manent improvements upon the land of a value equal to or greater than the upset price thereof, shall be entitled to purchase at the 29 upset price at any time prior to the day on which such area is to be offered for sale, as advertised. The upset price shall not be less than Ten Pounds, exclusive of the value of improvements, cost of survey, and of grant deed. No person is entitled to purchase or occupy as a residence area or business area any portion of a public highway or road or street, or any land reserved for public purposes. One-half of all purchase-money received for land sold under this Part of this Act shall be set apart from time to time and paid into a special account in the Treasury, for the purpose of constructing roads, streets, bridges, drains, sewers, or waterways, or for sanitary or other purposes, in the town where the land so sold is situated, or in the vicinity if not within a town. Discount allowed for Prepayment of Instalments. A purchaser of any rural land upon credit may pay off the bal- ance under the contract of sale ; and in every such case a deduc- tion is made proportionate to the then unexpired period of credit : hut the purchaser of any rural land upon credit cannot pay off the balance until he has made substantial improvements upon such land to the value of a sum equal to the price of the land if first-class agricultural land, or a sum equal to one-half of the price if second-class land, or a sum equal to one-fourth of the price if third-class land, and has complied with the conditions of residence. Default in Payment of Purchase-money. The Commissioner may cancel any contract for the sale and pur- chase of any Crown land held upon credit, upon receiving a written request so to do from the purchaser, signed and attested before a justice of the peace, and on payment of all arrears of purchase- money and interest thereon at the rate of Five Pounds per centum per annum. In every such ease the Commissioner, by notice published in the " Gazette." notifies that such contract has been cancelled, where- upon all moneys paid in respect of the purchase of the land become forfeited, and the land is freed from the contract of sale, and reverts to the Crown, and becomes disposable as Crown land. Areas for Special Settlement. If the Surveyor-General at any time reports to the Commissioner that there exists an area of rural land, not being less than 1000 acres in extent, which in his opinion is first-class land suitable for agriculture, horticulture, or dairy fanning purposes, the Commis- sioner may withdraw from selection under the provisions of this 30 Act such area, and such further area of inferior land adjoining or contiguous to such area as he may think desirable for the purposes of this part. The Commissioner may expend such moneys as may be required for all or any of the following purposes: — l. For subdividing the withdrawn area into blocks suitable for the purposes of this part, and for surveying such blocks : II. For cutting tracks, surveying, and constructing roads or tramways, to or within the withdrawn area : in. For fencing, clearing, burning, sowing with grass seed, and for building houses, or effecting such other improvements on the withdrawn area, or any portions thereof, as the Commissioner may think fit. The Treasurer for the time being of the State may advance to the Commissioner, out of any moneys for the time being standing to the credit of the Crown Lands Fund, such moneys as may be required by the Commissioner for effecting the objects of this part in respect of any withdrawn area, and moneys so advanced shall be repaid in the manner hereinafter appearing. After the withdrawn area has been subdivided into suitable blocks, and such blocks surveyed and classified as provided by this Act, and the said roads have been wholly or in part constructed, the Commissioner may submit for sale by auction, in the manner provided in Part V. of this Act, the blocks so surveyed : Pro- vided, nevertheless, that any of the blocks without having been submitted for sale by auction — t. May be declared by the Commissioner by notice in the Gazette " to be open: or ii. May be reserved by the Commissioner for bona fide immigrants into the State to the extent of One block in every Six — for purchase by private contract at such price as the Commissioner may think fit, upon the terms set out in Schedule (2). All moneys received by the Commissioner in respect of the purchase-money of the said blocks so sold as aforesaid shall be immediately paid by the Commissioner to the Treasurer, in or towards repayment of the moneys so advanced by the Treasurer as aforesaid, until the whole of the moneys so advanced in respect of any withdrawn area are repaid, and any balance in respect of such purchase-money shall form part of the Consolidated .Revenue. The provisions of Sections One hundred and fifty-one to One hundred and fifty-three inclusive of this Act shall not apply to any lands included in, or that may have been included in, any area withdrawn and dealt with under this part. 32 Forfeitures. Section 164 of " The Crown Lands Act, 1911," provides that in every case where land selected or purchased is declared to be liable to forfeiture to the Crown for any cause other than failure to pay any instalment or part of any purchase-money, the provi- sions of this section shall apply. No forfeiture in any such case shall be declared until after a notice in writing of the intention of the Commissioner to have the land declared forfeited has been served on the purchaser, either personally or by posting it addressed to him at the holding. The notice shall specify the alleged cause of forfeiture, and shall call upon the purchaser to show cause against the forfeiture before a judge of the Supreme Court within sixty days from the service of the notice. Any person feeling aggrieved and disputing the forfeiture may, within the time specified in the said notice, appeal by summons to a judge of the Supreme Court, otherwise the Commissioner may proceed with the forfeiture. A judge of the Supreme Court sitting in chambers is hereby empowered to hear and summarily determine and settle any dis- pute concerning the liability to forfeiture : and the decision of such judge shall be final. The judge may make such order as he may deem to be just and the circumstances of the case shall require ; and may make such order as to costs as he may think fit- It shall be lawful for the judges of the said Court to make such rules from time to time as they see fit for regulating the mode of deciding any such dispute, and for prescribing the forms to be used. If no appeal is made as aforesaid, or if upon appeal the lia- bility to forfeiture is confirmed by the judge, the Commissioner may cancel the purchase in question, and may thereupon insert a notice in the " Gazette " declaring the forfeiture. In case any grant, contract, lease, licence, or other agreement whatsoever under this or any previousi Act becomes void or is determined, or in case any land granted or disposed of in any manner under this or any previous Act reverts or becomes forfeited to the Crown, the land comprised in any such grant, contract, lease, licence, or agreement, or so forfeited, shall immediately be disposable under this Act as Crown land ; and the Commissioner, or any person authorised by him, may. with the consent of the Governor, enter upon any such land without suit. The acceptance by or on behalf of the Crown of any purchase- money, or part thereof, due with respect to any Crown land, or of interest on the balance thereof, or of rent or other payment under any lease or licence, shall not be held to have operated or to operate hereafter as a waiver by the Crown of any forfeiture accruing by 33 reason of the breach of any condition precedent or subsequent annexed by law to the estate or interest of a purchaser, lessee, or licensee. Where land has been sold upon credit, and any instalment of the purchase-money is not paid within 60 days after it has become payable, the Governor, on the application of the Commissioner, may declare that the land is forfeited to the Crown, and there- upon the deposit and all instalments previously paid shall be forfeited, and the land is freed from the contract of sale, and reverts to the Crown. Thirty days' notice of the intention of the Commissioner to have such land declared forfeited has to be given by advertisement in the " Gazette," and also to the purchaser. The Commissioner may delay application to the Governor for forfeiture, and in such case shall charge interest at the rate of One Penny in the Pound (or part thereof) of the amount of purchase- money in arrear, for every month (or part thereof) during which the application for forfeiture has been delayed, commencing from the date when the payment of the instalment first became due ; but no purchaser shall be permitted to owe more than two instalments at any one time. No town lands shall be forfeited for non-payment of purchase- money if the purchase-money and interest be paid, together with a fine of One Pennv for every Pound of the amount of purchase- money in default, and Five Shillings to cover cost of advertising, within 30 days from the date of publication of notice of inten- tion to have such land forfeited. No rural lands shall be forfeited for non-payment of purchase- money and interest if the purchaser shall pay the amount of the purchase-money, together with a fine of One Penny per acre, and Five Shillings to cover cost of advertising, within 30 days from the date of the first publication of such notice. Transfer of Credit Lands. (Part VI.) No purchaser on credit shall be allowed to transfer his interest in the land without the written consent of the Commissioner, and no such purchaser shall be permitted to transfer or assign a por- tion of the land until the purchase-money in full shall first be paid in respect of the whole. Scales of Stamp Duties. To be affixed to Transfer of Land in addition to the Payment of a Transfer Fee. A.— If there is no consideration money paid, the transferee being entitled in equity as a trustee, &c, the stamp duty to be affixed shall be to the value of Five Shillings. 7 6 15 1 2 6 1 10 1 17 6 2 5 2 12 6 3 3 7 6 34 B. — If the property is a free gift to the transferee, the stamp, duty shall be in accordance with the following scale: — £ s. d. Where the property is valued at £100 or under ... 7 6 Where the valuation of such property is — Over £100 but not exceeding £150 1 15 „ £150 „ „ £200 12 6 „ £200 „ „ £250 1 10 And so on, adding 7s. 6d. for every additional £50 or fractional part thereof. C. — When consideration money is paid by the transferee, stamp duty shall be affixed in accordance with the following scale: — £ s. d. Tf the amount paid by the transferee for the pro- perty does not exceed £100 Above £100 and not exceeding £150 £150 ,, „ £200 £200 „ „ £250 £250 „ „ £300 £300 ,, ,, £350 £350 „ „ £400 £400 „ „ £450 £450 ,, „ £500 And so, adding 7s. 6d. for every additional £50 or fractional part thereof. Note. — The stamp duty in accordance with the above scales must be affixed to the transfer in revenue stamps, upon the date of the execu- tion of the document, and the stamps cancelled by writing such date thereon ; but if this is impracticable by reason of revenue stamps not being obtainable at the time, such stamp duty must afterwards be affixed, and cancelled upon the transfer by a collector of stamp duties within sixty days from the date of the execution of such transfer, fail- ing which, a £5 penalty shall be paid to have such transfer legally stamped thereafter. Estate in Land. Every purchaser of Crown lands upon credit shall, subject to the provisions and conditions of " The Crown Lands Act," have power to sell or devise, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, or deal with, his interest in the land as freely as if such interest were an estate in fee simple. If a purchaser on credit becomes bankrupt, his interest passes to his trustee. A purchaser on credit may devise his interest, and if he dies intestate his interest becomes part of his personal estate and passes to his representative, who holds the land upon the same terms as the intestate. Grant Deed. Lands are conveyed by grant deed, for which a fee of Fifteen Shillings is charged- The whole of the purchase-money must first be paid. Grants are issued in duplicate to the Recorder of Titles. 35 who registers them and deals with them in the manner provided for by " The Real Property Act." The purchaser in all casea obtains his copy of grant deed from the Recorder of Titles on pay- ment of insurance fee of One Farthing in the Pound on the pur- chase-monev, and a registration fee as follows: — s. d. Purchase Grant of £50 and under 5 U ,, over £50 and not exceeding £300... 7 6 over £300 10 All lands alienated under " The Crown Lands Act " or any pre- vious Act are liable to be resumed for mining purposes on payment of compensation for the value, other than that of gold or other minerals, of the lands and improvements so resumed. When the purchase-money in full has been paid, together with the grant deed fee, if the purchaser wishes the deeds to be made out in any name other than the party to the contract, the same can be done by transfer on the prescribed form, and upon payment of transfer fee of Threepence in the Pound on the purchase-money, and stamp duty. When grant deeds are issued from the Crown Lands Office the purchaser is notified of the fact, and that office is then no longer responsible therefor. The grant deed of any Crown land granted after the commence- ment of this Act shall contain a reservation to the Crown of the right at all times of making and constructing in or on the said land such and so many drains, sewers, and waterways for sanitary or other purposes as may be deemed expedient, and also the right of altering, amending, cleansing, or repairing such drains, sewers, and waterways. The grant deed of any Crown land granted after the commence- ment of this Act shall not include or convey property in gold, silver, copper, tin, or other metals, ore, mineral, or other sub- stances containing metals, or gems or precious stones, or coal or mineral oil, in or upon such land, the same being reserved by the Crown. Leases for Grazing Purposes. The Commissioner may, with the consent of the Governor, by notice in the " Gazette," describing with all practicable precision the extent, locality, and boundaries of the runs to be let, with the upset rental affixed to each run, offer to sell by public auction, for any period not exceeding 14 years, to any person bidding the highest rental for the same, leases of lands of the Crown for graz- ing purposes, on a day to be named in such notice, not being less than thirty days after the first publication of the said notice. The upset annual rent to be paid for every such run shall be fixed and determined by the Commissioner, having regard to the class and situation of the land, and the number of sheep or cattle 36 which the Commissioner considers such run to be capable of carry- ing ; but in no case shall the upset annual rent be fixed at less, than Five Shillings per hundred acres. Notwithstanding anything hereinbefore contained, the Commis- sioner may cause a list of all such lands as may have been exposed to rental by auction and not disposed of, with the amount of rent fixed as the upset price for the same respectively, to be gazetted; with a notice that any person who applies before a day to be named in such notice to rent any such land by private contract may receive a lease to occupy the same for grazing purposes at the rent fixed as the upset price in such notice : Provided that if more than one application is received (before the time named) to rent the same run, such run shall not be let by private contract, but shall be put up for rental by auction as soon thereafter as may be. Such runs may remain open for rental by private contract for one year, and at the expiration of that period may be again put up by auction. The highest bidder for any run shall be entitled to receive a lease of the same for grazing purposes for the period fixed, not exceeding the number of years allowed by this Act, provided he pays by way of deposit an amount equal to one-half of such annual rental at the time of such auction. Such deposit shall be credited to such bidder as rent. If there is no bidder at such auction the Commissioner may reduce the amount of rent, and the run may be again exposed to auction after notice of the same has been given in manner herein- before provided, and so from time to time until the lease for the said run is sold. If and whenever any person liable for the payment of any such deposit fails to pay the amount thereof on the day on which such auction is held, such person shall be guilty of an offence against this Act. and upon conviction shall forfeit and pav a penalty of double the amount of such deposit in respect of which default has been made. Any lessee of Crown land for grazing purposes may, unless the lease contains a provision to the contrary, fell, for building or fenc- ing purposes in connection with the demised land, any timber growing on such land or on any unoccupied Crown land adjacent thereto. Every lessee of Crown land for grazing purposes under this or any previous Act whose rent is not in arrear may determine his lease bv giving at least six months' notice in writing to the Com- missioner, on any of the half-yearly days appointed for the pay- ment of the rent reserved by such lease, of an intention so to do, and upon payment of the rent for the half-year succeeding such notice; and upon the expiration of such notice and such payment the lease shall determine. Upon the expiration bv effluxion of time of leases of Crown land for grazing purposes, the Commissioner shall, when offering leases 37 of such lands for sale with the upset rental affixed to each run, specify the amount which the Commissioner considers the fair and reasonable value of all improvements erected or constructed upon the run. The person who becomes entitled to receive a lease of such land shall pay in cash at the time of sale to the Commissioner or person appointed by him, the amount so fixed as the value of such improvements; and in default of such payment the run shall be forthwith again put up for auction. The Commissioner, upon being satisfied by the outgoing lessee that such improvements or any portion thereof were erected or constructed by such lessee, or are his property by purchase or otherwise, may pay to him the whole amount received or so much thereof as shall represent the value of his improvements, but so that the sum paid to any such outgoing lessee shall not exceed the amount received by the Commissioner from the incoming lessee as hereinbefore provided. Other Leases. The Commissioner may, with the consent of the Governor, grant to any person who is the holder of a temporary licence for any period not exceeding 14 years, on such terms and conditions as the Governor sees fit, a special lease, called " a pastoral lease," of the land held under such temporary licence : Provided that this section shall only apply to lands within a mining area, and that no pastoral lease granted therein shall exceed 500 acres. The Commissioner may. with the consent of the Governor, lease to any person for any period not exceeding 21 years, on such terms and conditions as the Governor sees fit, any Crown land covered with button-grass, river-grass, or rushes, at a rental which shall not be less than One Pound Five Shillings for every 1000 acres, provided that the lessee shall covenant to improve the area leased to the extent of Two Pounds Ten Shillings per 1000 acres per year from the date of the lease. The Commissioner may, with the consent of the Governor, lease to any person for any period not exceeding 21 years, on such terms and conditions as the Governor sees fit, any Crown land at an altitude of not less than 1800 feet, at a rental which shall not be less than Two Pounds Ten Shillings for every 1000 acres, provided that the lessee shall covenant to improve the area leased to the extent of Five Pounds per thousand acres per year from the date of the lease. Leases fok other than Pastoral Purposes. (Part X). The Governor in Council may grant leases for a period not exceeding 14 years of any land bordering upon a navigable river, or on the sea, &c, if required for the purpose of constructing, using, 38 or enjoying wharves, jetties, docks, slips, or any other works of public utility. Xo such lease may interfere with the right of access to the sea, river, &c, on the part of any neighbouring proprietor, nor may it injuriously affect the navigation. For whatever pur- pose the land is leased, the lease may be determined in case of non-completion of the works, or violation of any conditions under which the lease was granted. The Governor in Council may also, under similar conditions, grant leases for a period not exceeding 14 years, for the right of constructing watercourses, &c, across any Crown lands; and may similarly lease any portion of a Crown reserve for the purpose of erecting or working thereon any manufactory, mill, or such other work ; but no such lease may tend to the obstruction of any road or the pollution of any river. Every such lease shall be liable to forfeiture in case of non- completion of the works for which the lease was granted. Leases of Land for Railways, &c. The Commississioner may lease for any period not exceeding 14 years, to any person applying for the same, any land required for the purpose of constructing tramways or railways, the Governor in Council fixing the terms and conditions. Licences for Occupation of Crown Land. (Part X.) Licences may be issued for the occupation of Crown lands for any period not exceeding 12 months from the date of such licence, on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed- Occupation of Lands on Mining Fields. Occupation Licences. The Commissioner may issue occupation licences to any person of the full age of 21 years or upwards, upon payment of the fee ot Five Shillings. The licence shall describe the position and area of the land ; and no person shall at any time hold more than CDe occupation licence. Any person being the holder of such licence shall be entitled (except as against His Majesty) to take possession of and occupy during the year current the surface of any Crown land within any mining field not exceeding one-quarter of an acre. An occupation licence cannot be transferred, and the holder thereof is not entitled to any compensation in respect of any improvements effected on the land, should the same be resumed by the Ciown. The licence may be determined at any time en a three months' notice ; but if the licence is within less than three months of expiration, then the notice may be for the unexpired period. 40 Residence Licences. The Commissioner may issue " residence licences " to any person of the full age of 21 years or upwards, upon payment of the fee of Ten Shillings. The residence licence shall describe the position and area of the land to be occupied ; and no person shall at any time hold more than one residence licence. Any person who shall be the holder of a residence licence shall be entitled (except as against His Majesty) to take possession of and occupy during the year current for residence as a domicile only the surface of any Crown land, not exceeding one-half of an acre, within any town situate within a mining field, and which has been surveyed and been declared to be available for the purpose of residence. Business Licences. The Commissioner may issue " business licences " to any person of the full age of 21 years or upwards, upon payment of the fee of Twenty Shillings. Every business licence shall describe the position and area of the land to be occupied thereunder ; and no person shall at any time hold more than one business licence. Any person who shall be the holder of a business licence shall be entitled (except as against His Majesty) to take possession of and occupy, for any period not exceeding one year, the surface of any Crown land situate within any mining field, and exceeding one-half of an acre, not being within a town. Residences and business licences may be transferred by endorse- ment to any person who is eligible. Occupation, residence, and business licences may be obtained from the various mining registrars and sub-collectors of revenue, at the principal mining towns throughout the State. List of officers authorised to issue such licences will be found on page 4 of this publication. Construction of Roads and other Public Works. (Part Xlll.) So soon as 500 acres of first-class land have been purchased under Parts III., V., or VI-, in not less than five lots adjoining or within a short distance of each other, the Governor shall, for the purpose of surveying and making roads, bridges, or drains in the vicinity of the lands so sold, raise a sum equal to Ten Shillings per acre for every acre so taken up, by the issue and sale of debentures chargeable on the Consolidated Revenue; and all the provisions of the Act 20 Victoriae, No. 9, shall applv to the deben- tures to be issued in pursuance of this Act. The Governor is authorised to raise in the same manner a sum of money not exceeding Five Shillings for every acre of second- class land sold, and of Two Shillings and Sixpence for every acre of third-class land sold, for the purpose of making roads, bridges, 41 drains, or such other works as the Governor in Council may approve of, in the vicinity of the land sold. As soon as the land has been sold within any town, not within a mining area, the Governor may, for the purpose of making streets, roads, or other improvements in the vicinity of the lands so sold, raise a sum equal to Ten Shillings for every Pound of the value of such land, by the issue and sale of debentures chargeable to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. One-half of all purchase-money received on and after the date of this Act for land sold or selected under this Act, other than in any city, and other than for land sold under Part VII. of this Act, shall be set apart from time to time, and paid into " The Public Debts Sinking Fund," and shall be applied in manner men- tioned in " The Public Debts Sinking Fund Act, 1881." For the purpose of constructing and completing roads, bridges, tramways, jetties, wharves, drains, and sewers, and for any other purpose under this Act, it shall be lawful for the Commissioner, or for such persons or boards as the Governor may appoint, to pur- chase and take such land as he or they may deem necessary. Huon Timber Co.'s Tramway. Geeveston. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TASMANIA. The geographical position of Tasmania is between the parallels 'of 40° 33 and 43° 39 south latitude, and between the meridians of 144° 39' and 148° 23' east longitude. It comprises an area of 26,215 square miles, or 16,778,000 acres — including islands — of which about 6| millions of acres are alienated from the Crown. (The general features of the country are hilly and broken ; the (central portion is occupied by an elevated plateau containing the principal lakes in the island, and from which numerous strong and permanent rivers take their rise. One portion of this plateau rises abruptly from elevated land situated from 1500 to 1800 feet above sea-level to a height of between 2000 and 3000 feet, from which the principal peaks rise to a maximum height of 5000 feet. These mountains comprise what are known as the Great Western Ranges, between which and the eastern mountain system — the general bearing of which is from north to south — lies the largest extent of cultivated land in the State, extending from the Upper Mersey on the west to Ben Lomond and St. Paul's Dome on the east. Nearly all this country is of basaltic formation, with occa- sional patches of sandstone and limestone intervening. Along the North-West Coast the basaltic formation continues, and several extensive areas of rich agricultural land are to be found separated from each other by rugged, and for the most part barren, ranges or chains of hills, trending northwards. Owing to the numerous rivers intersecting it, and the heavy timber and dense scrub with which the fertile soil is always encumbered, this portion of the island has only been opened up during the last 48 years, but no part of Tasmania has made such rapid progress in population and production. Though less adapted to cereals than other districts in . Tasmania, the North-West Coast is eminently suited to potato-culture, and a large export trade has been estab- lished with the neighbouring States, to which New South Wales is the principal customer. During the season 1910-11, 70,090 tons of potatoes were grown in Tasmania. 'In the north-eastern portion of the State, where granite and Tertiary formations predominate, the areas of agricultural land are limited, but this is more than compensated for by the valuable stan- niferous deposits which have now been profitably worked for over 30 years. Gold deposits, both reef and alluvial, are also found in the Eastern districts ; and on both banks of the River Tamar, a few miles inland from the North Coast, are situated two of the principal goldfields in the State. An important belt of mineral country also traverses the North-West Coast inland from the agri- cultural areas that fringe the coast-line ; and between the famous 43 tin deposits of MLt. Bischoff and the silver-lead mines of Zeehan and Dundas and Mt. Lyell, deposits of copper, silver, gold, anti- mony, nickel, and bismuth are known to exist, and are now in course of development. The south-eastern portion of Tasmania is devoted to pastoral pursuits- In the valleys of the Derwent and several of the tribu- taries of the Huon fruitgrowing is an important industry ; indeed, it forms the greatest export product ol the State. It reached 1,331,324 cases last season, and that number will probably be doubled before many years have passed. In the valley of the Der- went hopgrowing is also successfully pursued on an extensive scale. The elevated midland portions of the island are devoted to sheep and cattle and the stud flocks of both long and short wool sheep- breeders, are favourably known throughout Australasia, shipments of pure-bred sheep being even made to the Cape of Good Hope. Of the south-western portion of the State — which is very rugged and mountainous — but little is known; hopes are, however, entertained that further exploration may lead to the discovery of mineral deposits in what is at present an extensive and uninhabited part of the country. Though the total area of agricultural land in the State must of necessity be somewhat circumscribed, yet the fertility of the soil, coupled with the abundance of permanent streams of pure water everywhere to be met with, and the salubrity and mildness of climate, have gained for Tasmania the title of " The Garden of the South," and caused it to be regarded as a popular summer resort for visitors from the warmer climate of the Australian Continent. Owing to the peculiar formation of the island and the ease with which any desired elevation may be obtained, the choice is offered of a wide range of climate within a comparatively limited area — a distance of 30 or 40 miles carrying one from the warm and equable temperature of the sea-shore to an almost Alpine atmosphere. Climate and Rainfall. Tasmania is plentifully supplied with numerous streams of the purest water, and possesses one of the best and most healthful climates in the world, being neither too hot in summer nor severely cold in winter, as may be gauged by the following climatological and meteorological records : — The highest annual rainfall recorded in Hobart is 4067 inches in the year 1863, and the lowest is 13'43 inches in 1843, while the annual average rainfall is 23 "40 inches. Taking, however, the portion of the State best adapted to agri- cultural and pastoral pursuits, it may be stated that the average annual rainfall over this area is 32' 60 inches, and that the major quantity falls in the most favourable period, viz., between May and October. 44 Temperature. The mean shade summer temperature is recorded as 6T4, and the mean winter temperature is 47"0 ; while the highest recorded is 105"0, and the lowest at 27'7, and the highest recorded sun tem- perature for 21 years is 160'0. As these records have been taken at Hobart they will of course vary according to latitude and eleva- tion, but they will not materially alter in the settled districts of the State. A separate chapter is devoted to furnishing a description of the lands comprised in every county, so far as the limited space avail- able will admit of that being done. COUNTY OF ARTHUR. Contains 816,000 acres, all of which is still in the possession of the Crown. It is irregularly L-shaped, and extends from the Pic- ton River on the east to Elliott Cove on the west, and from Port Davey on the south to the Gordon River on the north. It com- prises a large proportion of mountainous, poor country, though the elevations attained are not so great as in the central counties. The Mts. Picton, De Witt, Wilmot, Frankland, and Arthur Ranges vary from 2000 to 3700 feet above the sea ; the latter two are the best defined examples of mountain scenery in Tasmania. The valleys are of inferior quality, generally open, wet, and gravelly, covered with button-grass, interspersed with thick belts of low scrub. The scrub in the south-eastern portion is almost impene- trable. Large quantites of Huon pine (Dacrydiurn franklin ti), the most durable and the most valuable timber in the Commonwealth of Australia, have been taken from excellent timber beds along the Davey River. These timber beds have been much reduced, but it is known that others exist further inland. Marine and fresh-water Tertiary deposits have been observed in the valleys of the Huon and Serpentine Rivers to the east of the ranges. With these exceptions, metamorphic schists, sandstones, and quartzite conglomerates predominate throughout the county. Discoveries of gold, silver, and copper have been made, but they have in no case been brought to a successful issue. A track has been cut out and well marked from the Tyenna settlement, via Mt. Wedge and Lake Pedder, right through this county to Port Davey, and is now available for prospectors and others desiring to traverse it. The county has been little prospected up to the present time. Moore's Track from Birch Inlet, Macquarie Harbour, to Port Davey, intersects the western portion of this county. A continua- tion of the last named track has been marked through to Southport, in D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and a branch track run down to Cox's Bight, where some claims were taken up and worked for tin with indifferent success. 46 Port Davey possesses a land-locked and one of the safest anchor- ages in the State in stormy weather. The harbour is a fine sheet of water, surrounded by wild but beautiful scenery ; it trends east erly, and is navigable for 20 miles, and receives the outflow of Old. North, Spring, and Davey Rivers. COUNTY OF BUCKINGHAM. Embraces the portion of country lying between the Derwent and the Huon Rivers. It is bounded on the east by D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and extends westerly to the Florentine River, comprising 1,072,700 acres, of which 349,400 acres have been alienated, and 9100 acres held for sawmilling operations. It includes the City of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, with a population of 40,000, and is intersected by two main macadamised roads — the one leading from the capital southerly to the Huon River, across the spurs of Mt. Wellington. (4166 feet above sea-level), forms one of the most attractive drives in the State ; the other, along the banks of the Derwent to the Salmon Ponds at the River Plenty, is also a favourite drive for visitors; while the 10 miles from the city to Kingston cannot be surpassed, for a short stage. Buckingham is a mountainous county, of which the summit of Mt. Wellington is the highest point. Agricultural settlement has been confined to the Channel and river frontages. In the Florentine Valley 11,000 acres of good land still await development. The surveyed route of the proposed Great Western Railway-line intersects the country between Glenora and the " Great Bend " in the Gordon, and extends north-westerly to Zeehan, in the County of Montagu. Much of this land might be devoted to fruitgrowing, for which it is admirably adapted ; and good timber beds are met with back in the ranges, and are being developed. The other areas of country to which the attention of the selector is directed are in the vicinity of the Weld River, which falls into the Huon, and in the locality of the Sandfly coal discovery, 4 miles from the main Hobart to Huon road, and 15 miles from the city. Coal of high quality has been known to exist on this land for many years, portion of which has been held under lease for working the mineral. Its inaccessibility and distance from market, or absence of cheap transit have hitherto retarded its development, but there is now a prospect of its worth being turned to practical account -by the persons in whose hands it is placed. This county of which the centre is greenstone formation — is almost encircled by a border of coal measures. Mr. District Surveyor Herbert Combes reports as follows on the survey district of Buckingham, south of Hobart: — Lands Suitable for Selection. In the Parishes of Longlev, Champ, Throckmorton, and Ranelagh very little land, even third-class, is to be found worth selecting,. 47 and, as 1 have already stated in my former reports, it is in almost inaccessible places. In the Parishes of Lonna and Punna, on the Russell, Denison, and Weld Rivers, there is a large area of good land open for selec- tion ; also a considerable area of second-class land suitable for fruit- growing. The want of a good road to this land is the only draw- back. The lluon district, as is pretty well known, is one of the oldest and one of the roughest and most broken of the settled districts in the State, and it is therefore only reasonable to state that there are small areas of good land in the back country yet to be selected apart from those mentioned in the foregoing remarks; but what is very important to note in this connection is the thousands of acres of first-class fruit lands which are being or have been purchased from the Crown still in virgin state, and much of which could, no doubt, be acquired at a moderate upset, within easv access of made or opened roads. Some of these lands have been partially improved, and inexpensive buildings erected thereon, and are consequently better adapted to the requirements of a stranger coming to Tas- mania than the Crown lands in the back country. The initial •cost of acquiring the former lauds is greater, but generally speaking will be found less than the work can be done by the settler coming from abroad. Timber, Beds. As I have before stated, there is a good bed of timber on the north-east side of the Russell, and also at the head of the River Denison. At the back of Mt. Wellington, on the southern slope of the mountain called Sleeping Beauty, at the head of the Mountain River, there exists a good bed of timber of about 400 acres, with a sawmill near to it. The owners of this mill have tried several times to get a lease to cut timber on this land, but have been refused each time on the grounds that it is reserved in connection with the Hobart water-supply. It appears to me that it is a great pity that all this valuable timber should be allowed to go to waste, as it will do before many years, as the first bush fire will destroy the whole of it. I would sug- gest that it be leased to millowners from year to year. In conclusion, I can say that things in the Huon district are about the same as they have been for the last few years- The Chief Forest Officer, Mr. J. C. Penny, reports as follows: — In the month of September, 1909, I visited Uxbridge for the purpose of ascertaining whether it would be advisable to throw open for selection about 1500 acres of the eastern portion of the Uxbridge Timber Reserve. 48 Finding that a large quantity of the timber had been destroyed by fire, it was useless to continue this portion as a reserve, with the exception of 280 acres, and such other small areas as the sur- veyor may find to be worth reserving. Much of the land over which I travelled is a good red soil, with here and there, stony patches, and it is generally covered with sassafras, musk, dogwood, and ferns. From what I could see of the other portions of the reserve, there appeared to be a large area of flat and undulating country. This, I was told by Mr. Fenton and others who had been through it, contained some thousands of acres of red soil similar to that I saw. The reserve itself is reached in 10 miles from the Glenora Rail- wav-station, and there are four good roads leading to the edge of it. As the elevation is only in places a little above the present furthest settlement, it could be made easily available by the exten- sion of these roads. From my observation I think this one of the most desirable places for the extension of settlement. I Mr. Government Surveyor C. E. Radcliff, reports as follows on the Derwent Valley, Bruni Island, Franklin, and Kent districts: — \ Lands Suitable for Selection. No new areas have become available since my last report, and, except for isolated lots, the following localities contain the best land suitable for selection: — Bruni Island: Adventure Bay, east of selections of Kaden and others; Cloudy Bay Lagoon, south of Edwards' selections; Great Taylor's Bay and north of Lighthouse reserve. North Bruni Island, north of the neck ; Kent, South- port — the southern portion of town reserve of Hythe ; Port Esper- ance, between Raminea and the Village Settlement on the Esperance and Creekton Rivers. New Norfolk district. — A large area of second and third class land is available on Mt. Lloyd and at Uxbridge. This land is proved to be good grass-growing land, and is in parts suitable for small-fruits. It is well watered, and the elevation varies from 700 to 2000 feet. To the south of the settlement of the selections in Uxbridge there is a considerable area of good basaltic soil, suitable for arti- ficial grasses at an elevation of from 600 to 2500 feet. This land faces the north, and lies on the opposite side of the range from the areas of Crown lands referred to by Mr. Combes in the Huon district. At Tyenna, on the north-western and south-eastern sides of present selections there are patches of land suitable for selection, being merely in extension of the present Uxbridge settlement, which faces the Derwent, and finds an outlet on the Derwent Val- ley railway to Hobart. At the northern end of Bruni Island, in the town of Lennon, and north of Cape Frederick Henry, there are considerable areas 50 suitable for fruitgrowing. These areas are beautifully situated between the fine D'Entrecasteaux Channel on the one side, and Storm Bay on the other, with short lengths of cartage, and about 30 miles by water from Hobart by the river steamers that ply almost daily all the year round. These remarks apply also to lands fronting Adventure Bay on South Bruni Island. South of Fluted Cape there are small areas of good land suitable for grassing. The observations contained in the remarks on the Buckingham districts apply equally well to Franklin. These districts are especially suited to the production of fruit and dairying, both by soil and climate, and the reason that attention is directed to the facilities for acquiring private lands, is mainly due to the knowledge of the fact that the bidk of these fruit lands have been purchased from the Crown as third-class instead of first-class, and therefore far below their value. It is impossible to fix an accurate sum for clearing these lands, as the extent of timber and scrub growing thereon varies so much, but it may be fairly gauged as ranging between £5 and £20 per acre. COUNTY OF COB NW ALL. Contains 1,100,700 acres, of which 399,010 acres have been alien- ated. It is bounded on the east by the ocean, on the south and west by the St. Paul's and South Esk Rivers, and on the north by the North Esk and George Bivers. It includes the City of Launceston, and comprises land of a varied description, upon which three of the staple industries of the State — viz., agriculture, mining, and pasture — are largely represented. The first discovery of gold in Tasmania occurred in this county in about the year 1859, wherein mining also took its origin. Galena has been discovered, and min- ing for gold, tin, and coal has been constantly pursued for many years, whilst the Mt. Nicholas coalfield at St. Marys has proved the best and most permanent coal-mine in the State. This mine enjoys the advantages of railway as well as road communication with either city, and is 80 miles by road from Launceston. The New Golden Gate Gold Mining Company, situated at Mathinna, proved to be one of the best mines in Australia. It paid its way, without any capital being called up, from the commencement, and it distributed £355,200, or £11 2s. per share, in dividends to the fortunate shareholders since 1888, as the result of a yield valued at £865,674, from 271,348 tons, being a yield of 16 dwt. 18-41 gr. per ton up to the 31st January, 1908- Since then it became unpro- fitable, and was practically closed for some time. It has, however, resumed operations recently with good prospects of success. The drive from Mt. Nicholas through St. Marys Pass, and thence along the seaboard and across the Scamander Biver (a favourite resort for anglers) to St. Helens, is very beautiful, and the total distance, 52 27 miles, is not fatiguing. This county includes the only important bed of ironbark timber in the State. It covers some 250 square miles. The best of the alienated lands lie along the valley of the South Esk. Of those remaining— Mr. District Surveyor Thomas Clark, reports as follows on the Fingal survey district : — Lands Available for Selection. County of Cornwall, Parishes of Fingal, Woodford, Broomsgrove, Chesterfield, Avoca, St. Paul's. Wolverton, Haslemere, Gray ton, Grant, Break o'Day, Tirana, Boultbie, Ben Lomond, Castle Carey, St. Aubyn, Gardiner, Fraser, Fonthill, Evercreech, Talbot, Egre- mont, Lunta, Goshen, and Lowelly : In the foregoing parishes patches of first-class land in small lots are in existence, while large areas of land of second and third rate quality are in evidence, the geological formations of the country being granite, greenstone, sand- stone, and slate. A large portion of the second and third class lands in these localities makes good pasture for sheep and cattle. The largest area of this land is encountered in the Parishes of Fin- gal, Chesterfield, Wolverton, Haslemere, St. Paul's, Ben Lomond, Castle Carey, St. Aubyn, and Gardiner. A quantity of this land is well covered with natural grasses ; this applies in the main to the Parishes of Chesterfield, St. Paul's, Ben Lomond, Castle Carey, and Gardiner. Parish of Gray. — Practically no land of a first-class nature is available in this parish ; the bulk of the unalienated land in this locality is of second and third class quality, and is mostly coastal country- Vicinity of Ford River and Rose's Tier. — In this locality first- class land only exists in small lots ; there are, however, large areas of lands of a second and third class nature having geological forma- tions of granite and greenstone. This land is fairly flat, it being on a plateau. Parishes of Eastwood, Moriarty, Frampton, and Granipound. — There are large areas of unalienated Crown land in the foregoing localities. That of a first-class quality is, however, small, while there are extensive areas of second and third class lands, the geo- logical formation of the country being granite and slate. A deal of the land in this vicinity has a good clay subsoil, and experimental orchards planted give indications that a deal of the land is adapted to the production of fruit. The largest extent of this land lies along the coast between the mouth of the Scamander River and George's Bay, and is served by the main-road from St. Marys to St. Helens, which runs through portion of it. The climate is good, and water-carriage is at hand by a coastal steamer from St. Helens. Parishes of Blessington, Brentwood, Ben Nevis, Panubra, and Mountjoy. The foregoing parishes only contain first-class land in 53 small lots; the major portion of the land is of a second and third class quality, suitable for grazing. County of Glamorgan, Parishes of St. Cuthberts, St. Andrews, Stieglitz, Cooktowu, Douglas, Bicheno, Teenah, Glastonbury, East- bourne, Roonah, Eleebana, Riversdale, Apslawn, St. Albans, Mere- dith, Rawlinna, and Riawenna. Practically no first-class land is available in these localities, the bulk being mostly of third-class nature, which is only suitable for grazing purposes. County of Dorset, Parishes of Alberton, Gould, Lotta, Monna, and Weld.— In these localities small patches of first-class land remain, with large areas of second and third class quality. The geological formation of the country is basalt, granite, greenstone, and slate- Parishes of Evershot, Hartlepool, and Marana. — In these three parishes small patches of first-class land exist in conjunction with larger areas of land of a second and third rate quality which is suitable for grazing purposes. I beg to state that the only Crown land I am acquainted with of any extent is on Rose's Tier, between Ford River and the South Esk River, being about 2000 acres, and 1 estimate it is made up as follows : 1st. About 300 acres of first-class land on the South Esk River, suitable for agricultural purposes, of granite and slate formation, at an elevation of about 1000 feet above sea level, and about 25 miles from the town of Fingal. 2nd. About 400 acres of second-class land on the eastern slope of Rose's Tier, and about 300 acres of the same class on the western slope of the same tier at an elevation of about 2000 feet above sea- level, and about 26 and 32 miles respectively from the town of Fingal. The formation is granite and slate, and the land is suit- able for artificial grasses. 3rd. About 1000 acres of third-class land on plateau of Rose's Tier, at an elevation of about 2500 feet above sea-level, with forma- tions of granite, slate, and greenstone, being about 30 miles from town of Fingal. This area is suitable for grazing cattle in its native state, and artificial grasses should do on it. There is unknown country between Mts. Ben Nevis, Maurice, and Barrow. It would take a party three months to explore the country thoroughly, and I doubt if any »ood results would be obtained, owing to the high altitude. FINGAL. The Fingal survey district covers a large area of country between Swansea and Ringarooma. Much of the land is let under pastoral leases, while it embraces a large proportion of the East Coast tin district, and the prosperous George's River, Groom River, and Gould's Country agricultural settlement, which is being well settled upon and improved. A large proportion of the Crown lands in this 00 district is withdrawn from selection in the mining interest, embracing an area of >ome 4000 acre-, which are well suited to and will yet become one ot' the dairying areas in the State. It takes in the township- of Avw-a, Fingal, St. Marys, Mathinna, St. Helens, Gould's Country, Lotta, Weldborough, and others of less import- ance, as well as the fine fishing grounds at Scamander, which have now become a favourite resort for tourists. There are considerable areas of fruit lands along the coast, and a few miles inland in this district yet unalienated, and to which the attention of persons in search of orchard lands is directed. COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND. Comprises about 553,000 acres, of which 36,960 acres have been alienated. It is bounded on the east by the Clyde River, on the west by the Nive River, on the south by the Derwent, and extends northerly to the Great Lake. It includes the most southern portion of the Lake plateau, and is composed for the most part of rough, rocky tier country, with wet marshes on the higher levels. If drained these marshes would be most suitable for the growth of English grasses and root crops. The land is generally covered with :an indifferent growth of rough grass. Its best portions are along the valley of the Clyde and across the southern slopes towards the Derwent. This portion of the country consists principally of open grassy ridges, well watered by the Dee, Ouse, Shannon, and Clyde Rivers- Much of the land is of excellent quality, but its best areas have been long since alienated. COUNTY OF DEVON. The County of Devon is centrally situated on the north coast of Tasmania. It extends from the Tamar River on the east to the Emu River on the west, and from Bass Strait on the north to Chudleigh on the south- It contains 1,466,300 acres, of which 636,060 have passed into private ownership. It was originally nearly all dense forest country, and covered with heavy scrubs, but its rich basaltic soils comprise the largest areas of agricultural land in the island. The excellent seaports of Port Sorell, Devonport, Ulverstone, and Penguin, afford the best accommodation for shipping. This county possessed the most extensive beds of splitting and sawing timbers to be found in the State, which were the principal factors in establishing the pioneer settlements on the north coast of Tas- mania in the early fifties. At this period the discovery of gold in Victoria, where timber was scarce and of indifferent quality, gave a wonderful impetus to the timber industry of this State. The export of valuable timbers, consisting of swamp-gum, stringy-bark, peppermint, and blackwood, has continued to be a great boon to selectors on the back lands of the county up to the present day. 56 The lands of Devon are well watered by the Rivers Mersey, Don, Forth, Leven, Penguin, Blythe. and numerous small streams lead- ing seawards. The north-eastern portion of the county includes the rich agricultural settlements of Sassafras, Green's Creek, and New Ground ; they are situated between the Asbestos Range and Mersey River, and consist of low basaltic hills of chocolate soil, with rich black land in the flats between. They are convenient to Port Sorell, but the bulk of the produce is delivered at the Latrobe railway- station for shipment at Devonport. Since the new bridge was erected across the Mersey, connecting East and West Devonport, much of the produce raised in the Northdown and Port Sorell districts, and formerly delivered at Latrobe, is carted direct to Devonport, which is the most important shipping port on the North-West Coast, with a population of 4800 by last census. The country between Port Sorell and the River Tamar is occupied by the Asbestos Range, and is of a poor and worthless character for agriculture. To the south-east of this range a patch of aurifer- ous country occurs, of which the goldfield and town of Beaconsfield form the principal centre. Beaconsfield contains a population of about 3500 persons, of whom about 600 are employed on the Tasmania Mine. Since min- ing began, to September 30, 1912, 968,880 tons of quartz have been crushed, yielding 809,314 standard oz. of gold, value £3,076,096, out of which £772,071 15s. has been paid in dividends. The area held by the company is 264 acres, with a battery-power of 40 heads. The mining field of Beaconsfield is backed up by agricultural settlements of Flowery Gully, Glengarry, and Frankford on the south. Rough basaltic land extends southerly along the Tamar to the South Esk. There are extensive flats of rich agricultural land in the valley of the river. The central portion of this county is inter- sected by the Launceston and Western Railway, which runs along the valley of the Mersey to Devonport, and thence follows the coast-line westerly, and junctions with the Emu Bay Company's railway at Burnie. The latter line has been extended to Zeehan, via Rosebery. The staple productions are potatoes, grain, and butter, for which the soil and climate are eminently adapted. WEST TAMAR, The District of West Tamar embraces the settled country from the City of Launceston, on the Tamar, to the Rubicon or Port Sorell, on the west. It embraces the old agricultural centres of Carrick, Westbury, Deloraine, and Elizabeth Town, as well as the newer and smaller farming centres of Glengarry, Supply River, and Black Sugarloaf ; also the mining centre of Beaconsfield. This district, as well as many others referred to, possess large areas of land that will yet be converted into fine orchards from a waste 58 and unprofitable condition. Lands in this district along the valley- of the Tamar are now selling at comparatively high rates for apple-growing. Those near the river are mostly privately owned,, and in comparatively large areas, being used as runs for stock until recently ; but there are equally good orchard lands back from the river. Mr. A. C. Hall. District Surveyor of Wesl and Central Devon, reports as follows: — In this district there is now not much Crown land which can be recommended for agricultural purposes, owing to the elevation of the " ringed " areas of the good land. Much of this land will, however, be turned to good account for dairying and fattening stock as the best lands become cleared and utilised. At the pre- sent there are many hundreds of lots, embracing thousands of acres of the best lands of the district, unimproved, and until these lands are brought into a state of profitable production the less eligible country will not be sought after. On chart No. 2 there are several portions out of which it should be possible to obtain 3000 or 4000 acres suitable for fruitgrowing, and being close to good roads, rail- way, and harbour, should offer great inducement to those immigrants who propose taking up orcharding as a liveli- hood. The soil is of poor quality, but in most instances very similar to that which is being planted with orchards in the locality, and for which up to £7 per acre in its natural state is being paid. Most of this land has been leased for mining purposes (shale), but so far has not proved profitable, and there should be a large area not likely to be required for that purpose. Mr. Hall's district strictly extends from the Rubicon Eivulet to* the River Blyth, and includes the townships of East and West Devonport, Leith, Ulverstone. Penguin, and other centres of population. It is traversed from east to west along the coast by the Ulverstone-Burnie Railway, and embraces the greatest area of first-class basaltic soil in Tasmania, which is being settled upon and improved back 30 miles from the seaboard. It is available to the shipping ports of Devonport, Burnie, and many less important places visited by small crafts. Mr. District Surveyor Joseph Wilts reports as follows on portion of the Deloraine survey district : There are about 1000 acres south-east from the town reserve of Liena suitable for grass, cultivation, aud fruit culture. The good land is mixed with poorer land. The portion of Devon in which Mr. Wilks is engaged is similar to that over which Mr. Mali presides, and forms a part of one of the best districts in Tasmania. It is well settled by a thriving population, in small areas, and vet it is capable of supporting a much greater number of settlers on the purchased lands. It includes the rich lands of the Wilmol district for which the money 60 has been voted by Parliament for the construction of a railway to connect with the main system at Railton, and takes in the popular township of Sheffield and the less pretentious centre of Wilmot. COUNTY OF DORSET. The County of Dorset is the largest in Tasmania. It comprises 1,434,800 acres, of which 339,000 acres have been alienated; 15,000 acres are held under lease for sawmiliing, and a large area is leased for mining purposes. It embraces the north-east corner of the island, and extends from the ocean on the east to the River Tamar on the west, and from Bass Strait on the north to the Esk and George Rivers on the south, whilst the eastern mountain system terminates near its western boundary. The lands are of a very variable description and value, ranging from the richest agricul- tural areas to the most inferior pastoral country. Many areas of auriferous character occur, together with the great belt of stan- niferous country — extending from the Ringarooma River to the East Coast at George's Bay — and form one of the most important mining fields in Tasmania. The best of the alluvial tin deposits have been worked out, but many lode-formations have been dis- covered, though none has so far proved satisfactory. The increase in population which the tin discoveries created in this district in 1875 gave a wonderful impetus to the farming industry, and although the agrcultural lands were mostly all heavily timbeied, the Ringarooma district now contains some of the finest estates in Tasmania, notably " Legerwood," " North view," "Mineral Banks," and " Branxholm," comprising 10,500 acres. Progress in settlement would have been more extensive generally had it not been hindered by the withdrawal of large areas from selection for many years for mining purposes, some of which have, however, recently been thrown open for sale and selection. Much of the soil is of good quality. The eastern portion of the county consists of granite formation, which extends from Cape Portland' to the Scamander River, in the adjoining County of Cornwall. It includes the tin deposits of Mt. Cameron, and is overlaid in places by Teritary formations. The good lands are composed for the most part of the disintegration of the prevailing trap-rock overflowing the granite and slate formations. Tn many places there is ample evidence of the existence of tin deposits at some depth from the surface. The coast border is inferior pastoral country, covered with rough herbage. It is generally composed of Tertiary gravels, resting on a slate bottom. The trap-rock occurs near the Tamar, where the land is of fair quality. Silurian rocks are generally met with in the north-western por- tions of this county, which comprises the goldfieids of Lefroy, Golconda, and other localities where gold has been discovered. 62 The Launceston-Scottsdale railway extends to the centre of the county. It is traversed by coach route from the railway terminus av Branxholm, via Derby, Moorina, and St. Helens to connect with the Fingal railway terminus at St. Marys. The Dorset district includes the country along the north coast between the Great Forester River on the east and the Tamar on the west, and includes the large and well settled district of Scotts- ■dale. Although there are no extensive agricultural Crown lands available, since the best portions have been long since secured by purchase from the Crown, yet this district, in common with those lying to the east, possesses extensive areas of first-class fruit lands which are only made use of as unimproved sheep-runs. Anyone desiring to learn a practical lesson as to the value of these lands need only make a tour of the young orchard settlements along the banks of the River Tamar and the Lilydale settlement along the Launceston to Scottsdale railway-line. Referring to Crown lands available, suitable for: — (1) Agricultural purposes, (2) Fruitgrowing, and (3) Cultivation of ai'tificial grasses. in the Parishes of Gunn, Milson, Barrow, and Northallerton, there is practically no Crown land left suitable for (1) and (2). In the Parishes of Milson and Barrow there is a large area adapted for the cultivation of artificial grasses. This is sandstone and granite country generally over 2000 feet above sea-level, well watered, and fairly heavily timbered. The timber varies with the situation and the quality of the soil. On the tops of the ridges stringy-bark is the prevailing timber. White-gum also occurs, associated with stringy-bark, on areas which are generally rather poor. The better quality land is generally timbered with beech (so-called " myrtle ") and stringy-bark, and carries an undergrowth of sassafras, musk, dogwood, treefern, cathead fern, &c. There is a copious rainfall (probably well over 50 inches per annum), and what land has been scrubbed, burnt, and sown with cocksfoot grass, clover, and other grasses yields excellent summer pasture, and dairying is being extensively carried on by the selec- tors. Owing to the elevation the seasons are late and the winters cold, but it is rare for snow to lie on the ground for any appi - eci- able time. I believe that eventually this country will be found most suitable for the breeding and fattening of sheep. RINGAROOMA. The country lying between the Ringarooma River and the Great Forester River includes the important agricultural settlements of Ringarooma, Branxholm, Kay, Derby, and Forester, in which some of our richest basaltic lands are situated, and except the open CKING JRIVER GORGE, MDJ.MT LYELL RMLWAY. 64 sandy coast-line, are generally adapted to the production of cereala and root crops of every kind and in any quantity, as well as the best and most luxuriant growth of all kinds of artificial grasses. It is intersected by a good main road and the Scottsdale extension of the railway, which affords daily communication with Launces- ton, and the absence of which has kept the progress of the district biack for many years. As in the case of the eastern districts, there is a large proportion of good fruit country and coast border which will yet be turned to excellent account. The surveyor, Mr. Fraser, furnishes the following details of the localities in which the best Crown lands are to be found- The report is dated 1911, but the land is still unselected : — Mr. Authorised Surveyor Donald Fraser reports as follows: — In reply to your memorandum of 10th October, 1911, I beg leave to report: — The district with which I am best acquainted is contained in chart Dorset No. 5. All the accessible good Crown land has already been selected, but I know of one area of land suitable for artificial grasses which is at present inaccessible, but could be made acces- sible by construction of a special road. The land referred to commences at the intake of the Mt. Cameron water-race, and extends southerly to 100 acres (G. T. Kichards), and probably west of the three lots in the names of G. T., G. W., and O. R. Richards. The intake of Mt. Cameron race is not shown on chart, but I have travelled up the Mussel Roe River several times on foot to Richards' lots, and the land, principally on the west side, and probably in places on the east side, is suitable for settlement. It is fairly level, of granite formation, gum and blackwood timber, tree ferns, musk, dogwood, and willow scrub. The land is of a light nature, but very suitable for grass-growing. I have seen extraordinarily good grass on Richards' lots. Speaking roughly, the land suitable for settlement is 4 to 5 miles long north and south. I have not been far west of Mussel Roe River, but the land appears to be fairly level and may extend further westerly than half a mile. This could only be determined by a special visit. I know the land to the west of Richards' lots is farrly level and of even quality, and well watered. The land lies about 8 miles by chart south-easterly from the town of Pioneer. There is a rough road from Pioneer to the Govern- ment race. Probably a special road to the land would be, if graded, 11 or 12 miles in length, but it may also open up other land en route. The disadvantages of using this land for immigrants would be the long road cartage for cream or butter ; the placing of inex- perienced men on land that probably the hardiest of Tasmanian natives would find it a task to make a living from ; the isolated position of the land ; inaccessibility of schools, towns, &c, probably for some years after the settlers first located there ; the danger of clearing and grassing land which if not properly used and kept 66 clear will revert to a state of nature ; but as the first settlers in Tasmania had these same hardships to contend with in a greater degree, there is always the possibility that hard-working and deter- mined men, even if inexperienced, may make a success when helped by the Government and taught how to use the land, and helped to find markets, schools, &c. The land is there, and if the right type of settler be introduced it should keep a fair number. The climate is excellent, rainfall ample, and I believe water is abun- dant, not only in the Mussel Roe, but tributaries. At present I can only speak with reasonable certainty of the existence of, say, 1600 acres. An exploratory trip may reveal that this area is exceeded. The probable cost of a special visit to determine length and width of land more exactly would be about £20, as I consider it would take a week, and there would be some travelling expenses. COUNTY OF FRANKLIN. Contains 1,007,700 acres, of which only 240 acres have been alienated. Its greatest length, about 60 miles, is north-westerly, 1 extending from the Florentine River on the south-east to the King River on the north-west. Its eastern boundary includes Mt. 1 Arrowsmith, and Macquarie Harbour is its western limit. This f county is of a rugged, mountainous character, and comprises a limited extent of good land. Many of the mountain peaks approach an elevation of 5000 feet above sea-level. It is essentially mineral- bearing, but has been little prospected — the rough, and, until recently, isolated condition of the country rendering prospecting an arduous, costly, and tedious undertaking. Like the rich belt of mineral country which extends across the north-west end of the island from Strahan to Bass Strait, it is composed of meta- morphic and crystalline rock formation" of different ages. The exist- ence of gold was discovered many years since, and silver-lead has been found near the King River, in the vicinity of Mt. Lyell. A limited area of good agricultural land exists along the east shore of Macquarie Harbour, where miocene fresh-water deposits are met with. There are good areas of button-rush marshes within this county, which, it is believed, are well-suited to the growth of English grasses and root crops ; but some expenditure must be incurred in draining, to test the experiment. Mr. E. A. Marsden, while exploring for tracks for the Public Works Department, writes On 22nd February, 1897:- I beg to draw attention to an extensive area of agricultural land passed through by myself and party during my last exploring trip for the Public Works Department. " We traversed this area for 9 miles, the boundaries being, apparently, on the north by an uncharted river, taking its rise in two branches out of the south side of Mt. Hobhouse and north end of Wyld's Craig, and flowing south-easterly into the Derwent 67 River : on the east by the Derwent River to the south-west it appears to extend to the foot of Wyld's Craig, and southerly to the Florentine River, and mav possiblv prove to be an extension of the Florentine Valley. " This land is covered with myrtle (small white), pear-tree, and musk, with a vast quantity of silver wattle, cat-head ferns (rough and smooth), and tree-fern. Very little large timber was seen, and the few large trees along the portion traversed were gum- topped stringy-bark and swamp-gum." This land is still unselected, owing to its remoteness. COUNTY OF GLAMORGAN. Contains 658,600 acres, of which 237,190 acres have been alien- ated. It is essentially a pastoral district, and is bounded on the east by the ocean, on the south by Swan River, whilst it extends westerly to the eastern mountain range, and northerly to St. Paul's River. It is composed for the most part of rocky, rough tier country, of greenstone formation. The best lands lie along the coast-line and in the extreme western portion of the county. They consist of dry rocky hills, covered with a good growth of rough grass. There are some good agricultural lands comprised within the old estates at Swansea, but they are exclusively devoted to pasture. The State lands are generally of a steep, rocky, and rugged character, and selection progressed at a slow rate in con- sequence until " The Crown Lands Act, 1903," came into opera- tion. The passing of the Act quoted, which provides for the free selection of second and third class lands, created a demand for land in this and other pastoral districts throughout the island. A motor reaches Swansea from Sorell. Gold, tin, and coal have been discovered along the seaboard, but not in payable quantities so far. The most important public work which has been proposed for the advantage of Glamorgan for many years was the cutting of a navi- gation channel through East Bay Neck. This work cost £22,000, and reduces the sailing distance between Hobart and the East Coast ports by about 45 miles of the very worst portion of the distance . COUNTY OF KENT. Contains 820,500 acres, of which area 61,470 acres are alienated, and 60,690 acres held for sawmilling purposes. This county embraces the extreme south end of the island, and extends from D'Entrecasteaux Channel on the east to Port Davey on the west, and stretches northerly to the Arthur Range. It is of a broken and mountainous character, but contains some considerable areas of good Crown lands, the best of which lie along the eastern portion of the county, between the settlements of Geeveston and the Arve valley. The area of agricultural land is only about 7 or 8 milea from the navigable portion of the Huon River; but owing to 68 the impenetrable nature of the country a large expenditure is required to open it up. Settlement is confined to the Channel border, and extends from the town reserve of Hull on the Huon River to Recherche Bay. The quality of the soil and the moist nature of the climate render it admirably adapted to fruitgrowing. Fruit and timber form the staple industries of the district. The unexplored area is composed, as far as is known, of metamorphic schists, quartzites, sandstone, and clay slates. Gold and copper have been discovered, but not in payable quantities. A number of sawmills are engaged cutting timber for the local and export trade and extensive beds of splendid timber are still available to be operated upon. (See report by Mr. J. C. Penny, the Chief Forest Officer, on page 122.) Some of the finest mountain scenery in the State is to be found in Kent notably, the Hartz Mountains, Adamson Peak, Mt. La Perouse, and Bathurst Range- The Hartz Mountains and lakes in the vicinity are now approachable by track from Geeveston, distant 12 miles. A tourist hut has been erected at the mountain, and it is much appreciated by frequent visitors. Mr. C. E. Radcliff, Authorised Surveyor, reports as follows: — Lands Suitable foe Selection. My remarks under this heading are practically a repetition of those of last year. The best area that I know of available in the Huon district is in Kent, Parish of Garrett, between Raminea and the Village Settlement on the Esperance and Creekton Rivers ; it is of first, second, and third class quality. Large areas of third-class land are still available on South Bruni Island, in the vicinity of Cloudy Bay : and on the southern end of North Bruni, and at adventure Bay, South Bruni, small areas of first-class land, with large areas of second and third class land, can still be obtained. Mining. The Port Cygnet Coal Mine is the principal mine in the district. li is worked on a small scale only. The coal is anthracite, and is considered fairly useful for household purposes. At Recherche a coal seam is being prospected, but so far very little has been done in the way of working it for commercial purposes. It is considered by some to be of value as a steam coal, but so far, I believe, has not been tried extensive] v. COL XT Y OF LINCOLN. This county is centrally situated, and comprises 940,500 acres, of which 42,420 acres have been alienated. It extends northerly from the junction of the Derwent and Nive Rivers to the V.D.L. KING SOLOMON'S CAVES 70 Company's old track at Middlesex Plains, and from the head waters of the River Mersey on the east to the Murchison and Mackintosh Rivers on the west. It embraces the largest propor- tion of the lake uplands of the State, and is mountainous and rugged towards the south-western and north-western borders- The Du Cane Range (the Eldon Bluff, and Mts. Hugel and Olympus), whose highest points exceed 4500 feet, form an imposing array of mountain scenery ; whilst Cradle Mountain, with an altitude of 5069 feet, in the north-western division of the country, bears the greatest recorded elevation above sea-level in the whole of the State. In keeping with the order of the mountain system, all the principal rivers in Tasmania take their origin in this county, and trend in all directions — the Derwent south-easterly, the Mersey and Forth northerly, the Pieman and King westerly, and the Franklin south-westerly. The purchased and leased lands are situated in the south and eastern portions of the county ; they are unimproved, and used as bush-runs for stock. The hills are very rocky, and the plains are covered with coarse herbage and native grass. The soil is of fair quality, being enriched from the decomposed greenstone (diabase) which everywhere prevails; but a proper system of draining is necessary to eradicate the fluke from the summer marshes, which predominate, before good results may be anticipated. The severity of the climate, which is due to the elevated situation, will prevent its being ever largely utilised for agriculture. There is not sufficient summer weather to ripen grain crops. Coal has been discovered on private property, and arrangements for testing its value are in course of progress. The Government track from Liena on the Mersey and Rosebery — known as the Mole Creek or Innes' Track— crosses this county from east to west. It has had a large expenditure of public money on it. It traverses very high country, but is passable for horse traffic during the summer season. Some very promising mineral dis- coveries have been made along this route in the vicinity of Mt. Pelion and Barn Bluff, but they are difficult of access. COUNTY OF MONTAGU. The County of Montagu contains 594,600 acres, of which 3980 acres have been alienated, and a large area is leased from the Crown for mining. It includes a large proportion of the mineral zone which crosses the western part of the island. It is bounded on the north by the Pieman River, on the south by the King River, on the west by the Southern Ocean, and extends easterly to the Murchison River. The eastern portion of the county is rough and mountainous throughout, while Mts- Heemskirk and Agnew are the most prominent features westerly. They form the southern end of the stanniferous belt of country which extends northerly to Mt. Bischoff. The country between the ranges is rough and precipitous, with occasional patches of button-rush 71 marshes. It flattens out westerly along the sea-board, and consists principally of open quartzite ridges, with belts of thick scrub in the gullies. The land suitable for cultivation is limited. The importance of this county was first brought into notice by the discovery of tin at lleemskirk in 1877; previous to that date it was practically an unexplored wilderness. The district was subsequently abandoned, and it was not until the argentiferous galena deposits were first discovered by Long and Harnian in 1884, and subsequently brought into prominence by the discovery of the Silver Queen lodes in 1887, that a mining settlement was fairly established. The mining towns of Zeehan and Dundas soon sprang into existence. The Town of Zeehan, with a population of about 4500, is the principal centre of communica- tion in the northern portion of the county. It is connected with the Dundas mining field and town of Dundas by lh miles of railway, in addition to which the Emu Bay Company's railway connects Zeehan with Emu Bay, intersecting Colebrook, Rosebery, Mt. Black, and other mining centres / // route. Numerous trams, bush roads, and tracks have been opened by the various mining claims. An extensive survey of the entrance to ^lacquarie Harbour was made by Mr. Napier Bell, C.E., with a view to deepening the bar- A portion of the work was undertaken, the contract price for which was £60,000, but the results are problematical. The railway con- necting Zeehan with Strahan was opened for traffic in 1892. It is 29 miles in length, and was one of the best paving lines in the State until the Emu Bay railway was constructed. The Govern- ment has constructed a tramway or light railway on a 2-feet gauge to connect the ^\lt. Read districts with the Zeehan and Dundas railway-line. The tramway is \1\ miles in length, and reaches Ringville, Deep Lead, and other important places. The North Mt. Lyell Mining and Railway Company constructed a railway from Gormanston (Linda Valley) to Kelly Basin, in Macquarie Harbour. This railway is still open for traffic, but there is nothing to support its running regularly. A branch line has been surveyed right on to the North Lyell Mine. The town of Gormanston is on the opposite side of the range from the town of Queenstowm, from which the settled portion is distant about 2h miles. The town of Queenstown is situated on either side of the upper portion of the Queen River. It includes the Mt. Lyell Mining and Railway Company's extensive smelting and ore-reduction works. It sprang into existence and importance more rapidly than any town in Tasmania, the population being estimated at 5000 persons. The principal agricultural settlement is at Granville Harbour. There is also good land in the vicinity of the River Henty and in the valley of the Huskisson River, available for selection, 72 subject to the right of searching and mining for gold and other metals and minerals. There are other areas of less extent within the mining areas which are being selected since they were thrown open for settlement under " The Crown Lands Act, 1903.'' Even where the land is of inferior quality- as in the case of some of the small holdings near Strahan — the moist climate that prevails on the West Coast, and the local demand that existed for all kinds of vegetable and dairying products on the mines, created a constant enquiry tor settled lands. Where such lands are sold, the right to mine thereon is retained on payment of compensation to the owner for any improvements effected by him, by which provision the interests of the miner and the settler may be fairly met. The West Coast Range lies along the eastern border of the county. Tt comprises the Peaks of Sorell, Darwin, Jukes, Huxley, Owen, Lyell, and Sedgewick. They are composed of large masses of quartzite and sandstone conglomerates resting usually on a schist bottom, and form a highly mineralised belt of country, which extends northerly from the River Gordon to the Pieman. It con- tains deposits of iron and copper pyrites, bornite, silver -lead, gold, and other minerals, and includes the extensive Mt. Lyell Mine, which now ranks as one of the first magnitude. The Mt. Lyell Mining and Railway Company Limited. This is pre-eminent among the various enterprises. Since August 11, 1903, it has become a new company through amalgamation with the former North Mt. Lyell Copper Company Limited, which also operated in the same field. Capital, £1,300,000, in 1,300,000 shares of £1 each, all issued. Head office, 39 Queen-street, Mel- bourne : D. G. Lumsden, Secretary. Directors : William Jamie- son (chairman), Bowes Kelly (vice-chairman), Lindsay Tulloch, P. C. Holmes Hunt, Colin Templeton. London Directors: A. Williamson (chairman), Sir J. A. Cockburn, John P>. Ball, W. Douglas Reid. London Secretarv : E. Habben, Palmerston House, Old Broad-street, T.C. Tasmanian Agent: Hon. B. Stafford Bird, Hobart. The principal mines are situated near Gormanston, being the Mt. Lyell Mine and the North Mt. Lyell Mine, in addition to which the company also owns most of the other mineral properties in the field. During 1912 it acquired the Lyell Comstock Mine, and in 1913 the Crown Lyell Mine, both adjacent to the North Mt. Lyell Mine. The Mt. Lyell Mine was discovered in 1883 by Steve Karlson, who found the outcrop known since as the "Iron Blow." This was rich in gold, so that the property was worked for a time by various associations in a limited way as a gold mine. The former Mt. Lyell Company took over the property in 1892, and after prelimin- ary exploratory work in the course of which a rich pocket of ore was struck, which, bv >;ile in London, netted £105,000 out of 850 74 tons — active development work and treatment operations were begun in 1894. These were gradually extended in the course oi time, until the enterprise now ranks as one of the first magnitude. The North Lyell Mine has been worked since 1890, but the rich deposits of same were found in 1897. The former North Mt. Lyell Copper Company mined and smelted independently for a while, and also constructed a fine line of railway from Gormanston to Kelly Basin, at the head of Macquarie Harbour. Mining at the Mt. Lyell Mine is done on the open-cut or quarry system, as well as by underground methods, while the North Lyell ore is only won by underground mining. The reduction works are situated at Queenstown, on the Queen River, a tributary of the King River, and are distant in a straight line from the Mt. Lyell Mine about 1 mile, and from the North Mt. Lyell Mine about 1] mile. The carriage of ore from the mine to the reduction works is effected across an intervening mountain saddle by means of a self- acting haulage line in connection with steam tramways, and also by an aerial ropeway, which is capable of delivering 1500 tons of ore daily direct to the blast furnaces. The treatment of the ore is carried on at the rate of 1000 tons per day. The method used is that of direct smelting of the raw sulphide ore, known as " pyrite smelting,'' and the copper, silver, and gold values in the ore are concentrated into a matte, which is further treated in a converter department of a total capacity of from 60 to 70 tons of blister copper per day. The fluxes for smelting, as far as required, are derived from quarries near the reduction works, together with metal-bearing fluxes from smaller mines owned by the company. A 2-feet tramway system serves the reduction works, the total length of which is 17r f miles: in connection with which there are 4| miles more of mixed-gauge railway (3 feet 6 inches and 2 feet). Seven 2-feet locomotives and 200 vehicles are in use. The company derives nearly all its requirements for construction from its own leases, and has adequate facilities for brickmaking, sawmilling, repairs of all kinds, machine shop, foundry, and all subsidiary works- Electricitv is largely used as motive power, being transmitted from a generating station at the reduction works, being used (among other things) for driving the Ilgner winding-engine, air-compressor, and pumps at the mines. Six large steam-turbines are installed, besides four compound con- densing engines. The total boiler horsepower is 3200 i.h.p., exclusive of the railway. Weekly consumption of fuel at present, 550 tons firewood, and 400 tons coal. At present an hydro-electric installation is in course of construction, to utilise the water-power available at Lake Margaret, 7 miles from the works. This will be completed during the year, and at once supplant the steam- power plant mentioned. The number of men employed at the mine quarries, reduction works, and shops, &c, is 1600. Smelting operations were begun in June, 1896. Tn addition to its own ores, the company treats ores purchased from other mines. The average cost of mining, delivery, smelting, and converting (includ- ing power, fuel, fluxes, and all local, Melbourne, and London expenses) is 20s. per ton of ore. The quantity of ore treated since the beginning to October 1, 1913, is 5,337,158 tons, and the total of all metal-bearing materials is 6,241,676 tons. The amount of blister copper made during the same period is 125,606 tons, con- taining 124,107 tons pure copper; 10,394,853 oz. of silver; and 316,601 oz. gold. The company also possesses at Port Kembla, N.S.W., its own plant for the manufacture of the coke used in the smelting operations, and at Yarraville, Victoria, at Port Ade- laide, South Australia, and at Fremantle. West Australia, operates large chemical works for the manufacture of sulphuric acid and Mount Lyell Co.'s Smelters, Queenstovvn. superphosphates, and other artificial manures, &c. The pyrites for acid-making is largely derived from the Mt. Lyell Mine. The total dividends paid by the old company amounted to £996,574. The new company has paid £1,770,000 to June 15. 1912. Total, £2,766,574. A strike, lasting eight weeks, which occurred in Sep- tember, 1911, has given the company a set-back, and operations were again seriously interfered with by the disastrous fire in the North Mt. Lyell Mine, which took place on October 12, 1912. The company has two railways, one from the reduction works to Regatta Point, opposite Strahan, Macquarie Harbour, and one from Gormanston to Kelly Basin, at the head of the harbour- At both it has adequate wharf facilities. The Queenstown and Strahan line is 31 miles long, 41 miles of which are over 1 in 16 and 1 in 20 gradients, surmounted by special engines on a rack 76 rail alter the Abt system. The Gormanston-Kelly Basin line is 28 miles long. Total, 59 miles. Rolling Stock-seven adhesive engines, four Abt locomotives, and 200 vehicles. Regatta Point is connected with the Strahan terminus of the Strahan-Zeehan Government railway, so that direct connection exists between Queenstown and the general railway system of the State. Nearly the whole of this county is withdrawn from sale in favour of the mining industries, although it includes some first-class pastoral areas since the scrub has been burnt out by bush fires and arti- ficial grasses thrown on the surface. At the present time it is sup- porting some of the most profitable milk and butter supplies, and probably running 1500 head of cattle, the whole of which are consumed on the West Coast mining fields; but it is not adapted to make homes for an immigrant population, as the tenure of the land is subject to mining interests, and is, therefore, some- what precarious. Mr. District Surveyor C. S. Wilson reports as follows: — Lands Suitable fok Selection. A good deal of the land in this district suitable for agricultural and pastoral purposes, and within reasonable distance of the min- ing settlements, is specially set aside as leasing lands for minerals, and consequently is unavailable to the settler. There does not, however, appear to be any sufficient or logical reason why such a condition should continue. It must be obvious that the mining industry would be materially assisted by the presence of the far- mer, and in being supplied with locally-grown products. Too much insistence cannot be given to the principle that the pro- sperity of a district which is solely dependent on one industry- - such as, in this case, mining- would be considerably strength- ened by the proper development of other activities. Beyond doubt on numerous areas of the West Coast the work of the pro- spector should be dovetailed in with that of the cultivator. As yet there has: not been any selection on I he West Coast worth mentioning, and during the year the only selection of land for agricultural purposes has been a few lots distributed over the dis- trict. Doubtless in time this district will receive the attention of settlers, tor whose information it may here be noted that there is a good local market for produce of all kinds. In the opinion of those best qualified to judge, a fair proportion of the unalienated land would be converted into sound pastoral runs. Some doubts may exist regarding the climatic disabilities, but the fears enter- tained on that score are dispelled, to some extent, judging by the luxuriant growth of artificial grasses to be seen in various places throughout the district, and upon which stock thrive and fatten when shelter-protection is provided equally as well as they do in districts where the rainfall is normal. Wherever mining opera- 77 turns have led to the clearing of the land of scrub, good teed has sprung up, providing pasturage for several hundred head of cattle. Each year is adding to the acreage around the mining settlements of what may be classed as partially-cleared land, due to the opera- tions of the firewood and timber-cutters. As a rule, excellent burnings off are obtained. 1 have previously referred to the benefits derivable from sowing such land with <_thss seed, and the taking of a step in this direction recently by supplying the road parties on the Stanley and llenty tracks might well be made a universal practice. It serves three purposes it prevents the new scrub over- growing the tracks after a fire: it spreads rapidly, and gives those on the look-out for grazing or agricultural areas an idea of the possibilities of the land ; and it enables prospectors to stay out longer without breaking into their time by frequent trips to the nearest centre for stores, as it (the grass) attracts the badger (excellent meat, by the way) and the wallaby, and consequently the men require to carry less meat, and are thus enabled to carry a greater weight of other necessaries. This may seem to some people of trifling importance, but as a prospector has to spend at least one-fourth of his time in packing his provisions where there is no game, it is an item worth serious consideration. It also has another bearing in relation to the prospector. I sug- gested last year it would be advisable to encourage him to settle on the land and prospect the vicinitv between whiles. One induce- ment for him to do this would be by restoring, in part, one of the privileges of the old miner's right. Under this he would obtain a freehold of ^-acre for £10 if he had made improvements to the value of £50. In the rush for West Coast township allotments speculators acted on this to obtain blocks for £10 when the upset price of the adjoining one was perhaps £50, and this was one of the causes that led to its complete abolition. But were a pro- spector allowed a somewhat similar privilege outside of surveyed townships, with perhaps a larger area, he would be encouraged to make a comfortable depot at some convenient spot. Under the present Act he can only camp legally on Crown land by virtue of a prospector's licence, miner's right, or occupation licence; and none of these give any security for improvements. No areas suitable for selection other than those already reported upon have come under my notice. The various areas outlined in previous reports may, however, with some advantage, be again referred to, for the information of intending selectors. In the North and South Dundas and Zeehan mining districts there are at least 50,000 acres capable, if scrubbed and burnt off, of growing artificial grasses. It is surprising how prolific is the growth of English grasses on West Coast lands that have been properly sown with seed after burning off the native vegetation. Cattle-raising is an industry that is as yet in an early stage of development, but the number of cattle in the Zeehan and Dundas districts is steadily increasing, and consequently there is an 78 increased demand for accessible grazing areas. Here and there throughout this large area there is some really excellent agricul- tural land to be met with, which may in time attract settlers. There is already a large acreage of partially-cleared land, chiefly in the localities of Zeehan and South Dundas ; and at Ringville and Renison Bell, too, good feed has sprung up, and a number of stock benefit by it. In the neighbourhood of the Colebrook Mine, at North Dun- das, there is a moderate extent of good land, the position of which is particularly convenient, being situate almost in the centre of the mining settlements of Mt. Read, Rosebery, and the X Creek tin area, and within a mile of the Emu Bay Railway. About 41 miles north-west of the town of Zeehan, and close to the old Success pack-track, there is a small area of first-class land ; and circumscribing the head of the Success Creek, and following Crimson Creek to its junction with the Pieman River, thence north- westerly along that river for about 1J mile, the land is of good quality. The land in the vicinity of Granville Harbour is well worth inspection, both north and south of the surveyed blocks. Between the selections at Rocky Creek and Harrison's and Nicholas' farms to the north there is about 1000 acres of good land, the prevail- ing scrub being musk and dogwood, whilst the number of large trees to the acre is not excessive. South of the Pieman River, in the Parishes of Leebra and Rotali, there is a large area, ranging from first to third class land. Still further south along the coast at Pyke's Creek, and fronting on the Little Henty River, some good land is to be met with ; and along the Henty River there is some fairly good land accessible by the Strahan -Zeehan Railway. In the Parish of Mallana, and lying north-west of the 16-mile post of the Strahan-Zeehan Railway, the land is of fair quality, the extent of which is perhaps from 1000 to 1500 acres, and within easy reach of the railway. Both north and south of the Henty River there is a very large coastal area that might be converted into excellent pastoral land by the planting of marram grass ; and possibly melilot and spear-grass would also thrive here equally as well as at King Island. COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY. This county contains 506,000 acres, which is all Crown land, is situated in the south-western portion of the island, and fronts on the South Pacific Ocean ; it is irregularly triangular-shaped, and extends from Elliot Cove north-westerly to a narrow headland at Cape Sorell, and is bounded on the north-east bv Macquarie Harbour and the Gordon River. The lands are poor and low- lying, as a rule. The D'Aguilar Range and the south-western portion of the Junction Range their highest points — are less than 1500 feet above the sea. 79 The metamorphic rocks common to the West Coast country extend throughout this county, which includes the Silurian lime- stone of the GordoD River. COUNTY OF MONMOUTH. The County of Monmouth contains 660,100 acres, of which 608,800 acres have been alienated. From its favourable situation, and the good quality of its lands, it foimied one of the earliest districts for settlement in Tasmania. It extends from Cape Direction, at the mouth of the Derwent, to the town of Oatlands on the north, and from the head waters of the Little Swanport River on the east to the Clyde River on the west- Tt comprises the old settlements of Cambridge, Richmond, Brighton, and Green Ponds, and the towns of Richmond, Jerusalem, Brighton, Kempton, Bothwell, Hamilton, Parattah, and the city suburbs of Bellerive and Lindisfarne. It is intersected by the Main Line, the Der- went Valley, the Apsley, and Sorell railways, and by the main road from Hobart to Launceston, and other macadamised roads to the principal centres. The western portion comprises a large extent of good pastoral country, consisting of open, grassy hills, with vallevs of rich agricultural land intervening. It is in large holdings, and is almost exclusively devoted to pastoral purposes, for which its value is largely reduced by the pi-evaleuce of rabbits. The Jordan River, a small stream, rises in the north and traverses the centre of this county to the Derwent, near Bridgewater. The Broad and Black Marshes, which are situated along its banks, and the well-known vallev of the Bagdad, are excellent black soil, and well cultivated. The same may be said of the river flats along the Coal River, in the eastern portion of the county, which includes the fine estate of Campania. The intervening country between the river valleys is rough and broken in the central and eastern divisions ; they comprise the Crown lands, which are of a second- class character. The north-eastern portion is principally in small holdings, and supports a comparatively numerous population of industrious and thrifty settlers. The whole of this county is of coal-bearing formation, consisting of fossiliferous niudstones, sand- stones, and limestones, with occasional outcrops of trap and green- stone on the ranges. Coal of fair quality for domestic purposes has been discovered in many places, and the bituminous coal seams on the Crown lands at Jerusalem have been worked for years; so also have the valuable sandstone rpiarries of the Brighton district. COUNTY OF PEMBROKE. This county contains 64o,000 acres, of which 2j64,000 acres have passed into private ownership. It includes Maria Island and Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas, and extends from Cape Raoul on the south to the Little Swanport River on the north, and from 80 the sea-coast on the east to Pittwater and the White Kangaroo River on the west. The best agricultural land in this county is contained in the estates near the Town of Sorell. They consist of rich basaltic soil. The most progressive settlements of recent years are those at Tasman Peninsula, Copping, Nugent — in the neighbourhood of Sorell — and Hobb's Bluff. They have absorbed the best portions of the densely-wooded agricultural lands in the county. Of those remaining the largest area is situated between Orford — at Prosser's River- and Copping, near the coast. It is estimated that from 1000 to 1500 acres of this land will be selected for farming purposes when opened up by a fair road. It is hilly, and covered with heavy scrub. There are no large rivers in this county. It includes the Town of Sorell — the eastern terminus of the Sorell Railway — and is traversed by a main coach-road from Sorell to its northern bound- ary at Little Swanport. The coal measures extend across the western portion of the county, with a large proportion of greenstone I towards the coast. Lands Suitable for Selection. In the Counties of Glamorgan and Pembroke these consist chiefly of lightly-timbered hilly country of third-class quality. This is being acquired by resident landholders for sheep-grazing purposes. By the repeated burning of underscrub and depasturing of sheep, even the roughest country becomes in time of considerable value for grazing, the best index of this being the continued demand by resident pastoralists for more land. The proportion of new settlers is exceedingly small, owing chiefly to the lack of areas of first-class land as a base of operations. Coal of fair quality exists in the district, and there are some fair patches of excellent splitting timber. The industries consist of rearing store and fat stock for markets, the best market in the island being situated in the district. Wool-growing is the other principal industry, and then cereals and root crops, in a minor degree, and black wattle cultivation. The trapping of rabbits in the winter for their skins is the principal work of the poorer resi- dents, and is conducted on a large scale. There has been an attempt made to export the carcases also. For years the splitting of railway sleepers was an important industry, but the long haul- age to the point of delivery is a serious drawback at present, till a light traniwav is constructed- TASMAN PENINSULA, AND EAST COAST GENERALLY. The land in Tasman and Forestier's Peninsulas, which embraces the whole of the country between Cape Raoul and Cape Paul Lamanon to the north of Blackman's Bay, is or was, generally heavilv timbered and covered with thick scrub. This stretch of 82 country, briefly described, is of diabasic formation, fringed in many places by sandstone, the characteristic coal measures and fossiliferous limestones. Much of this land is rich in quality, but, generally speaking, is more or less stony. It would be hard to find land better adapted for orcharding than the lands on these peninsulas when cleared and cultivated ; but that is a matter of time and money, and only suited to those who can wait a few years for a return and bear the expense incurred in the mean- time. The best and most conveniently situated areas have already passed into private ownership, and what is left is not generally immediately available to made roads, unless in small scattered lots. For these reasons here again strangers in search of orchard lands are recommended to make enquiries of private owners, who col- lectively own thousands of acres of virgin lands which are of excel- lent quality for all kinds of fruitgrowing and vegetable-raising, within half a day's journey of a port and a day's sail from Hobart, which has a bi-weekly intermediate service with Taranna and many other ports. Going north from Blackmail's Bay to Swansea, a distance of 50 miles along the east coast, the best of the lands are privately owned, and used almost wholly as sheep-runs, if we except the agricultural settlement at Bream Creek of some 10,000 acres, than which there is no richer land in Tasmania ; an area in the Parish of Nugent, and other smaller areas at long intervals. The most important area of Crown land in this county is the estimated area of 6000 acres reserved for timber in the Parish of Alvanley between Prosser's River and the Bream Creek settlement. It is approachable by water or by road through the Sorell and Nugent settlements. The timber is of good quality, and a number of applications have been made for leasing areas for timber pur- poses. Later on, when the timber has been removed, much of this land will no doubt be sought after. It is infested with thick scrub, and although generallv of fair quality is not conveniently situated. Here again it may be well said there are tens of thousands of acres of first-class fruit country, well situated, with a climate unsurpassed for range and temperature, lying approxi- mately between 35 and 70 degrees in winter and 40 and 80 degrees in summer, now only utilised as pastoral runs for carrying sheep, while it is fit for and should be devoted to a better purpose. An example of the excellent quality of this country for orcharding has been furnished by Messrs Henry Jones & Co., who purchased an area of some hundreds of acres near the Township of Triabunna at, I believe, less than £1 per acre, planted it out with appletrees some four or five years ago, and it is now one of the finest and most extensive orchards in Tasmania, and yielding a handsome return for the capital invested in it. The clearing was easy and done at a nominal cost. Probably the preparation of the land and planting out was effected for an outlay of £2 per acre. The land is, as a matter of fact, inferior to, and certainlv not better than 83 probably 100,000 acres of land along the East Coast, which are still almost in a state of nature, and now assessed at less than £1 per acre. Most of the East Coast land is comparatively lightly tim- bered. The want of better communication with a market is its greatest drawback, but the coastal steamers pass to and from Hobart regularly every week and frequently more often, as well as the casual sailing craft- To any one wanting orchard land there are some good sites adjacent to the Sounds; also around Saltwater River, Wedge Bay, and Eaglehawk Neck. Reliable information may be had by intending selectors from the following residents: — Mr. M. 1. Clark (Wedge Bay), Mr. T. Jenkins (Saltwater River), Mr. T. Lock (Impression Bay), Messrs. I. Sullivan and W. Smith (Eagle- hawk Neck). COUNTY OF RUSSELL. The County of Russell, in addition to a large extent of agri- cultural land, embraces a portion of the great western belt of mineral country which stretches away from Arthur River to the southern extremity of the island, at the South-East Cape. It contains 1,140,800 acres, of which 127,340 acres, including about 125,000 acres of the Van Diemen's Land Company's Surrey Hills Estate, are alienated, 7000 or 8000 acres leased for pastoral purposes, and about 200 sections of different areas are held under mining lease. It is bounded on the east by portion of the County of Devon, on the west by the ocean, on the south by the Pieman River, and on the north by Arthur River. Mr. District Surveyor David Jones, of Waratah, reports as fol- lows on the Waratah District: — Lands Suitable for Selection. Having completed the survey of two 100-acre lots down the Arthur River, about 10 miles north of Waratah, and run a con- nection to them from J. Kelly's 100-acre lot, adjoining the west boundary of the V.D.L- Company's Surrey Hills Block, informa- tion with regard to this previously unknown country can now be given. The distance traversed for connection is 3 miles, from the south-west corner of Kelly's 100 acres. The country passed through for the first mile is good basaltic soil, covered with large gums, myrtles, or, more correctlv, beeches, and other timbers, with an undergrowth of tree-ferns, cat-head ferns, and blue ferns, often called laurel ferns. The second mile is also basaltic soil, with large beeches and a lower growth of laurel ferns, the ground having a gradual fall to the westward. The third mile is still basaltic soil, of fair quality to Lynch's Creek, which is crossed and followed down to the sec- tions to be surveyed, and are now completed in the field. The scrub is dense in places, there being in wet places patches of horizontal ; 84 otherwise the country is similar to that already described. The land (Crown) available to the west of the V.D.L. Company's Sur- rey Ffills Block must exceed 6000 acres, all suitable for agricultural and pastoral purposes if brought under cultivation. It is all chocolate soil, and practically extends from Lvnch's Creek on the south and nearly to the Wandle River on the north, the Arthur River being the boundarv on the west and the V.D.L. Company on the east. The whole of this land is well watered by numerous creeks and watercourses. A road with a fair grade could be obtained to the track cut by the Public Works Department down the valley of the Arthur River, by following the creek clown that crosses the north-western corner of J. Kelly's 100 acres, and adjoin- ing llolloway's 100-acre lot. The main-road from Waratah to Wynvard, winch is partly metalled, passes through the V.D.L. Company's land about 15 chains east of the lots surveyed there, and it would be of great advantage to both the settlers and the Government if the latter could only see its way clear to purchase ' the land between the Waratah- Wynyard road and the west bound- I arv of the V.D.L. Company's land. The Government could then have the lots taken up by applicants fronting on this main thorough- \ fare ; it would certainly lead to more settlement taking place in this , part of the district. Between the Heazlewood-road, from Waratah and Knole Plain, there ai-e 3000 acres of good chocolate soil. Tt is covered wiin a growth of large beeches ; the undergrowth sassafras, tree-ferns, cat- head, and blue ferns. This ground must sooner or later be applied for, either for agricultural or pastoral purposes. Knole Plain should also be a valuable asset to the Government, especially when settlers looking out for rough feeding country for cattle realise the possibilities of this plain for that purpose. What should be done with the native grass abounding on this plain is to burn it off as frequently as possible. Netherby is another plain growing our native grasses. This is east of Knole Plain, and portion of Had- field Plain is south of the V.D.L. Company's south boundary. From lladfield Plain south there is some fair basaltic soil falling into the valley of the Cue River, some of which has been selected and cultivated, with excellent results. The Cue flats make an excellent run for cattle, being fully 500 feet lower than the plains mentioned. South of this country, on the Huskisson and Wilson Rivers, there are patches, some of large extent, of good land ; also on the Savage and Pieman Rivers- On the Magnet Range some good land exists, and on the high ground on each side of the creeks that form the head waters of the Ramsay River capital basaltic soil of some 2000 acres can be Pound. This is at the Wombat, about 7 miles from Waratah, in a southerly direction. All this high land is good for feed when cleared . vidt the cleared land in the Parish of Parrawe. Near Waratah there are about 2000 acres of good basaltic land, heavily timbered with beeches. &c. ft is 2000 feet abnve sea-level. 85 Hoot crops do well, but cereals do not ripen well, while bay t'oi fodder can be grown. Small fruits do well, but large fruits will not develop. The same can be said of t lie laud at I'arrawe , also of the land soutli of the V.D.L. Company's Surrey Mills block, and on the east side of the Emu Bay Railway. This agricultural land referred to is also excellent grass land when cleared, artificial grasses, such as English grasses and Italian rye and cocksfoot, grow- ing most luxuriantly. Near Waiatab the grasses keep green for about nine months out of the twelve. Fruitgrowing, as we understand it, is not a success at a high ele- vation of, say, 2000 feet, but fruits like raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, and currants do very well. In the vicinity of Corinna, on the banks of t be Pieman River, apples and large fruits grow very well, although the land is certainly not of the best. This proves that when cleared land that we have looked upon as being of little value is certainly the ideal land for orchards, &c. A good deal of this kind of land could be found on the Pieman Hats, as- well as about 300 acres on the Savage Eiver near its confluence with the Pieman River. The banks of this river are only about 50 feet or 100 feet above sea-level, the climate is mild, but the rainfall equals that of Zeehan or Waratab. The town of Corinna is inland from the sea coast about 12 miles. Land suitable for the cultivation of artificial grasses. On the west side of the V.D.L. Co-'s Surrey Mills block — between Deep Creek or Lynch's and the Wandle Eiver there is a good stretch of basaltic land covered with the native fine grass, which, when ploughed up and sown with artificial grasses takes the place of the native grass in a couple of years or so. This land is of the same quality as the Surrey Hills block. Knole Plain and Netherby Plain are also similar to Suri'ey Hills land, and suitable for pas- toral purposes. In the valley of the Cue Eiver there are patches of land well adapted for the growing of artificial grasses. It is 500 feet lower than the Surrey Mills consequently much warmer and more conducive to quick growth. Laml that years ago was covered with a dense scrub of horizontal bauera, &c, is now cleared, and the wood burnt off, anil the English and other grasses are thriving well; this is especially the case at the Magnet Mine, and on Mt. Bischoff. It is frequently asserted that no matter how poor the land is on the West Coast, get it cleared, and owing to the heavy rainfall, grasses of different kinds will grow. Where camps have been put up near button-rush plains, and the rushes exterminated, artificial grasses have in a little time grown, seeds having been conveyed there by different means. On the West Coast, between the Pieman Eiver and the Arthur Eiver, there are exceedingly good patches of land, but not large enough to found a settlement. These patches, if cleared, would grow artificial grasses well, besides in some cases being admirably adapted for fruitgrowing. This would apply specially to the val- 86 leys. Different native grasses grow well on this coast, and as there is always game about, it shows that it must be a good rough feed. Mining- The Mt. Bischoff Tin Mining Company Registered. — Capital £60,000, in 12,000 shares; paid up, £29,600; to June 30, lylO, 69,033 tons of tin ore had been won; dividends paid to October, 1912, £2,347,500, equal to £195 12s. 6d. per share. Head office, St. John-street, Launceston, II . Ritchie, manager. Mining works, Waratah ; J. D. Millen, general mine manager. Smelting works, William-st., Launceston, F. B. Jackson, manager and metallurgical chemist. The Mt. Bischoff Tin Mine was discovered in 1871 by Mr. James Smith, of Westwood, Forth. A mile of railway con- nects the town with the mine, over which the crushing stuff and tin sand are conveyed to the batteries and dressing sheds by an 80-horsepower locomotive. There is an electric tram which con- veys crush dirt to the mills, and an aerial ropeway of a capacity of 180 tons per hour. There are 115 head of stampers constantly at work. The average yield of ore per year is about 1300 tons. The Mt. Bischoff Extended Tin Mining Company, Registered. — Capital, £16,000, in 32,000 shares. Head office, 17 Queen-street, Melbourne. J. Ditchburn, manager. C. Lonsdale Smith, mine manager. The Mt. Cleveland Tin Mining Company, Whyte River. — Capital, £7500, in 65,000 shares. Head office, Devonport. P. O'Dea, manager. J. W. Crabb, mine manager. The Magnet Silver Mining Company, No Liability, in 40,000 shares. Head office, Launceston. G. Meredith, manager. The Bischoff Extended Tin Mining Company, No Liability, which adjoins the Bischoff Company on the west, continues to put out from 10 to 15 tons of tin ore per month. It has only a 10-head battery, and this must curtail its work very much ; a larger plant would, of course, mean a greater output. The Magnet Mine keeps up its usual quantity of ore won. It was thought that with a lode from 50 to 70 feet wide a dividend would have been paid; but the contrary is the case, a call of Is. per share having been made by the directors. At the Weir's Bis- choff Surprise, with a small 7-head battery, Mr. Anthony Roberts is making the mine pay him well, having won about 24 tons during the last 12 months. This bears out the early reports upon this property. The Cleveland Mine has some good tin ore in sight, and is keep- ing its 10-head battery constantly going. This is situated 11 miles from Waratah towards the Heazlewood. The Magnet (Victoria) Company has secured a large area of mineral-bearing land adjoin- ing its consolidated lease, and the impression is gaining that it has struck something good after its many years' continued prospecting. May it be true. At the Heazlewood the Mt. Jasper Companv is still prospecting, besides two other prospecting parties. At Mt- 88 Farrell the mines keep working, but on a reduced scale. The Chester mines have had a good run to see if the ore there would concentrate: this has proved a success. Timber Beds. At the Stanley and Whyte Rivers, and near the Pieman River, some very good patches of Huon pines, blackwoods, and gums can be found ; also beeches. Fine large gums can be got near the Whyte River, 10 miles south-west of Waratah. The vicinity of the Magnet Range has a fine bed of gums and beeches. On the east side of Knole Plain there is a fine lot of gums, and on the west side of the forest is chiefly myrtles — or, properly, beeches. COUNTY OF SOMERSET. This county is one of the oldest settled districts, and contains 763,300 acres, of which 721,400 acres have been alienated. It is ' about 65 miles long by 40 miles wide across the centre, and extends « from Little Swanport River on the south to the town of Evandale ; on the north, and from the eastern mountain chain westerly to \ Lakes Crescent, Sorell, and the Lake River. The lands of this i county lie evenly, with the exception of the western portion, which comprises the most eastern peaks of the Great Western mountain system. It comprises a stretch of first-class basaltic land almost through the entire length of the county, including the well-known " Salt Pan Plains " and the Millbrook country, which latter has been justly noted for its excellence as a wheat-producing district. The bulk of the lands in this county constitute improved pastoral estates in their present condition ; but they contain many thousands of acres of the best agricultural land in the State. They are admirably adapted to a general scheme of irrigation from the mountain lakes. If such a scheme were successfully introduced, the production of cereals, root crops, and pasture would be enor- mously increased. The magnificent Hocks of stud sheep, which form a large item in the yearly export returns, and for which Tas- manian sheep-breeders have obtained such a high reputation throughout the Commonwealth, have come from the estates of this county. It is watered by the South Esk, the Elizabeth, the Mac- quarie, and the Lake Rivers, and intersected by the Main Line and Fingal railways, the main Hobart to Launceston road, the main road from Campbell Town to Fingal, the coach road from Campbell to Swansea (on the East Coast), and other well-kept homestead roads of less pretensions. It includes the old hamlets of Campbell Town and Ross, so well known in the old coaching davs. A belt of coal measures skirts the foot of the mountain, and a seam of coal has been discovered, but there are no mining operations in progress- In this county is the Mt. Pleasant Estate, recently subdivided by the Government for closer settle- ment. 89 COUNTY OF WELLINGTON. This county, which is one of the finest in Tasmania, includes the ttorth-west corner of the island. Tt comprises 970,000 acres, of which 446,000 acres have been alienated from the Crown. It is bounded on the east by the River Emu, on the north by Bass Strait, on the west by the ocean, and on the south by the Arthur River, extending inland to include the north-western extremity of the Lake tableland. The great importance of this county from a selector's point of view may be gathered from the fact that there is still a large area of first-class land to be selected in Wel- lington. The greatest advance in selection has taken place in the vicinity of Duck River and along the extension of the Mt. flicks, Calder, and Flowerdale roads- The actual settlement back from Wynyard alone extends over an area of 150,000 acres. The County of Wellington offers special inducement to selectors. Large areas of good land remain unsold, and they are fairly acces- sible. The intending selector is recommended to turn his attention to the lands in the vicinity of Duck River, Brickmakers' Bay, and Trowutta. The County of Wellington is now connected with the capital of the State by the Flowerdale railway extension, and with the West Coast by the Emu Bay Company's line, which borders its eastern boundary. The area from the township of Somerset, on the Cam— 4 miles from Burnie— to the Detention River, is under Mr. Windsor's care. It embraces half a million acres of land well settled upon, and about half of which is being improved. It is largely myrtle coun- try, and although it is not on the whole as rich as the lands in Devon, yet it is well supporting thousands of settlers, and capable of finding profitable employment for double the number. The staple industries of this district are potato-growing, dairying, and other kinds of mixed farming. The township of Wynyard is the local market centre, but much of the produce is shipped from Burnie, 11 miles distant A railway is now constructed to con- nect with Burnie terminus. Owing to the distance back to the Crown lands here, as in the cases of Ulverstone and Devonport, strangers unacquainted with the local conditions are counselled to turn their attention to improved farms in the first instance, rather than go into the back country, until they have gained know- ledge of the methods of reducing the virgin forest fo a profitable state. Continuino westerlv, the East Wellington district comes into prominent notice- It extends along the coast from Blythe to Somerset on the River Cam. It faces the commercial shipping port of Burnie — the most favoured open port for the other States of the Commonwealth. The land is similar to that described ; .n Devon, being heavily timbered, thickly scrubbed, and generally of basaltic formation, which accounts for its richness, A man can 90 make a good living, and rear a family, on 50 acres of this land when cleared by mixed farming. The districts westerly from Devonport are not well suited to horticultural pursuits, but admir- ably adapted to dairying and root crops. This and the sister county of Devon have won a world-wide reputation for their excellence as potato fields. Mr. District Surveyor K. M. Harrison, reports as follows on West Wellington survey district: — In reply to your memo, requesting information of land suitable for emigrants : — 1. I would suggest the most suitable area in my district just at present is, perhaps, the Hunter's Island, which should be particu- larly favourable for a settlement of Scottish or other fishermen, who could combine fishing and grazing, and perhaps a little agri- culture. Three-Hummock Island consists of 23.000 acres, of which the greater portion is suitable for grazing. I understand the present J lessee, Mr. James, runs up to 700 or 800 head of cattle on the island, of which a large number are fattened. The West Hunter is of about the same size, but contains a large amount of poor land, together with a good grazing country. The waters adjacent to tiie coast contain a plentiful supply of crayfish, and also scale fish of various kinds, whilst the northern part of the West Coast, as well as the adjacent islands, could be fished in suitable weather, and a ready market found in Melbourne, about 150 miles away. These islands are now largely frequented bv vessels owned by Mel- bourne fishermen. An occasional whale would also be captured, as 37 washed ashore together on a neighbouring island recently. I have only been on Three- Hummock Island, and not more than a mile from the homestead, so cannot sav very much as to the actual quality of the land, but I have been informed that Mr. Goddard reported on it on one occasion. 2. T would point out that all the best agricultural country, and land most suitable for artificial grasses, is situated at a prohibitive distance from good roads, and other conveniences, and as the colonial settlers are making no headway under such adverse circum- stances, it can hardly be expected that emigrants, totally unac- quainted with these hardships, are likelv to prosper. I would also mention that the land is very heavily timbered, and also very changeable in quality, and that very little is there- fore known of a great deal of the country beyond (lie last lots selected, so it is impossible to state definitelv what extent of good land exists. 3. Under the conditions referred to in the last paragraph, the rnosl probable area of good land is west of the proposed railway to Hal four, north of and in the vicinity of the Arthur Eiver. There is, T estimate, probably 15,000 or 20.000 acres of first and good second class land. The best of this is probably the alluvial flats 92 on the Arthur, probably over 2000 acres, where I have just seen magnificent grass at Ekberg's Camp, on the route of the proposed Balfour railway, together with clovers, lucerne, and vegetables of all descriptions. It is about 120 feet above sea-level, subject to slight floods, and carries cathead fern, myrtle, treeferns, sassafras, and a little stringy-bark. Between this and MacKay's there is a good deal of first-class land — all the land along the track is of that description — and the country east, as far as Kay's and Fenton's, is probably first and second class, ranging up to 500 feet above sea-level, and probably fairly broken. The country on the west is broken, but of very good quality, suitable for grazing, and a little agriculture in the one or two places that I have seen. Just south- west of A. M. Lempriere's lot is a large swamp, and I have no doubt that a good deal of the flat that extends from that lot through to T. L. Ekberg's would require drainage. I think most of , this land is good, but there are patches of inferior land through it. There is also some good land north-west of here, out west of Green's I lot, but I cannot say of what extent ; whilst the land on the south ■ side of the Arthur is of good quality for some little distance. The ; nearest portion of this area is about 18 miles from Smithton by 1 a nearly level road, of which two-thirds is almost impassable dur- i ing a large portion of the year, the remainder being metalled. Generally speaking the land is timbered with myrtle, accompanied in various places by some of the following: — Stringy-bark, sassa- fras, three, blackwood, leatherwood, manfern, cathead, black- fern, celery-top pine (a few) and horizontal scrub. About 3000 acres of the land in question is, however, applied for under saw- milling applications, and there is a good deal of valuable black- wood timber on the flats. The soil is either of volcanic or alluvial origin — the former being similar to the land in the adjoining parish of Trowutta. 4. In the Brickinakers' Bay district (Parishes of Peegra, Ander- son, &c), there is a considerable area of good land, but it is also badly served by roads. There are several thousand acres of first and second class land there, but it is too patchy to get a large area with adjoining lots. This is mostly of a good basaltic choco- late, densely timbered with myrtle and stringy-bark. There are said to be large areas of good land in this vicinity, and southwards towards the Arthur, but T have been unable to find out anything definite about it. T might mention that very little of the agricultural land in my district exceeds 600 or 800 feet in altitude. 5. There are several small swamp propositions, somewhat similar to the Mowbray swamp, which will want cutting up before selec- tion, hut nearly all of them are either partly held under timber lease or contain good marketable blackwood. and are therefore out of the question until the timber has been removed. ti. Tn regard to land suitable for fruitgrowing, I could mention many thousands of acres about Christmas Hills, Montagu, Brick- 93 makers' Bay, &c, as well as some of the preceding areas, where fruitgrowing could be combined with mixed farming, but as this land is heavily timbered, and covered with dense scrub, it would be far more expensive than the more open lightly-timbered areas of Spreyton, Tamar, East Coast, &c. Apart from this, however, Mr. Osborne, the fruit expert, expressed an opinion that some of the open plains were suitable for that purpose, and unless he altered his opinion upon closer inspection, there mav be thousands of acres of land within easy dis- tance of the settlements, and requiring little or no clearing, that could be utilised for the purpose. 7. In conclusion, I regret being unable to give very definite information about any large areas of suitable land for the reasons noted. Where the country is so dense, and selection has already extended so far beyond the old settlements, where there are practic- ally no tracks leading back, and in fact no particular inducement for penetrating this heavy country, there is not likely to be very much reliable information available. Where the back settlers are already so hopelessly beyond communication, or of the possibility of prospering on their lots for many years, there is naturallv no demand for good land, and therefore no inducement for explora- tion. I shall be pleased to give fuller particulars upon anv points touched on, or upon any other matter, if required. Mr. District Surveyor II- F. Miles, reports as follows on East Wellington and part of West Devon districts: — The principal area of land suitable for growing pasture, and also in parts for agriculture, is in the Parish of Parrawe, where there is an area of probably 5000 acres suitable for these purposes. In Takone an area exists of, roughly, 2000 acres, which is good second-class land, and well adapted for grazing, but is rather broken. Yolla.- There are 2000 acres of land capable of being converted into pasture, some of high quality, but steep and broken. I do not know of any areas in the county of Devon, suitable for either pastures or fruitgrowing. The remaining Crown land in this parish is of very poor quality. Mr. District Surveyor F. E. Windsor, reports that in Central Wellington an area of about 300 acres north of L. R. Griffith, 150a. Ir. op., in the parish of M valla, is suitable for fruitgrowing. About 700 acres in the northern portion of the Parish of Preo- lenna, between the Flowerdale and Inglis Rivers, are also suitable for this purpose. An area of about 3000 acres now temporarily reserved as being coal-bearing, is good agricultural land, and to the west and east of this area are about 4000 acres in the aggregate suitable for the growth of artificial grasses. PRINCIPAL LAKES OF TASMANIA. The principal lakes of Tasmania are the Great Lake, which covers an area of some 28,400 acres, with a shore line of 56 miles ; Lake St. Clair, 9500 acres; Lake Echo, 7400 acres; Arthur Lakes, 9000 acres: Wood's Lake, 2500 acres; Lake Sorell, 12,000 acres; and Lake Crescent, 4000 acres; with scores of lakes of smaller dimensions. They form the source of the finest rivers in the island (with the exception of the Tamar), which flow in all directions, viz.: — Mersey, Forth, Leven, Pieman. King, Gordon, and Der- went. The lakes are situated in and towards the south-east end of the great basaltic tableland, which stretches away from the district of Bothwell north-westerly to Mt. Bischoff, are confined to a radius of about 30 miles, and command an elevation ranging from 27 vu feet at Lake Sorell, to 3800 feet above sea-level at the Great Lake. Snow is prevalent in winter, especially at the higher altitude, which possesses a delightful and invigorating summer climate. These lakes are becoming well stocked with English and Californian trout, and form natural breeding-grounds for swans and wild ducks of various kinds. The Great Lake, which is the most favoured resort of tourists, is accessible by vehicle from the railway-stations at Apsley, Par- attah, and Tunbridge, and is distant 48 miles from the two first- named places, and 41A miles from the lastnamed. Lakes Sorell and Crescent lie along the lake routes, being 24 miles from Parat- tah and 13-^ miles from Tunbridge. A track has been cut and made available for vehicles from Deloraine to the Great Lake en route to Mt. Lyell for tourist and business purposes. Lake St. Clair, from which the River Derwent takes its rise, is about 120 miles from Hobart by road, or 80 miles from the Mac- quarie Plains railway-station. It is about 9 miles in length by 2 miles in width, and stretches along the eastern base of Mt. Olympus, which rises in almost a sheer precipice to a height of 2000 feet above its surface, and in which the main spurs of Mt. Ida are reflected on the opposite side. It is fringed by a dense growth of various and beautiful mountain foliage, and is aptly designated " the Killarney of Tasmania." St. Clair is one of the deepest of t he Tasmanian lakes, having a recorded depth of 550 feet. Little was known to the public of the bracing climate, the picturesque scenery, and other attractions which the Lake country offers to tourists, sportsmen, and those in search of health, nor were any facilities afforded to persons wishing to visit them, until within the last few years. They have been mainly brought into prominence by the Tasmanian tourist Association, of which the Hon. Henry Dobson is president, with an executive committee which includes a number of official heads of departments and others who take a special interest in the movement, in conjunction with 96 the t- ment in Hobart of a branch office of the world- renowned tourist firm of Cook & Sons. Accommodation-cottages are now erected at the Great Lake and Lake St. Clair, and there is a boarding-house . Sorell. Horses and vehicles are obtain- able on hire for the journey to the lakes at Tunbridge, Parattah, Bothwell, and Hamilton. Full particulars of terms and arrange- ments are gratuitously supplied by the Secretary to the Tasraanian Tourist Association, Hobart. Moonlight on the Great Lake. PRINCIPAL ISLANDS OF TASMANIA. FURNEAUX GROUP. The Furneaux Group of islands, of which the largest are Flin- ders, containing about 513,000 acres, Cape Barren, 110,000 acres, and Clarke Island, 28,000 acres, is situated in Bass Strait, off the north-east corner of the mainland, from which it is separated by Banks Strait, about 15 miles across in the narrowest place. It lies in almost a direct line between Cape Portland and Wilson's Pro- montory, and forms one of the links that remain of the mountain system which undoubtedly at one time connected Tasmania with the Continent of Australia. The formation of this group is almost exclusively granitic and Tertiary, with metamorphic schists and sandstones in places. Tin has been discovered on each of these islands, but not in payable quantity. Clarke Island is leased as a sheep-run, for which it is best adapted. Cape Barren Island, as the name suggests, is broken, rough, and the soil of poor quality. Some 4000 acres across the western end have been set aside as a reserve for the use of half- caste inhabitants. Selection under " The Crown Lands Act,"' until recently has been practically confined to the western border of Flinders Island, where about 10,000 acres have been taken up and are being improved. During the years 1909 and 1910 much of the useful land on Flinders Island was selected, and may now be said to be on its trial. Some of the smaller islands are exceedingly fertile, notably Great- Dog, Green, Kangaroo, and Preservation Islands. The sooty petrels ( I' tiffin us tenuirostris), better known as mutton-birds, abound, and are the principal means of support to the native islanders. The young birds are captured in their holes by night in hundreds during the month of March. They yield up large quantities of pure oil, and are then pickled for the outside market. Wild ducks are plentiful, and swans and Cape Barren geese are obtainable. Chappel, Babel, Storehouse, Forsyth, or Penguin Islands, and part of Little Green Island, are reserved as " rook- eries "' or breeding-grounds for the mutton-birds. From the position of these islands, the richness of the soil, and the temperature of the climate — for which the latitude, the low elevation, and local salt-water currents are responsible — they are peculiarly adapted to the production of vegetables of every descrip- tion during the winter months when they are unobtainable on the mainland of Tasmania, and would therefore command a high price. The question therefore suggests itself whether a profitable trade ; n early vegetables could not be opened up in conjunction with the fishing industry. The distance from populous centres, of course. 98 presents a difficulty that would have to be taken into account. It is of importance to note that these islands lie in the direct routes between Hobart and Melbourne, and between Launceston and Syd- ney ; they are therefore conveniently situated for trading. There are considerable areas of good land in patches of a few hundred acres about the eastern and central portions of the island, particularly between Brougham, Sugarloaf, and the Patriarchs. These areas consist of open cutting-grass tussock flats or mixed tussocks and grass-tree land, having a dark sandy surface soil from 3 to 6 inches deep, then 6 to 12 inches of sand, with a clay bottom from 1 to 2 feet from the surface. This class of land is partially submerged during the rainy season, and is com- pletely dry for a few months in the autumn. The value of this land will no doubt be demonstrated during the next year or two by the incoming settlers, who have acquired considerable areas of similar country, together with the apparently richer lagoon lands. Mr. District Surveyor Montgomery reports as follows: — Lands Suitable for Selection. Of the Crown lands, there is nothing fresh to report. At Flinders Island the large area of grass-tree land is beginning to attract some attention, and I have received several enquiries for the result of soil analysis taken some years ago. So far little can be said of this class of country, as it has not yet been fairly tested by actual experiment. The area, however, is considerable, and the land could be brought under cultivation at a comparatively low cost, and I hope to be able to furnish a special report in a few months' time dealing with this land. Rainfall. [ No official record is kept at Flinders Island ; but at Goose Island, about 15 miles away, the record shows 79 inches per annum. This plentiful water-supply does not appear to obtain on Flinders Island, as the settlers frequently complain of the scanty rainfall, and they estimate the annual fall at about 20 inches. This com- paratively low estimate may be due to the rapid absorption of water during the summer months, owing to the sandy nature of the soil. The fact remains, however, that the island is not so well watered as could be wished, and the water in several creeks and lagoons is brackish, and unfit for drinking. HUNTER GROUP. These islands lie near the Tasmanian coast, between Woolnorth and King Island- The group includes Robbin's Island, 24,450 acres; Walker Island, 1720 acres: Trefoil Island, 255 acres; Bar- ren Island, 21,000 acres; Three-Hummock Island, 23,000 acres; 99 Perkins Island, 2600 acres ; with the small islands of Albatross, Steep, Stack, Kangaroo, and Petrel, containing collectively about, 1300 acres. The first three islands named have been granted to the Van Diemen's Land Company, and comprise a small pro- portion of fair land, Trefoil being exceptionally good. The most of the other islands are leased from the Crown for pastoral purposes at low rentals. Only a small proportion is suited to cultivation. MARIA ISLAND. Maria Island, so named by Tasinan, the enterprising navigator, in the year 1642, forms a prominent feature on the east coast of the mainland, with which its principal place of communication is Triabunna, 9 miles distant by boat. It was used as a penal settle- ment in the forties, of which there are still many signs remain- ing. It covers an area of 24,000 acres. It presents a bold and rugged aspect along the north-east shore, the highest point, called Mt. Maria, rising to an altitude of 2329 feet in about 1A miles. The best land, which was included in the old settlement, extends from Port Darlington at the extreme north of the island southerly along the western shore, and comprises about 1500 acres, 500 of which have been sold to the directors of the Maria Island Company, and about 4000 acres purchased under " The Crown Lands Act by selectors. A large proportion of the land purchased and applied for was at one time cleared and cultivated, and included a hop plantation At present some 12,000 acres are leased for pastoral purposes. The peaks of Mt. Maria are composed of grey granite rock, whilst the north-east corner of the island exposes immense masses of fossiliferous limestone, giving place along the western shore to diabasic greenstone, or trap and sandstone rock towards the south- ern end, which is of a sandy and worthless description. Tin, gold, and silver are said to have been discovered, but in small quantities. Practically the whole of the island is now available for settle- ment. About 5300 acres have been selected. BRUNY ISLAND (North and South) forms the eastern shore of D'Entrecasteaux Channel. The island extends northerly from Bruny Head, off Southport, to the estuary of the Derwent, which is distant 13 miles from Hobart. It is of very irregular shape, and connected by a very narrow neck or isthmus at Adventure Bay- It comprises a total area of 90,000 acres, of which 28,000 have been alienated. Of the portion remaining there is some good heavily-timbered and scrub land in the neighbourhood of Little Taylor's Bay, South Bruny ; but settlement thereon is hampered by the want of direct communication with a market, although steamers pass daily through the Channel to and from the capital. Tt is of igneous origin, in 100 which greenstone predominates. Portions of the north-west of South Bruny, and the extreme south and north of North Bruny, are of Tertiary formation, in which anthracite coal has been discovered, but so far has not been turned to profitable account. Orchards are being planted out at Daniel's Bay, South Bruny, where a comfortable boarding-house (" Thelma ") has been estab- lished under the capable management of Mrs. G. E. Propsting, from whence excursions may be made to Cloudy Bay, with its clouds of mist caused by the breaking of the heavy surf upon its rocky shore ; Cloudy Lagoon ; Adventure Bay, with a sandy beach some 6 or 7 miles in length, and celebrated for the variety of marine shells to be found there, and the lighthouse at Bruny Head, from which may be obtained a beautiful and extensive view of ocean and distant mountain. Bream-fishing can be had in a large creek flowing into Cloudy Lagoon, and Daniel's and Taylor's bays abound in fish of all kinds. Information as to Crown lands available will be found under the heading of County of Buckingham. (See Mr. Radcliff's report.) SCHOUTEN ISLAND, which lies to the south of Freycinet Peninsula, off Little Swanport, is unfit for cultivation, but sound and otherwise suitable for depasturing sheep. The greatest drawback experienced in work- ing this island is the inconvenience of boating the stock to and from it. It comprises 8500 acres of more or less stony country. THE MACQUARIE GROUP. This group is situated in the South Pacific Ocean, in latitude 54° 50' south, and in longitude 159° east, distant from New Zea- land in a south-westerly direction about 600 miles. It was origin- ally discovered in 1811 by some adventurers from New South Wales in prosecution of seal-fishing. It comprises Macquarie Island, about 18 miles in length by 5 miles in breadth; Bishop and Clerk, 30 miles to the south ; and Judge and Clerk, 7 miles to the north of Macquarie Island. It is low-lying, with not a stick of timber anywhere to be found, and has been worked for years as a hireling and sealing ground by authority of the New Zealand Government, under the belief that it was a dependency li that Dominion, but more recently under licence from this State. This licence has been discontinued, and the killing of these birds absolutely prohibited. The other islands are of less importance, but used for similar purposes. See page 184 for King Island. OBSERVATIONS ON THE SETTLEMENT ON CROWN LANDS IN TASMANIA. Classification of Land. Under the provisions of " The Crown Lands Act, 1911," (2 Geo. V. No. 64), the Crown lands of Tasmania are divided into, two classes — (1) town lands and (2) rural lands. The former com- prise lands within the boundaries of any city, town, or town reserve, and within a distance of 5 miles of any city. Rural lands comprise (-iie same result might be achieved in a more economical way by the appropriate use of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, thus avoiding waiting a whole season, as must be the case where fallow- ing is adopted. Maize, as forage, is becoming increasingly popular with cow-keepers, affording, as it does, an abundance of succulent food, at a time of year when this is otherwise scarce. This crop, however, cannot be depended upon to ripen its grain in Tasmania. The mangel is a root which grows well in this country, and is commonly allowed to remain in the open ground throughout the winter, instead of being clamped in pits, as in England. Whether this plan conduces to the ripening and proper development of the feeding properties of this root is open to question ; and as the opinions of farmers differ greatly upon it, this question merits further investigation. In any case, upon suitable soils a good crop can be obtained, which cannot be said of the turnip, which, owing to its liability to aphis attack, in some seasons is not a very safe .^"■w, ^m 150 crop. The cold districts of the midlands suit the latter root, where appropriate soils happen to prevail, as in the Mt. Seymour district, near Parattah. Peas do well in Tasmania, and are extensively grown, being a good preparation for corn. This crop, on account of its high nitro- gen content, is eminently suited to the production of mutton and wool, and should be used more systematically in connection with the sheep farming industry than it is. The horse bean is not often planted, owing to its liability 7 to aphis attack. Tasmania is famous for its potatoes, which are grown chiefly upon the basaltic soils of the North-West Coast, and in the Scottsdale district. Some localities where potatoes were once grown with suc- cess refuse now to grow them remuneratively. In those days the soils of such places were in the virgin condition, and abounded with organic matter, the physical and chemical effects of which seem favourable to the potato; it being a well-known fact to prac- tical agriculturists that the potato crop is generally a success upon freshly-broken-up grass land, or upon soils where a green crop has been ploughed in. The depletion of the soil of its available potash may also help to account for the falling-off in production. Agricultural Districts. With reference to the branches of agriculture which character- ise particular sections of Tasmania, it may in the first place be broadly stated that fruitgrowing, especially the apple and small fruit, is the leading industry of the south of the island ; sheep-graz- ing, of the elevated and more rugged midland districts ; whilst mixed farming, in which the potato is the dominant production, is characteristic of the north, north-western, and a considerable portion of the north-eastern sections. The extreme western part of Tas- mania, comprising about a third of the whole State, is mainly devoted to mining or timber, and has not been, as yet, opened up for agricultural purposes, except in a very limited way, which observation applies also to the south-western corner of the island. To speak of particular districts, we may start in the south, and first notice the splendid apple-growing country of the Huon, in which this fruit is considered to grow to perfection, the cool moist nature of the climate seeming to favour its development in a high degree. The fine waterway of the estuary of the Huon River, which is navigable for large vessels a considerable distance, and for the smaller local steamers some 15 miles, is a great feature of this district, which has the capacity for large developments in the future. This river flows into D'Entrecasteaux Channel, an import- ant route by sea to Hobart, which is sheltered by Bruni Island for more than 30 miles to the mouth of the Derwent, so that a com- paratively smooth passage to the metropolis can be secured all the year round, whilst the climate experienced upon the adjoining 151 lands is very equable and pleasant. Small-fruit growing character- ises the D'Entrecasteaux Channel district, but good apple and other orchards abound in it ; and it is one offering great induce- ments to those desirous of embarking in fruitgrowing. There is a road connection, via Mt. Wellington, from Hobai-t to the Huon, and some vei*y good orchard country is to be found adjacent to it. Near Hobart attention may be called to the splendid apple and apricot orchards of Glenorchy, than which it would be difficult to find any better managed or more productive. With reference to the extension of the applegrowing industry, it may be stated that large areas exist in the country of what appear, from their surface indications, unproductive soils, but which are often found to grow apples well with some assistance from fertil- isers. Such soils, however, to ensure a satisfactory result, should have a clay subsoil approaching the surface. It is true that very good orchards exist on almost pure sands, but these are of great depth, and readily allow the roots of the trees to go down to the permanently moist regions of the subsoil. Quite the largest apple tree I have seen in this country, and one in excellent bearing, was growing in one of the Tamar River orchards, in over 9 feet deep of nearly pure sand. Apple trees grown on land of this description occasionally develop a tendency to die at the top, the immediate cause of this dying being a fungoid disease. Whether this disease is brought about in the first place by irregularity of the water- supply, to a want of proper aeration of the soil at the considerable depths to which the roots of the trees pass down, or to want of balance in the supply of the essential ingredients of plant food, does not seem to have been determined. A liberal liming of the soil with an application of sulphate of potash to trees so affected would be worth trying. It is considered by experts that there is ample scope for the further development of the apple-growing industry for many years, especially if greater facilities for carriage can be brought about. Across the Derwent, east from Hobart, is the fine Sorell district, devoted to mixed farming, through which is the land connection with Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas, both historically interest- ing and picturesque, but as yet not much developed agriculturally. The rainfall of the Sorell district is rather light, the climatic conditions tending towards those of the East Coast, but further south, upon the Peninsula, the rainfall becomes ample, and this, together with the mild climate, affords great promise for the development of the dairying and fruit industries in that part of the country, access to which will be greatly facilitated by the cut- ting of the Ralph's Bay Canal, shortly to be undertaken. The East Bay Neck Canal, which permits the passage of small vessels, now separates Forestier 's Peninsula from the mainland. This new waterway is a great improvement in the sea connection between Hobart and the East Coast of Tasmania ; and will doubt- 152 less lead to considerable developments in the latter quarter before long, especially in the way of fruitgrowing ; the climate of that part of the country being warm, and less subject to frosts than other parts of Tasmania. Indeed, Messrs. Jones & Co., of Hobart, have a considerable area of orchards recently planted out, which appear to be doing very well. Diverging from the main line railway at Bridgewater, a branch line runs in a westerly direction through the Derwent Valley, one of the longest settled and prettiest districts to be found in the country. Fruit and hops are largely cultivated here, and irriga- tion is practised more extensively than elsewhere. The Derwent Valley branch line of railway has been recently continued from Glenora, the former terminus, to Russell, a few miles further on, from whence it will eventually, in all probability, be extended to the West Coast. Ellendale is reached by road from Russell, passing through Fen- tonbury. A number of hop plantations, with some orchards, exists in this section of the country. The district is well watered, but the water requires to be utilised more systematically than appears to be the case at present, in order to produce the best results. The Apsley district, also traversed by a branch of the main line of railway, is devoted to corngrowing, and, to a less, but increasing extent, to fruit. From Brighton Junction, on for some 25 miles, a good deal of mixed farming prevails, and at Colebrook some useful agricultural country exists, both near the station and farther off in some of the valleys hidden among the hills, which appear in the distance. Farther on towards Parattah the country becomes broken, elevated, and cold in the winter. Blocks of very fair land, capable of cultivation, exist, and the Mt. Seymour district may be mentioned as containing useful farming land; also the Mt. Pleasant district, which lies a few miles back from York Plains station, may be men- tioned as being successfully brought in for closer settlement. The severe frosts which are liable to occur quite unexpectedly in the spring and summer months renders the culture of anything but dis- tinctly hardy crops hazardous in this part of the country. Dairy- ing and the growth of cereals, roots, and forage crops offer the best promise of success. The surrounding country is mostly sheep pasture, which gradually opens out into cultivated country as the descent is made from Campbell Town north, until the fine open corngrowing district is reached, which extends from Evandale to the confines of Launceston, and westward through Longford and Westbury to Deloraine. AH this section of country is compara- tively flat or gently undulating until the Western Tier Mountains are reached on its southern boundary. Owing to long settlement it is now denuded of most of its timber; also all the land worth considering has long since been taken up, and only improved farms are available. 154 East from Launceston lies the fine agricultural country in which are situate Scottsdale and Ringarooma. The soil about Scottsdale is very fertile. Potatoes are largely grown here, and are of splen- did quality, usually, it is said, topping the market for value. The uncleared land abounds with much heavy timber. Some interven- ing poor granitic country separates Scottsdale from Ringarooma, which is also a very fertile district, colder, however, than Scotts- dale, and with a more humid climate, which conduces to the growth of fodder crops, and makes Ringarooma a stock-raising and dairying country. Ringarooma is well watered, and Mr. A. Conlon, the capable dairy expert for Tasmania, considers this locality one of the most promising in the country for developing a good dairying industry. The recent extension of the Scottsdale line of railway to Branx- holm must greatly accelerate the agricultural development of this valuable section of the country. The Piper's River district, which lies towards the north-east coast, and is not far from Scottsdale, contains some very useful farming country, and is good for dairy work, being well watered. From Launceston to Bass Strait flows the splendid Tamar River T which is tidal, and accommodates the traffic of the interstate steamers. It is not adapted for the large steamers which call at Hobart in connection with the apple trade, but the rapid develop- ment of apple orchards upon both banks of the Tamar River will, it is expected, very soon necessitate the establishment of a deep- water port of call somewhere near its mouth. The convenient local water-carriage, the pleasant climate, and the high quality of the fruit produced by the orchards already established, makes this district a very attractive one to would-be settlers from the main- land or India. Westward of the Tamar lie Glengarry and Frankford, with some rather broken but very useful patches of agricultural country ; some of it being good enough for hops, but on the other hand much of the soil is of moderate fertility and requires some assist- ance from fertilisers. Frankford is hilly, but has a fair amount of fairly flat land in the valleys. This district is rather cold in the winter, owing to its elevation, but is well watered, and adapted for dairying. Apple-growing is likely to attain some development here, and good orchards already exist. There is plenty of scope here for settlers of the right class, and the localitv is one of con- siderable promise. From Evandale through Longford to Deloraine is found the largest extent of comparatively level land in the country. This country has been long settled, and cleared of its timber. Some good farms are found here, but it is probable the yield of crops of this section of country would be greatly enhanced by liming, draining, and the more efficient application of fertilisers. At Deloraine the recently-established State Farm and Agricul- tural College are situate. The farm has been well selected, and 156 when the college (which is attached to it) is in working order (which it shortly will be) an opportunity which has hitherto been lacking in this country, will be afforded to young men coming out from England of acquiring a practical and scientific knowledge of their vocation before settling down to the pursuits of agriculture and orcharding. Between Deloraine and Ulverstone we get a splendid agricultural district, broken here and there, but for the most part composed of rich volcanic soil, capable of growing any crop for which the climate is suitable. Sheffield lies high, and is rather cold in the winter, but possesses a very rich soil. At Railton, lower down, extensive deposits of carboniferous limestone exist, and some excellent lime is burnt at Mr. J. Blenkhorn's kiln, about a mile from the station. The thriving township of Devonport is very conveniently situated for shipping much of the produce of this fine district, and is developing very fast. Numerous flourishing townships abound in the neighbourhood of Ulverstone and the River Leven ; and Castra,. North Motton, Gunn's Plains, and Riana may be cited as possess- ing a soil of splendid quality, and still covered with much heavy timber. Potato-growing is the staple industry of this section of the North -West Coast. West of Ulverstone the country is broken and patchy until the Emu Bay district is reached, where is situate the port of Burnie. Some good soil is found here, and along the coast to Table Cape and Wynyard. The greater rainfall of this section makes it good grazing and dairying country ; the latter industry being now well established in that part of Tasmania. Also some useful farming and grazing country exists towards Circular Head and Stanley, where settlement is steadilv progressing. GENERAL. Speaking of Tasmanian agriculture, upon the whole, it may be taken that the industry is at present in a prosperous condition owing to the good prices obtainable for all classes of produce when in a sound condition. It goes without saying that things would be vastly better in connection with it if superior methods of prac- tice were in vogue generally ; but too much cannot be expected where so large a proportion of those engaged in agricultural pur- suits are drawn from such varied ranks of the community as they are, many with no previous knowledge or experience of the occupa- tion at all. The State Farm, previously mentioned, by providing a place where theoretical and practical instruction can be obtained, should do much if properly patronised to remedy this state of things. Three years ago considerable alarm was experienced upon the invasion of the North-West Coast by the potato disease, and this led to a considerable curtailment of the area devoted to this crop. Not much complaint is to hand this year (1914) of the 157 pest iu question, which is, of course, attributable to the dryness of the seasons since that time, damp, muggy weather being pre- eminently favourable to the dissemination and growth of the germs producing it. In Great Britain, where the disease is permanently established, its depredations have always varied from year to year in accordance with the weather prevailing at critical periods. It is now successfully combated there by spraying, an operation which was not at first very popular with the Tasmanian farmer, but the practice of which is now gaining ground, it being recognised as the only means of making sure of the safety of the crop, which it usu- ally does, if the operation is properly carried out. Attention to dairying, stock-raising, and other branches of mixed farming is desirable in order to rest the land from too much potato cropping, which is detrimental both in quality and yield to the latter crop, besides in time getting the land into a permanent state of impoverishment. The superior knowledge and experience required to carry on mixed farming probably hinders the progress of the latter, as compared with potato-growing, which can be car- ried out by any one who can master the arts of digging or plough- ing, and who has a soil of fair fertility to work upon. There seems no doubt that the agricultural situation of Tas- mania compares favourably with that of any other of the Aus- tralian States. The virgin soils of this country seldom require the application of manures at first, but some assistance from these becomes neces- sary sooner or later ; and the use of fertilisers, especially those of a phosphatic nature, is very rapidly increasing in all the long- settled districts. Bonedust is the favourite manure, but super- phosphate, guano, Thomas' phosphate, and potash are now largely applied. Except for hops, nitrogenous fertilisers, such as nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia (unless as constituents of other manures), are not much employed, principally, it would appear, on account of their heavy cost ; though from the great influence exerted upon most crops, except those of the leguminous order, by small quantities of these concentrated fertilisers, it would generally pay to use them. A lack of knowledge of the proper use of arti- ficial manures prevails amongst the farmers of this country, and this frequently leads to waste. A great deal of country is very hilly, and frequently too steep for cultivation. Between the hills narrow sequestered valleys of great fertility often exist, and extend for considerable distances. Such valleys are usually intersected by a good stream of water. Tasmania is undoubtedly a well-watered country, and compares very favourably in this respect with Australia. It can hardly be doubted that much of the potential water-power now running to waste in this country will, in the near future, be utilised for motive and irrigation purposes. STATE AGRICULTURAL BANK. The Parliament of Tasmania has passed an Act known as " The State Advances Act, 1907," and its amendment. This Act was introduced into Parliament by the Hon. D. C. Urquhart, Treasurer of the State, and is designed to assist selectors who hold land on the credit-purchase system to improve their holdings. Shortly after the Act was passed three trustees were appointed. The present trustees are Messrs. E. A. Counsel, Sur- veyor-General (Chairman); H. E. Downie, Commissioner of Taxes; J. W. Why te, Recorder of Titles. Mr. F. Lovett is manager. The following is a copy of a circular which has been issued by the trustees, and will afford information to intending borrowers: — " The State Advances Act, 1907." (7 Edw. VII. No. 20 and 3 Geo. V. No. 53.) Conditions upon which Advances will be made to Persons holding Land on Credit-purchase from the State of Tasmania. — Con- ditions upon which Advances will he made on Freehold Country Lands. Application forms will be forwarded to the address of any per- son who holds land on credit-purchase, but intending applicants are requested before applying to read carefully the following conditions upon which loans may be obtained: — 1. Amount of each loan to be not less than £25 nor more than £500. 2. No advance shall exceed one-half of the amount actually paid to the Crown in respect of the land held by the borrower under purchase upon the credit system, plus one-half of the present value of any improvements upon such land. 3. The rate of interest is 6 per cent, per annum. 4. After five years the borrower will begin paying off the prin- cipal, and can extend the repayments over 25 years ; pro- vided that the advance may, at the option of the bor- rower, be repaid at any time sooner than is provided, and in larger instalments. 5. Advances may be made for any of the following pur- poses : — ('/) Payment of liabilities already existing on the holding. (I>) For carrying on agricultural, dairying, grazing, or horticultural pursuits on the holding. (e) Making the prescribed improvements on the hold- ing. 159 (d) Adding to the improvements already on the hold- ing. All applications for loans and other correspondence should be addressed to — " The Manager, Agricultural Bank, Public Buildings, Hobart." 6. The valuation fee must be paid by the applicant whether the loan be granted or not. The fees will be as follow: — £ s. d. Not exceeding 5 miles from residence of Inspector 15 Five miles and not exceeding 10 miles from residence of Inspector 1 10 Ten miles and over from residence of Inspector (Special terms to be arranged.) Regulation under "State Advances Act." 16. The following scale of costs and fees payable in connection with mortgages under " The State Advances Act, 1907," is hereby fixed : — Mortgages under " The Real Property Act " and its Amendments (to be deducted from the advance). Law costs of perusing title, preparing and registering mort- gage in all cases, Ten Shillings and Sixpence. With cash disbursements. Mortgages under the General Law — Law costs of perusing title, preparing and registering mort- gage (to be deducted from the advance) — £ s. d. If advance does not exceed £100 1 1 Exceeding £100 and not exceeding £500 Ill 6 Exceeding £500 but not exceeding £1000 ... 2 2 6 With cash disbursements. Fee chargeable by solicitor not residing in regis- tration centre for employing agent to register mortgage 2 6 Fee for partial or total discharges of mortgage... 2 6 Fee for production of title-deeds held by the bank 2 6 THE POULTRY INDUSTRY. My R. J, Tkkky, Government Poultry Expert. In dealing with this important matter one cannot help being highly gratified at the encouraging prospects that open out in what- ever direction one turns. Tasmania has a climate more especially adapted for the raising of poultry than any other part of the Com- monwealth, for while it is not too cold to retard egg-production, the heat is not of such strength as to diminish the vigour of the birds. For these reasons Tasmania has every probability of becoming the poultry stud farm of Australasia. Her natural advantages fully entitle her to that proud position. And as bear- ing out this contention, it must be borne in mind that poultry- breeding of the highest quality of birds, both for the production of eggs and for the table, has increased more than a hundredfold during the last Tew years, and gives ample evidence of what this State could do when the industry has been a little longer estab- lished. To further demonstrate this fact, it has only to be men- tioned that a decade back Tasmania was an importer of eggs, when wheat was 2s. 6d. per bushel. At that time there was no control over the market, eggs realising about 4|d. per dozen in the glut of the spring months, and up to as high as 2s. 3d. per dozen in mid-winter, which meant that the market was over-stocked, and as at that time there was not much done in the way of preserving eggs, it meant considerable waste and deterioration by the then methods of keeping. On the other hand the high prices in winter checked the consumption. In 1904 a start was made in exporting eggs, chiefly as ship's stores, better methods of preserving eggs were adopted, and these factors have regulated the market, so that now eggs, that are reliable lines, do not drop below 8|d. per dozen in the cities, and that price prevails only for a few weeks. In the year 1911 a commencement was made to supply the main- land markets direct with Tasmanian eggs, and the results achieved have been most promising. As in proof of this it has only to be stated that this State has exported 150,000 dozen eggs during a twelve-month, and this number could be considerably increased if we had cool storage or collecting depots where eggs could be tested and graded. There have been enquiries for eggs from European countries, and a very promising market exists in portions of Canada and the United Slates during their winter months. It only requires the depot above referred to to develop this trade. The same remark applies to the export of poultry. Owing to this State's natural climatic advantages, it is enabled to consign eggs to any Tasmanian port without having to undertake a long journey in a high tempera- ture. Further, a very large proportion of the Tasmanian eggs marketed are infertile. This also greatly adds to their keeping 161 qualities, with the result that eggs from this Slate rauk high on the mainland markets. As the climate on the mainland must always be against the carriage of eggs, we in this State should have an increasing asset in this direction. Quite apart from this export to the mainland, we have a growing trade with the boats calling at the port of Hobart. Producers have to remember the great advantages of dealing with the mail boats. For instance, Tasmania will not be able to supply all the requirements of all these steamers for some time to come. They will take all the surplus eggs and poultry in the market, thus relieving any glut there might be, and helping to View of Pens, Springvale Egg-laying Competition. keep the price of their production at a fair and remunerative figure. By doing their business in this way it will save all risk of striking a bad market, payment of commission, freight, &c, while their returns are cash. When the happy time comes round that Tas- mania can produce a surplus over and above what the mail boats require, then there is the London market and mainland markets to fall back upon. To give an idea of what Tasmanian poultry is thought of in the Old Country, it has only to be repeated that the Leadenhall and Smithfield merchants reported that the first trial shipment from this State was the best frozen poultry received from any part of the world suitable for the requirements of the London market. One 162 firm alone in consequence offered to take 3000 chickens per week for four and a half months in the year at highly remunerative prices. But it must not be forgotten that the shipment was not a sample of the class of poultry that is running on the average farms of the State, but was sent from the Government Poultry Farm, where it was prepared by me with a full knowledge of what was wanted, because of my experience gained in London. But it goes to show that high-class poultry can be produced here ; and by doing so, payable returns will result. As regards egg-production, the immigrant will find that it is far more profitable than in the Old Countrv. There is not any cheap foreign labour to compete against. Eggs of equal quality are higher in price than in England, while food in normal years is cheaper. Further, during the last few years owing to the interest taken in competitions, several strains of Tasmanian fowls can be depended upon to lay from 180 to over 200 eggs each per annum with right management, and there is a steady improvement in this direction. For the experienced poultry fattener and dresser really good prospects are in view here for supplying not only this market but the mainland with high-class table poultry. In the past a set-back to the industry was the want of a train- ing ground where those desirous of embarking in the industry might get a thorough practical grounding, but with the advent of the State Farm students will receive thorough instructions in all branches. It is also probable that special instruction in this department will be given. Muscovy Ducks. THE CULTIVATION OF THE APPLE IN THE ISLAND OF TASMANIA. By L. A. Evans, Department of Agriculture, Hobart. This calling when understood is an extremely attractive one to cultured people. It can be entered upon at almost any period of one's life, the main reason being that the apple-tree is a passive object, yielding slowly but surely to the treatment it receives, or retrograding only gradually from any immediate neglect. Fruit- growing allows ample time to seek advice upon any of its phases, as contrasted with the immediate demands made upon the dairyman and stockowner. In this respect, therefore, the business of apple- culture can easily be understood to carry an attraction for some temperaments. Moreover, the sight of the blossoms first showing pink, and when fully open, is a truly beautiful one, and the many delicate shades of colour in the mature varieties of pomes possess a charm over and above their intrinsic monetary value. Approaching the subject of an orchard proposition from an aesthetic point of view, either in conjunction with or apart from its fiscal value, there is in apple-growing in Tasmania a wider range of choice than perhaps in any part of the Southern Hemi- sphere. In the first place, the landscape beauties of the country are of the highest order. The innumerable picturesque bays and inlets on the coastline of the mainland, as well as the numerous islands, offer a choice to the most fastidious person. Then, again, for those who prefer rural sites instead of coastal ones there is every variety of situation and environment. Owing to its geo- graphical position and the fact of its being an island of number- less beautiful aspects, the question of soil selection hardly enters into the business at all. Of course, there are odd places where iron in the soil, or fine siliceous matter, gives rise to what are locally known as "cement bottoms," which have their counter- part as " hard-pan " in England ; but the former are the result of chemical action rather than mechanical. A few inquiries in the proper quarter will either result in learning where such places are likely to exist, or the advice given, to first of all dig down a few feet into the soil in several places on the area proposed to be selected or purchased. If as a result of such delving no special resistance is met with, little fear of future trouble need be enter- tained. For the information of those at a distance it might be as well to explain that " cement bottoms " give no surface indica- tions of their existence, but after the lapse of four or five years from planting, the roots being unable to penetrate this barrier, the trees give visible signs of not thriving. It must not be sup- posed that these conditions are widely prevalent, but still " fore- warned is forearmed." 164 When digging into the subsoil its nature can be noted, and this leads up to the extremely interesting problem as to what is the best soil on which to plant the apple. A prominent man in the apple trade, when asked the cost of clearing land suitable for planting fruit-trees, replied: "Tell me the cost of removing the timber, and I will give the soil's value for growing apples." This remark illustrates a general impression in many parts of the State, particularly the older and southern por- tion. The following lines have been written with a view to throwing light on this question. In some districts where the rain- fall is heavy, the resulting timber-growth, especially where the underlying soil is clay, has assumed gigantic proportions. This has given rise to the theory that big timber indicates rich land, and that areas so selected will be fruitful as regards the produc- tion of good crops of fruit over an indefinite period. But analysis of the proximate constituents of any vegetable matter when green reveals the fact that moisture and the elements which make up the atmosphere are the factors giving rise to luxuriance in vegetation. The mineral matter in the ash, whilst indispensable, is present in comparatively infinitesimal amount. Hence one is inclined to the belief that the idea of big timber being indicative of rich soil is not altogether warranted in all circumstances. By rich land is meant soil capable of growing high-grade apples over an extended period. We now approach a highly interesting point in this fascinating subject. If the owner of stringy-bark (Eucalyptus obliqua) coun- try is asked for an expression of opinion as to the rich chocolate lands, he will invariably state that they are not suited to grow apples on, as the inherent fertility of a volcanic soil (decomposed basalt) results in the tree " running to wood," and not fruiting. Now, when asked to discuss the relative values of soils other than basalt, he contends that the bigger the timber the more fertile the soil, owing to the presence of clay beneath, and the more valu- able it is to give revenue as an apple orchard. Fertility in the case of the chocolate (basalt) soil is unsuitable — the tree will run to wood — but fertility in the direction of securing a clay subsoil is to be aimed at. The question need not be further dilated upon except to record that one of the finest orchards the State possesses is on the rich volcanic soil arising from the disintegration of basaltic rock. Furthermore, there are instances where the highest-grade apples are grown on sandy soils. The owner of one orchard, when asked by the writer as to the nature of the soil in his orchard, replied that it was a sand. On bein" questioned further he stated that he had dug at least 10 feet in depth, and was still in sand. This particular orchard is not far from the ocean, and no doubt the material necessary to provide the mineral matter of the apple is derived from the shell debris originally supplied when the orchard 166 area formed part of the ocean bed. Another remarkable instance of a similar character to the foregoing was cited by a well-estab- lished orchardist, to the effect that if he dug 5 feet down in his orchard he came upon fresh water, and that although planting apple-trees was considered risky he did so, and to avoid the sandy soil blowing away he only scratched immediately round the young trees. As the trees grew the outer rows acted more or less as a breakwind to the remainder of the orchard. The foregoing is of particular interest, because so many people are wedded to the idea that a clay subsoil is indispensable for suc- cessful orcharding. Methods consecrated by years of practice yield slowly to the changes brought about by the results of experi- ments, and ideas once conceived are difficult to dislodge. Provided the cost of bringing the land under cultivation, either in respect to the removal of timber, transport charges, or freeing the soil from rocks and stones, is not too great, the conditions in respect to apple-growing in Tasmania appear to be such that no hard-and- fast rule can be laid down, or no class of land rejected as unsuit- able to produce fruit of high quality. Of course draining, sweet- ening (liming), and shelter-planting will require to be carried out on many selections ; but, generally speaking, where draining is necessary the cost of removing the timber growth is very little, for the simple reason that the standing water has been inimical to the production of the large trees found on naturally-drained soils. Regarding the planting of shelter-belts round exposed sites, it may be pointed out that the Monterey pine (Pinus insignis) is a very fast grower in this country, and that thousands of seedlings can be raised on a tiny plot of ground. To any one who desires to do so, the raising of pine-trees for a breakwind is a mere bagatelle as regards cost, but their value when, say, 10 years old, and even earlier, to protect the orchard is inestimable. Before leaving the question of site as regards soil -selection, there is one other point to touch on. Unless the close proximity of moisture to within a few feet of the surface, such as referred to in a previous paragraph, is indispensable to successful fruit-culture in the absence of clay in the subsoil, then the " clay-bottom " theory is in danger of being exploded. To support this latter contention we have the fine orchards on chocolate lands where neither " fresh water " in the sense previously cited, or clay as generally under- stood, is in evidence at all. Of course a sandv soil requires " feed- ing," which is accomplished in littoral districts bv burying sharks and kelp or other seaweeds, and also bv green-manuring, which means growing such crops as legumes and ploughing in the vegetable matter at about flowering time, so that it will decay and form humus, which yields its nutritive properties slowly by oxida- tion and the agency of bacteria, as well as increasing the moisture- holding capacity of light lands. At any rate, approach the sub- ject of soil-selection from any standpoint you like, and the fact 168 remains that there are orchards in this State yielding the finest of marketable fruit situated on sandy areas and chocolate loams, besides those owned by the adherents of the " clay bottom " theory. The whole secret of the apple's successful culture here appears to be the favourable climatic conditions. The question as to whether the best results will be obtained on sand, clay, or volcanic rock is merely one of management. The tendency to early fructification on poor soils with a light rainfall can be checked by building up the soil by ploughing under green crops and the employment of irrigation, whilst the opposite tendency of a tree to assume gigantic proportions on rich soils, or in districts enjoying a heavy rainfall throughout the year, can be restrained by scientific pruning. It is one of the fascinations hinted at in the opening paragraphs of this article that a tree will slowly but surely respond in whatever direction desired by judicious pruning, just as readily as the ship on the ocean answers to the dictates of the man on the bridge. Selection of District for Orchard. So much, then, for the question of the best soil. It is now time to discuss where the orchard shall be purchased or the land selected for planting. It will simplify this difficult and delicate subject if we endeavour to handle the proposal analytically, and for this reason it may be well to arbitrarily divide the State into fruit centres, and comment on each very briefly in turn. The several areas may be set forth in the following order : — Huon (including Ranelagh, Huonville, Lovett, Franklin, and Geeveston). South Bruny and D'Entrecasteaux Channel (Gordon to Pearson's Point). Glenorchy (including Kangaroo Valley). Bagdad Valley. Derwent Valley (including New Norfolk, Macquarie Plains, and Glenora). Tasman Peninsula (including Triabunna). The North-East (including Lilydale, Scottsdale, Scamander, and George's Bay). The Estuary of the River Tamar. Mersey Valley (including Spreyton, Latrobe, Devonport). It must not be imagined that these centres include every area where fruit is being grown or can be grown in Tasmania. There are several what might be termed detached areas, such as Bis- marck, South Arm, Kingston, Bellerive, Lindisfarne, &c. The question of altitude seems to resolve itself into not attempting to grow apples at an elevation much higher than 1000 feet above sea- level. The. orchards at Dysart in the Bagdad Valley are on this mark, and produce fine fruit. No mention is made in the above 170 list of the movement of the Van Diemen's Land Company at Stanley in the extreme north-west, where 1000 acres are in course of being planted. This demonstration when an accomplished fact will extend the possibilities of fruit-production here into the realm of the illimitable. It is to be an orchard proposition on a class of country which can be cleared for a few pounds per acre, but which requires thorough drainage. There are hundreds of square miles of this land not far from Stanley, from where fruit, when grown, can be shipped. The question which a reader of this publication will probably find arising to his lips is that of the cost of starting an orchard, and the nature of the environment, if such a movement were attempted at any of the foregoing centres. The matter of cost will be handled later on, and a few hints as to the surrounding con- ditions may be acceptable. The Huon District. Starting with the Huon, the residents at the different centres in this belt are largely sons of pioneers who were no doubt attracted by the timber possibilities. They have done sterling work in their struggle to win wealth from a comparatively unwill- ing soil, and owing to the heavy rainfall this belt enjoys some remarkably heavy yields have been obtained. The banks of the Huon are more and more being dotted with orchards, while for aquatic pastimes the river can hold its own with any stream in the Commonwealth. The outlying ranges, including the famous Hartz Mountains, Adamson's Peak, and the " Sleeping Beauty " or " Huon Belle," together with the lesser peaks, on a still summer morning present a scene of dazzling beauty which no pen can justly portray. It is in the winter months (June to August), when the westerly winds with slight hail rattle round, that the Huon is not as pleasant as it might be, and on occasional mornings for a few hours fog hangs over the upper reaches. These latter condi- tions are not a general state of affairs climatically ; still, when exception can be taken, it will fall under these heads. From October to May the Huon is as good as one could wish it to be; from June to September, in the writer's opinion, it is not as pleasant as several places in this State, say, 100 miles further north. No doubt residents in Great Britain would wonder what is meant by recording differences of degree between places situated in an island much smaller than Ireland, bearing in mind the severity of the winters in the Old Country, but without hinting at the various climatic idiosyncrasies, as they may be termed, it is difficult to know how to paint a picture of life in the different centres. It is very hard to alight upon the correct shade of mean- ing to convey an adequate representation of what a newcomer would find. 172 South Brunt/ and D' Entrecasteaux Channel. The D 'Entrecasteaux Channel links up the Huon River with the Derwent, where Hobart, the capital, stands, 12 miles from its mouth. The Channel, as it is generally called, is much nearer by water to Hobart, and its shores are studded with charming villas. The views from the surrounding hills are beyond description. South Bruny, where orchards are coming into prominence, shelters the southern and eastern side of the Channel, and this place must be visited and seen for itself. As a yachtsman's paradise, the Chan- nel has no counterpart in the Southern Hemisphere, unless it be the Amazon. On both sides of any centre between, say, Gordon and Mills Reef, there are 50 miles of lovely, landlocked lake-like waterway ; generally speaking, bold water to the very banks, and ranging from 1 to 4 miles in width. The rugged grandeur of the surrounding hills, the dainty little bights and anchorages, together with the smooth water, will some day be duly appreciated. One is loth to leave the Huon and its environs, as it carries happy memories of long ago, but space will not allow full justice to be done, nor can anything short of an actual visit give any idea of its many attractive aspects. The late Mr. Peter Barr — the " Daf- fodil King " — was much taken with the scenic beauties of the south-eastern corner of this island. The Glenorchy District. Glenorchy is a small suburb of the capital, where a fine quality of fruit is grown. The land here is beginning to carry an enhanced value, owing to the fact that the city is extending in that direc- tion, and building is going on apace. One small orchard of 4 acres gave over 1000 bushels of apples to the acre for some years, but it is now played out. Hop-culture is carried on in a small way at this centre. Orchards extend right on to South Bridgewater, and there are many fine sites to be purchased. The Bagdad Valley. A short distance from Hobart by rail, say 20 miles, brings one to the Bagdad Valley. A nice little centre, English in character, is Bagdad, but it enjoys a lighter rainfall than the Huon, and yields are not so heavy. There is a sprinkling here of pro- fessional men from the capital who own orchards. Bagdad holds the proud position of possessing an orchard for which the highest price on record was given. The amount stands at considerably over £200 per acre. This must not be taken as the general price which must be given for orchards here, but it is an accomplished fact and worth recording. People who desire to be away from the ocean breezes might consider this centre as most favourable, but many growers prefer water-carriage for their fruit. 174 The Derwent Valley. New Norfolk, Macquarie Plains, and Glenora are situated in the upper part of the valley of the River Derwent. Here many thousands of fine acres of orchard lands can be seen, but it is not possible to convey an adequate portrait of this magnificent coun- try. The last bend of the Derwent approaching New Norfolk is considered pre-eminently picturesque. Here the waters of the Derwent, and higher up the valley those of its tributaries, are employed for irrigation purposes both for fruit and hops. The several branches of the Shoobridge family reside in this part, and their name has long been associated with advanced horticulture. Like the Huon at Huonville, and the Tamar in some of its reaches, the Derwent at this centre encourages a little fog on still days in winter. The fine plantations and palatial residences here are indi- cative of what apple-growing can afford. Tctsman's Peninsula. Before proceeding to the northern end of the island it would be well to briefly note what Tasman's Peninsula is capable of, as there are many hundreds of acres of suitable land yet to be employed in this vicinity. Some phenomenal yields have been taken off a small patch at Nubeena. The Peninsula will always remain his- torically of importance owing to its past. Here the tourist finds Port Arthur, Eaglehawk Neck, with the Blowhole, Tasman's Arch, Devil's Kitchen, Tesselated Pavement, &c. Much activity is being displayed on the foreshore of Norfolk Bay, a large inland sea, where our warships go for ball practice. Orchards are being extended in several directions, and its proximity to Hobart assures it a fine future. A few miles higher up the coast Messrs. H. Jones & Co.'s orchard of 300 acres at Triabunna is linking up the out- lying centres with profitable fruit-production. The North-East. At Scamander and Georges' Bay, now mainly of interest as watering-places where bream and other fishing is enjoyed, fruit- culture is coming along. The mild climate produces a very highly- coloured apple, and there are thousands of acres still the property of the Crown near St. Helens (George's Bay). A good rainfall (29 inches) is enjoyed, and the soil being largely decomposed granite, results in an apple of firm flesh and well adapted for car- riage to distant markets. Some day in the not far distant future the North-East will command high attention as a fruit-producing area. Travelling west from George's Bay the orchards at Scottsdale and Lilydale come into view. The highest-grade apples are grown 175 at these places, and there is plenty of room for newcomers. Scotts- dale flourishes on the rich basaltic soil arising from decomposed volcanic rock, which is brick-red in colour, and the vigorous trees if rightly pruned centre their activities in the direction of heavy yields. Colour might be dubbed the dominant feature of apples grown in this belt, and it remains to be seen whether the still milder climate at St. Helens will not produce a better apple in this respect. So far, judging from what has been grown at Scamander and George's Bay, the growers at Lilydale will require to maintain the highest standard of cultivation. The Estuary of the Tamar. The Tamar is the next and perhaps the greatest difficulty met with in endeavouring to do even scant justice in a brief description of the orchard land Tasmania possesses. Fruit-growing on its banks was practically unknown 10 years ago, and now there are over 4000 acres planted. In 1908 there were only 724 acres. Modernity is the main characteristic of this movement, both in regard to system and management. In another decade or earlier the Tamar will be a scene of great activity, when the ocean-going steamers call for fruit at Bell Bay. This estuary has a foreshore of at least 100 miles. River scenery of a very beautiful character goes in with the selection, and already its banks have been embel- lished by the presence of comfortable homes, picturesque gardens, and, what should be of greater import, cultured people. There is no desire to mislead or to enlist improperly the attention of those at a distance by setting forth the above, but it must be admitted that the lower reaches of the estuary of the Tamar have a longer foreshore (shore-line) for residential houses with orchards than the estuary of the Derwent, and as visitors have informed the writer that the view from the Springs on Mt. Wellington is equal to the best Swiss scenery, then residents in the Northern Hemisphere can form some idea of the natural beauties to be enjoyed in the small- est state of the Commonwealth. The Mersey Valley. Last, but by no means least — in the opinion of some, first of all — we approach the Spreyton district, where apple-culture is making a distinct forward movement. Latrobe, Spreyton, Railton, and Devonport will in the near future produce many thousands of cases of high-grade apples, and as the port of Devonport is adjacent there is every natural facility- Perhaps nowhere else in this State will there be found so many retired Anglo-Indians as within a stone's throw of Devonport. This fact, combined with the rich surrounding country and all the enjoyments of modern life, should exert a strong attraction to newcomers. 176 The Cost of Establishing an Orchard. This is not as easy as it may seem to put on paper. The price of land varies according to locality, and the timber it may carry will increase the early outlay. However, the following figures dealing with a 25-acre block and a 100-acre orchard are authentic and from two different sources. They will guide the man at a dis- tance, and it might be advisable to point out that one man, if he knows his work, can attend to 10 acres of full-bearing land. He may want a little help when the rush of picking is on : — Twenty-five Acre Orchard. £ Twentv-five acres at £20 per acre (readv for the plough * 500 Fencing, packing-shed, and cottage 350 Five thousand trees at 70s. per 100 175 Planting 25 acres 15 Five years' cultivation, pruning, &c, at £4 10s. per acre ... 560 Interest on outlay for five years at 5 per cent, com- pound interest 370 Unforeseen expenses 30 Total £2000 The returns from the fifth to the seventh year may fairly be calculated to pay the orchard expenses on the outlay. From the tenth year onward the annual return from the orchard should be at least 6000 bushels. These, at the moderate estimate of 2s. 6d. per bushel on the trees, give £750 ; deduct £225 for working (this is calculating at £9 per acre, which will cover cultivation, spray- ing, and all expenses), leaving £525, from which the annual inter- est on £2000 has also to be deducted. Thus there would be a clear income of £425. It must not be forgotten that a bona fide settler gives his own work, and in the above calculations he would by working himself save £80 a year; in addition, if he has £2000 capital, he would get the interest on the amount invested, or an average of £74 per year, giving him £154 to live on until the orchard came into bearing. It must also be borne in mind that a conservative estimate has been placed on the average yield. Suc- cessful growers, and those in specially-favoured localities, obtain more fruit than 240 bushels per acre. Yields of 1000 cases per acre are by no means unknown in some seasons on small areas, up to say 4 acres ; but these are exceptional, and it would be safer for intending growers to estimate their returns at 300 bushels to the acre, which, at 2s. 6d. per bushel net, gives the handsome profit of nearly £40 per acre. The average price is given above as 177 "2s. 6d. per bushel on the tree, but many successful growers, by ■careful attention to packing, &c, and good judgment in market- ing, realise higher prices on the average ; yet 2s. 6d. is the price a speculator, who expects to make his profit, will purchase at in the country centres. The following estimate deals with a 100-acre block (note that the grand total is just four times the cost of a block one-quarter in area) : — Estimate of Cost of Land Cleared and Planted Out with Apples on the Basis of 100-acre I 'lots. £ First cost of 100 acres of land, at, say, £5 per acre 500 Grubbing, cutting-up timber, burning- off, and clearing land fit for ploughing, at £6 per acre 600 Cost of ploughing and subsoiling, at £1 per acre 100 Two-year-old apple-trees, at £3 per 100, planting out, say, 100 trees per acre (Memo. — Many orchardists plant 140 trees per acre) 300 Cost of planting, including pegging-out, digging holes, &c, at £1 per acre 100 Purchase of four suitable farm horses, at say, £40 each... 160 Implements and tools for working 100 acres of land, say ... 300 Fencing with wire-netting (four posts to the chain and three round wires), cost of material and erection, at £50 per mile, say 80 Draining with agricultural pipes, inclusive of cost of pipes and labour in putting down, costs £40 per mile. The drainage of 100 acres would altogether depend upon the character of the land and how close the drains are required. Therefore we can onlv roughly estimate at, say 100 Cost of building's for manager, workmen, stables, &c, say four four-roomed cottages at £120 each, one manager's house (£250), and stables (£50) 780 Manuring young trees, last three years, with, say, 5 cwt. artificial manure per acre — 25 tons at £6 per ton — £150 for three years 450 Horse-feed and cost of keeping, &c, four horses for one year, £100; two ploughman and four orchard hands, at £2 per week, for one year, £624 ; one manager, per annum, £200; total, £924 — for five years, say 4620 Estimated total cost of 100 acres of orchard at the end of five years containing seven-year-old trees £8090 After the fifth year of planting out — that is, when the trees are seven years old — the orchard should in the sixth year of planting- 178 out more than pay working expenses, and rapidly increase until the orchard becomes full-bearing in 10 years. Of course, under favourable circumstances, or in an exceptionally suitable locality, the orchard might pay expenses a year earlier than indicated ; but it would not be safe to in any way rely upon that, and the writer is of opinion that the above is a fair and reasonable estimate for a block of the size in question. If planting out smaller areas the expenses would very closely proportionate down to small blocks, when, of course, the expenses would be proportionately slightly higher, unless the work was done largely by the purchaser person- ally. When to Arrive. The best period of the year for a newcomer to arrive in Tas- mania, more particularly if he intends to embark in fruit-growing, would be about October. This will give him time to have a look round and make up his mind, before the busy season commences, as to where he would prefer to settle. Although a comparatively small island, there is in Tasmania an infinite amount of variety in the several districts which can only be thoroughly understood and appreciated by those practically acquainted with the country. To the yachtsman the south-eastern corner will, with its magnificent waterways, appeal most strongly of all. To those who lean more in the direction of rural tastes, the midlands and central north cannot be beaten, whilst the person who is capable of entertaining himself, and would not feel too lonely in a sparsely-populated com- munity, the east or north-east may be selected. It is impossible to determine for one at a distance where they would be most con- tented, nor can the foregoing remarks be taken as covering the whole of the distinctive features of each place. To make the mean- ing clearer : the attractions of the Derwent, the Huon, and sur- rounding channels, bays, locks, &c, would determine many a per- son fond of the briny in his leisure hours, but this by no means deprives the orchardist on the Tamar banks of the enjoyment of a 40-mile estuary ranging from 1 to 4 miles in width. In this par- ticular the resident at Spreyton and Devonport would cite the Mer- sey, whilst the man at St. Helens (George's Bay) has an inlet of 8 miles in length by 4 miles at its widest part abounding in fish and picturesque surroundings. Having landed in this State, and even having decided where he will settle, it is not considered advisable for the newcomer to straightway invest capital in an orchard. Very little is gained by undue haste in this respect, and considerable disappointment or dissatisfaction may arise after one has got one's bearings. Far better is it for the newcomer to secure a berth for six or 12 months with a practical orchardist, and get the " inside running " of his district. He will be learning the practical side of the work all the time, and, by conversation with his neighbours and perus- 179 ing the daily papers, gaining knowledge as to prices of land in its various aspects. Considerations as regards schooling children and the proximity of future friends may, if properly determined, give considerable satisfaction in the future, or the oversight of such modify in a great measure the success of making a home in this State. A few hints on the diversity of Tasmania may be of interest to those at a distance contemplating coming here. The generally held most important factor in favour of this State is its climate. Being a small island — some 5000 square miles smaller than Ireland — it is mild and delightful in most parts, particularly near the coast. The eastern centre of the island, where the main railway-line runs, is an elevated plateau rising to about 1500 feet half-way between Hobart and Launceston, where the Merino sheep country lies. Another plateau arises in the middle portion pro- per, where the altitude is about 3000 feet. Here the lakes of Tasmania are situated- — in the Counties of Westmorland and Cum- berland. Summer-grazing is carried on here by pastoralists, the stock being withdrawn to the lower levels in winter. The combination of lake scenery, mountain ranges, and the deep gorges revealing the winding rivers near their sources, give panoramas carrying descriptions into the regions of the sublime. There are no blacks in Tasmania, no foreigners except an odd " darkie " sometimes seen as "boots" at an hotel in the cities. A few Chinese are located at the tin mines at Weldborough on the North-East Coast, and an odd Chinaman or two run market-gar- dens near Hobart. This halcyon isle does not receive visits from tornadoes, typhoons, hurricanes, or other violent atmospheric depressions; the presence and comparative nearness of the ocean all round main- tains an equable state of the barometer. It receives ample rain- fall for all agricultural, horticultural, and pastoral purposes on an advanced scale, and if a visitor is not satisfied with a " fair thing," he can go to the West Coast, where the mines are, and revel in from 10 to 12 feet of heavenly dew per annum. Tasmania is also most fortunate in getting first call on the gentle ozone- carrying breezes from the south, which in conjunction with the health-giving exhalations from the forests of eucalypts all over the island result in a standard of healthiness unequalled in the Southern Hemisphere. There are hundreds of State schools throughout the island where education is imparted free of cost. High schools, State and private, can also be found in the cities of Hobart and Launceston, as well as colleges for girls and boys, and Tasmania possesses its own university. Of churches there is the widest possible range of denominations. Briars, blackberries, hawthorn hedges, and all manner of Eng- lish shrubs, flowers, and trees, flourish as if glad of a change of soil and a better climate ; whilst of weeds there are representatives 180 of almost every family which au Englishman drags about with him wherever he goes. Bush poets and bush lawyers are scattered about. Golf clubs, football grounds, cricket fields, are met with at every turn, and the votaries of the turf can employ their ingenuity in " picking winners " at any centre throughout the State, but they must be content with totalisator returns, as bookmakers are prosecuted. Women have votes in this part of the Southern Hemisphere. Eng- lish grasses and clovers flourish here, and English landscape scenery can also be enjoyed. In fact, Tasmania is Old England over again, minus some undesirable features. A few remarks to the younger members who are thinking of coming this way may save future heartburning. Don't think you are coming to Tasmania to pick apples off trees in the streets, because they grow in orchards which are in most cases several miles from the cities. Don't imagine a couple of hundred pounds is all you require to set you up in the fruit indus- try without further effort, because it will not do so ; the less capital you have the more work must be done. Don't think it is " infra dig." to take your coat off if it hampers the play of your muscles; no one will make remarks about your being in your shirt-sleeves in hot weather. Above all, please do not, as many have done, begin to teach your employer the second week you have been on the orchard. This has resulted, with one other failing, in getting many Englishmen looked askance at in this part of the world. Work hard the first week, and make up your mind to work harder the second, because the chances are you will not be " fit " at the beginning. Don't take your money, if you bring any, out of the bank until you have been in the State at least six months. Make this a golden rule, and if any one wishes you to break it, don't accept the suggestion. FRUIT CULTURE IN THE HUON. (Mountain River Board Report.) The Huon district is first and last a fruit-producing district, and its climatic conditions favour the production of raspberries and apples to perfection. On a small holding, and by those first starting to carve out for themselves a home in the bush, the culture of raspberries and other small fruits tides them over the first stage. These fruits are most prolific when grown on the hillsides, in gullies, or any sheltered situation. The average harvest brings over a ton of raspberries to the acre. It is usual to only partly clear the land of its original growth of scrub and timber, the planting being done mostly in small patches wherever suitable, the cost averaging from £8 to £10 per acre, including cost of purchasing canes. The average price for this fruit delivered at the various fruit -receiving depots during the past five years has been l|d. per lb. This cul- ture gives employment to the early settler and his family, but does not leave a large margin of profit beyond actual wages earned ; still, it keeps the pot boiling until such time as further improve- ments are effected and orchards planted out. The chief industry in this district is orchard farming, and although the bulk of the land is not first-class, it is eminently adapted for fruit culture. Orchards in full bearing average 400 bushels to the acre annually, but this has been exceeded in many instances, much depending on the method of cultivation and manuring, as well as with the successful coping with the various pests that attack both the tree and the crop. An average orchard in full swing, and in the hands of an experi- enced orchardist, would yield a net return of, say, £30 an acre as a return to the owner for his labour, but it must be understood that this only refers to orchards that have been planted out for 10 years, for trees cannot be considered to be in full bearing until they have reached that age. The price of land as selected and purchased from the Govern- ment under " The Crown Lands Act " ranges from 10s. to £1 per acre, to which must be added the cost of survey. In purchas- ing unimproved land from private owners the price will range from £2 to £5 an acre, according to the quality and situation. The area required to make a living from in this district would range from 25 to 100 acres. In purchasing privately-owned land, that which is cleared and fit to plant with fruit trees usually realises from £40 to £80 an acre, and orchards in full profit are worth from £80 to £150 per acre, according to situation; and an immigrant with a capital of, say, £500, might be in a position to purchase a pro- pertv of from 25 to 50 acres, with a cottage thereon, and with. 182 perhaps, 4 to 8 acres of orchard coming into bearing, enabling him, with other crops, to live until such time as he has cleared and planted more. With the sum of £2000 an immigrant could pro- bably purchase an orchard farm of 100 acres, with a house and about 10 to 15 acres of orchard in full bearing, also a few hundred acres cleared for cultivation or grass, but much would depend on its proximity to road and water carriage. We would strenuously recommend immigrants intending to take up orcharding in Tas- mania not to invest their capital till they have gained some experi- ence in the methods of fruit culture as practised here. Huon River at Shipwrights' Point. TASMANIA: ITS CLIMATE AM) RESOURCES. By L. A. Evans. The Climate of Tasmania. Situated sufficiently far southward from the continent of Aus- tralia to be outside the baneful influences which large countries have to endure, Tasmania enjoys a mild, equable climate. By reason of its undulating character the choice is offered of the moisture-laden atmosphere at the sea-level or the rarefied invigor- ating climate of a sub-alpine character. The mere fact that Tas- mania is the holiday resort of residents of the mainland during the summer months indicates beyond argument what a valuable asset this State possesses in respect to the climatic conditions which it enjoys. The beneficial effect derived by persons with delicate constitu- tions after a few years' residence in this State has passed beyond the stage of conjecture, and from time to time fresh arrivals from the Northern Hemisphere in search of health settle here. Whether it is judged from the standpoint of its scenery, its climate, recreations, or fertility in respect to farm products, Tas- mania is generally acknowledged to take a front rank in the States of the Commonwealth. The Agricultural Industry. Cereals of all kinds as well as root crops grow with marked suc- cess in most parts of the island. Soils of decomposed basalt, pro- ductive in the highest degree, are mainly situated in the North- western and North -Eastern parts of Tasmania. In the South the hop crop grows magnificently and fruits of a temperate climate have earned a world-wide reputation. The pea crop is one which is extensively grown and shipped to England. Potatoes and mixed farming have been largely respon- sible for much of the wealth produced in the past. A notable feature in pursuing the practice of agriculture in the island is its well-watered farms ; streams never giving out, being met with at almost every turn. Tasmania does not suffer from hot, drying winds to any extent, consequently no rapid transpiration goes on, and with a regular rainfall droughts are unknown. Harbours. Tasmania is well provided with shipping facilities by a number of natural outlets situated all round the island. 184 The port of Hobart, especially, is unquestionably one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Ships of the deepest draught and large tonnage can steam right up to the wharves, which are situated within a stone's throw of the centre of the city. No other port in Australia can berth and discharge steamers drawing such a depth as can lie alongside its magnificent wharves. The lower reaches of the Tamar and the Huon Rivers are also magnifi- cent waterways for the transport of merchandise. At Burnie, Stanley, Devonport, Ulverstone, Macquarie Harbour, and else- where the export of products, mineral and agricultural, has every natural facility. Dairying in Tasmania. There are at least thirty butter and cheese factories in full swing in this island, and the export of butter to England is grow- ing apace. The mildness of the winters, and the natural pastures combined, favour the prospects of dairymen in the highest degree; whilst the certainty of the returns as well as the over-sea markets will undoubtedly place the milch cow in the forefront of agricul- tural advancement. Poultry, Pigs, and Bacon. The above industries are making considerable headway, and offer a splendid field for investment in conjunction with dairying. Through the medium of competitions in egg-laying the most approved strains of egg-producers are being brought to light. KING ISLAND. This is one of the most important dependencies of Tasmania. It is situate in Bass Strait, about midway between the northern extremity of the mainland of Tasmania and Victoria. It is about 36 miles long north and south, by an average of 10 miles wide. Almost all the land on the island available for selection has been purchased. Many of the earlier settlers have done really well on the island fattening cattle. It is now gradually settling down into a community of farmers, many of whom will go in for dairying. The population is about 700, and if the land recently selected opens out well, after having been burnt and sown with grass seed, its numbers will soon increase. It has been decided to erect a jetty on the eastern side of the island. Up to the present the only jetty has been at Currie Har- bour, on the western shore. In the early days of land selection on this island the fattening of cattle was its chief industry, about 2500 head per year being the annual output. Dairying is now becoming fairly established. This is an industry for which the island is very suitable. Grass is very abundant on the western portions of the island. INFORMATION ON LAND VALUES. By L. A. Evans. In order that correct information on land values in districts where the land has been partially improved by the clearing of the timber and the sowing of artificial grasses may be made available to the public, the following notes on the rural districts in this State are published : — Stavekton (Sheffield District.) The land in this district is worth from £3 to £12 per acre, according to the clearing that has been carried out. Peas, oats, and potatoes grow well, but the district is well adapted to dairying and grazing, as it is well watered and grows good feed. It will carry two sheep to the acre in properly fenced paddocks. Barrington. On chocolate farms, oats go up to 80 bushels to the acre ; pota- toes, 8 tons per acre; two acres tor a fully-grown beast; two sheep to the acre. The price of land runs from £12 to £20 per acre. Stooijley. Mixed farming prevails, mostly potatoes. Since the Irish blight, blue peas have been very profitable. Land runs in value from £5 to £30 per acre, average price £12. The number of stock on 100 acres — 30 sheep, 6 cows, 20 to 30 pigs, and the usual stock to work the farm. Forth. Mixed farming — wheat, oats, peas, beans, potatoes, mangolds, hay, dairying, poultry, sheep. Oats and hay are the most profit- able crops. Land is worth from £15 to £27 per acre. Fifty acres is considered the minimum on which a living could be made. The land will graze one beast to the acre or eight sheep on the same area. Uncleared fruit land is valued at £5 per acre ; when cleared its value rises to £15 per acre. B.IDGELEY. Land uncleared is valued at £2 to £4 per acre, partly cleared £10 to £15, whilst cleared land rises to £15 to £20 per acre. There is splendid feed where the land is good and of even quality. The district is well provided with transport, shipping, markets (Burnie and Waratah). The minimum area to make a living off 186 is considered to be 50 acres. Mixed farming prevails — dairying, grazing, cropping. The best crop is considered to be the potato, which averages 4 tons to the acre. Oats are largely grown, and yield 50 bushels to the acre. Dairying and grazing are extensively carried on : sheep not general in this district. The land will carry one beast to 3 acres ; 1 cow to 4 acres — which allows for a little cropping — sheep, one to the acre on good runs. Irishtown. Potatoes and oats are the principal crops of this district, taken alternately. The former average 4 tons to the acre. Hay crops give 2 tons to the acre, but good crops rise to 3 tons per acre. Since Irish blight broke out dairying has made great strides. The soil is well suited to cereals, pulse, and roots. First-class land is worth from £1 to £10 per acre, the price depending on situation, amount of improvements, and instalments paid to the Crown, rather than on its quality. Partially cleared land is worth from £3 to £5 per acre. Not less than 100 acres should be purchased as a holding. Grass land will carry one cow to 3 acres ; roughly cleared land, one cow to 6 acres, or one ewe and lamb per acre. Kindred. Mixed farming holds sway. Potatoes are grown on the choco- late soil; oats for grain and hay; peas, turnips, and mangolds; the latter to supplement the green feed for dairying, which has made great strides, as witness the establishment of co-operative butter factories at Ulverstone, Burnie, and Devonport. Wheat is only raised in small quantities for home use. All stock enjoy the best of health. Pork-raising as a supplement or adjunct to dairying goes on. Beef, mutton, wool are produced in small quantities. The price of unimproved land is about £10 per acre. Improved areas run from £12 to £25 per acre. The holdings run from 100 to 150 acres, but 50 acres are considered the minimum from which a living could be made. The land will carry one beast to the acre or three sheep to a similar area. The altitude is from 500 to 700 feet. The roads in the district are good. Preston. Mixed farming. Oats and potatoes are the leading crops. Pota- toes yield from 5 to 10 tons per acre ; oats from 50 to 80 bushels per acre. It is considered that 100 acres are necessary to make a living off. Bush land is valued at £4 per acre, grazing land at £7 10s., and improved farms at £13 per acre. The land will carry about one beast to 2 acres and one sheep per acre. The grazing land is best suited for dairying. 187 North Motton. Potatoes and oats are the principal crops grown in this district. Potatoes are planted from June to October. The mild winters allow a continuous supply of fodder to be grown. Partly cleared land is valued at from £8 to £12 per acre ; cleared land at from .£20 to £24 per acre. Fifty acres are required to make a living on. The altitude of the district is 500 feet- New Ground. Mixed farming — wheat, hay, potatoes. Improved areas are valued at from £10 to £30 per acre. From 50 acres upwards are needed to make a living on. Fruit land, uncleared, runs from £2 to £14 per acre, according to situation. £10 per acre will fit fruit- land for the plough or planting. Sheep on farms (not runs), two to five head per acre : one beast to 2 acres. MOOREVILLE-ROAD. Potatoes are the leading crop in this district. Oats, peas, hay also largely grown. Dairying is carried on here. The land is valued at from £12 to £20 per acre- Minimum area to make a living on, 100 acres. Potatoes yield from 5 to 6 tons per acre, oats 50 bushels, hay 2| tons, blue peas 40 bushels per acre. This district grows good grass— English, cocksfoot, white and red clover. Turnips and mangolds do well here. Devonpokt. Potatoes, dairying, and mixed farming. Land is valued at £23 per acre. Dairying land from £10 per acre, subject to the clear- ing done. A good living can be made on 75 acres of red soil and 125 acres of dark loam. Uncleared fruit land is worth from £1 to £10, according to its position. Fruit land newly planted is valued at £30 to £40 per acre. Orchards coming into bearing, £60 to £70, with reasonable addition for other improvements. The land in this district would carry a heavy head of stock, but it is not utilised much for grazing. Crop yields are heavy here. Upper Flowerdale. Mixed farming and dairying are carried on at this centre. Pota- toes are planted from April to October, and the yield is from 6 to 10 tons per acre. The dairying industrv is making headway. Cocksfoot and other grasses and clovers do well, and last in the ground from five to seven vears. Partly cleared and cleared farms run from £8 to £25 per acre. La'nd scrubbed, grassed, and fenced, without further improvements, from £3 to £8 per acre. The land is increasing in value as the metal roads are extending further back. The number of head of cattle the land will carry 188 varies according to the clearing and grassing done. A fair average would be two sheep to an acre and one beast to 3 acres. If fod- der crops are grown the average is much higher. On one of the best 400 acres, with fodder and grass land, there were reared 800 lambs and fattened for market ; 400 ewes were fed and 10 cows milked ; besides running surplus cattle, horses, &c, to work the farm. Out of the 400 acres, 60 acres were planted with potatoes, oats, &c, for marketing. Table Cape. Mixed farming — potatoes, oaten hay, oats, blue peas, wheat barley, in the order named. The district is admirably adapted for dairying and grazing. Uncleared land is valued at about £6 per acre ; improved farms, £25 per acre ; minimum area to make a living on, 50 acres ; fruit land, uncleared, from £3 to £10 per acre; cost of clearing ranges from £10 to £20 per acre. Grass land will carry three sheep to 2 acres, one cow to 3 acres; on scrubbed and grassed land, one cow to 4 acres, if firewood and ferns kept down. SCOTTSDALE WEST. This district is admirably adapted for dairying as it is well watered, and grows grass and clovers to perfection. Mixed farm- ing is carried on — peas, oats, potatoes, roots. Drabsoil partially cleared is worth from £3 to £8 per acre. Chocolate soil partially cleared and grassed rises in value from £10 to £14 per acre. The minimum area to make a living on dairying is 100 acres. Clearing land suited for orcharding costs £10 per acre. The land will run two sheep to an acre or one beast to 4 acres- SCOTTSDALE. All classes of farming and horticulture are carried on here, but dairying is perhaps the most profitable. First-class cleared farms are worth £20 per acre, and 100 acres are sufficient to make a living on. This price applies also to cleared fruit land of first-class quality close to the railway. Uncleared fruit land can be had for £1 per acre. As much as £100 per acre have been taken off an orchard in this district in one season. Some farms will carry from 5 to 10 sheep per acre; others only one. LlLYDALE. About 2000 acres, also smaller holdings suitable for orcharding and mixed farming, are available in this district. Avoca. There is not much land available in this district, as it is mostly held as large estates used as sheep-runs, but well adapted for 189 mixed farming, — hay, wheat, and cereals. Price of land £2 to £3 per acre. Taking the good with the bad land the area required for a holding is not less than 1000 acres. It will carry one sheep to the acre, which number could be increased by cropping. Frankford. Grass, dairying, and rearing stock ; most profitable farm products, oats and potatoes; price of land from 30s. to £7; minimum area required 150 acres; fruit land, cleared, £1 ; uncleared, £3 per acre. When fenced against rabbits and cleared would carry four sheep per acre ; one beast per acre. St. Helens. Crown land is available in this district at £1 per acre, first-class; 100 acres scrubbed and grassed sufficient to make a living by dairy- ing. Second-class land is available suitable for fruitgrowing at a cost of 10s. per acre; clearing costs from £10 to £15 per acre. Land can be cleared, fenced, and planted with fruit trees for £20 to £25 per acre. The land will carry when cleared and grassed one cow on 3-5 acres ; three sheep per acre. There are nearly 100 acres of young orchard land in this district. Large areas of land near the port are still available. The fruit colours well here. Dairying is carried on at Pyengana, Gould's Country, New Eng- land, and Upper Scamander. The cheese factory at Pyengana pro- duces 70 to 80 tons of cheese per annum, and in addition there are large dairymen who do not supply the factory. Gould's Coun- try also possesses a factory. Pyengana is 20 miles from St. Helens. Gould's Country 12 miles, and Scamander 12 miles. The reads ar-3 good, and so is the fishing, &c, in this part of the island. There are considerable areas open for selection suitable for grazing. The climate is perhaps as mild as any part of the State. Transport oy steamer to Hobart or Launceston at 17s. per ton. St. Marys. The district is a long-settled one, and there is no land now for sale. The land is occupied mostly for pastoral purposes and dairy farming, but since the railway opened in 1886 cereals are on the increase. The farming community here is divisible into three elasses : — (1) Pastoralists in the valley of the Break o'Dav, who also grow wheat and oats. (2) Tenants in the valley who rent portions of the above estates and grow the same cereals. (3) Settlers in the hill districts, opened up since the sixties, chiefly by Germans, and who grow enough for their own use, and who sell in the district chieflv. 190 There is no land for sale here, all available sites having long since been taken up. It is not an orcharding district. Recently very fair land has been discovered in the broken country of hills and gorges, between Mt. Nicholas and Mt. Victoria, which is a heavily-timbered country, and more or less unexplored. The drawback to the cold plains in this district is the perishable nature of the timber, which consists of cabbage-gum, swamp-gum (the open country variety), and white-gum, all of which suffer trom the cold and windy climate, and are continually on the break down, causing a litter, which requires continually clearing up. This mili- tates now, with the high price of labour, aganst keeping the runs clear. A run, or paddock, cleared up will, in seven to nine years, be just as " dirty " again. Carnarvon. Dairying and orcharding are the principal industries on Tas- man's Peninsula. Cultivation consists principally in growing fodder for stock. One hundred acres of land is considered a suffi- cient area to make a living on the good land. There is plenty of land in this district suitable for orcharding ; clearing light scrub costs from £5 to £15; heavily timbered costs £25 to clear ready for the plough. Orchards newly-planted cost £40 per acre ; in full bearing £100. Scrub land, grassed, the first season will carry a fat beast to the acre, but after two or three years it will take about 3 acres to keep a cow, and about three sheep to the acre. During July, August, and September stock will require feeding or to be turned on to a bush run. Wattle Grove. Fruit culture is the chief industry in this district. Apples, pears, stone fruit, and berries grow well. Uncleared land runs in price from £5 to £10 per acre; cleared land £40; orchards newly planted £50; in full bearing £100 upwards per acre. Roughly cleared land will carry one beast or five sheep to the acre. If tillage employed this number could be increased. A capital of t.2000 should pur- chase a property with a turnover of between £400 or £500 per annum. Tyenna. The hop is the most profitable crop on the river flats. Pota- toes and vegetables grow well. There is fine grass country, and the district is admirably suited to dairying. The bulk of the land is held by the Crown, and costs from 10s. to £1 per acre to pur- chase, and £3 per acre to scrub the timber, ring, and burn-off, and sow with grass. A few settlers will sell at prices ranging from £6 to £8 per acre, which means 3 or 4 acres under cultivation, and from 50 to 100 acres in grass on roughly-cleared land. Small fruits grow well here. The land will carry two sheep to the acre 191 .all the year round, but owing to the rough state of the country each acre is taken up to the extent of about 2 square chains by standing timber, logs, bark, and rubbish. It will carry one beast to every 4 or 5 acres all the year round. Apples grow well, out take the black spot, as no spraying is carried out. If the settler grows hops a small area will suffice for a living ; but for mixed farming, which is general, it is considered that from 100 to 150 .acres are required to live on. Glen Huon. Land for sale under freehold is rare in this centre. The cost of clearing new land and preparing same for orchard purposes varies from £20 to £25 per acre. Orchards in full-bearing costs from £100 to £150 per acre to purchase. Roughly cleared land will depasture two head of cattle per acre in summer. In winter 3 acres are required to support one beast. 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Mutton-'birds may be killed, taken, or captured only during the period commencing from the 20th day of March, and ending on the 20th day of May (both days inclusive) in each year. 2. Licences to kill, take, and capture mutton-birds may be issued by the Secretary for Lands or any person authorised by him at any time during the said period, or within one calendar month immediately prior to the commencement of the said period, and shall be and continue in force during the whole or remainder of the said period, as the case may be. 3. The fees payable for licences shall be as follows: — s. d. (a) For every person under the age of 10 years at the time of the commencement of the licence 5 (h) For every person above the age of 10 years at the time of the commencement of the licence 10 4. Licences shall be in the form contained in the schedule or to the like effect, and shall not be transferable. 5. No horses, neat cattle, sheep, pigs, or other animals except dogs shall be allowed upon any Crown land reserved as a hunting-ground for mutton-birds, and all dogs shall be kept chained. 6. These regulations may be enforced by all bailiffs of Crown lands, police officers, and constables of Tasmania. 7. Any person who shall be guilty of a breach of any of these regula- tions shall for every such offence forfeit and pay a penalty not exceed- ing Five Pounds. 8. All offences against these regulations shall be heard and deter- mined, and all penalties be recovered in a summary way by and before any two or more justices of the peace in the mode prescribed by ''The Magistrates Summary Procedure Act,' and any person aggrieved by any conviction under these regulations may appeal therefrom in man- ner directed by 'The Appeals Regulation Act." 9. No person shall, from the 1st day of September in any year until the 10th day of February inclusive in the next ensuing year, land or enter upon any island which has been proclaimed a hunting-ground for mutton-birds. 196 Regulations Controlling 1 the Hunting of Kangaroo and Opossum. 1. No person shall hunt kangaroo or opossums on Crown lands without a licence. 2. Licences to hunt kangaroo and opossums on Crown lands within any municipality may be obtained from bailiffs of Crown lands, or from any person whom the Commissioner of Crown Lands may appoint for the purpose, on payment of the sum of Five Pounds. 3. Every licence shall be in the form in the schedule prescribed, and shall be in force from the date of the commencement of the licence until the commencement of the next close seasons respectively for kangaroo and opossums. 4. Any person who shall be guilty of a breach of any of these regu- lations shall for every such offence forfeit and pay a penalty not exceeding Ten Pounds. 5. No hunting licence may be issued in respect of land which is held under lease from the Crown for pastoral or mining purposes, except with the consent in writing of the officer who issued the licence. 6. The open season for kangaroo-hunting is from 1st April to 31st July of each year, and for opossums from 1st June until 31st July. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. On sale, at bhe price* and places named hereunder : — Government Printing Department. (Stamps will not he received in payment.) Abel Janszoon Tasman, his Life and Voyages: £ s. d. by James Backhouse Walker, F.R.G.S. (post paid) 2 0-J- Acts of Parliament, Assessment and Valuation Rolls, &c, per sheet 4 An Angler's Guide: Sport with Rod and Line, 124 pp., -31 plates. (Postage extra — Aus- tralian, Old. i 10 Australia's Playground and "Health Resort, 188 pp., 107 plates, one (1) map. (Postage extra- Australian, Id.) 1 Crown Land Laws and Timber Industry, 48 pp., 19 plates, one (1) map. 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'' Tasmanian Government Gazette." current year (post paid), per copy 6.V • Tasmanian Government Gazette." previous year (post paid), per copy 1 0V '"Tasmanian Government Gazette." annual subscription, including Acts passed during the year (post paid) 1 13 6 199 Tasmania!) Nomenclature, A Record of, with £ s. d. Dates and Origins: compiled by ) . Moore- Robinson. 106 pp. Price posted () (i\ Vice-Admiralty Court Rides (post paid) 1 0i Lands and Surveys Department. Maps, Plans, ct'c. (Stamps will not he received in payment.) Crown Lands Guide, 1914 (paper cover) 10 Ditto (cloth cover)... 2 Tasmanian Forestry, Timber Products, and Sawmilling Industry 1 Large Map of Tasmania, plain 15 Ditto, coloured ... 10 Regulations for conducting Survey of laud in Tasmania Free Medium-sized Map of Tasmania, plain 2 6 Ditto, coloured 5 Electoral Map of Tasmania 2 6 Municipal Map of Tasmania 2 6 Small Map of Tasmania, plain 10 Ditto, coloured 2 Geological Map of Tasmania (small) 2 Tourist Map of S.E. Tasmania 6 Map of Hobart and Suburbs, plain 2 6 Ditto, coloured 5 Map of City of Hobart, showing details of alienated lands, &c, in 6 sheets, per sheet ... 1 Ditto, in 2 sheets, per sheet 1 Map of Suburbs of Hobart, in 4 sheets, per sheet 10 Copies of County Maps, for each sheet or part thereof 10 Sheet of County Map entered up to date 2 6 Copies of Town Plans, for each sheet 1 Tracings, from Is. to 10s. each. Diagram Forms, each 1 Plotting Forms, per doz 2 Regulations under " Crown Lands Act " Free. Besides the various Maps of Tasmania and Hobart and the County Sheets mentioned above. Lithographic Copies of the following Towns can be obtained: — Avoca, Argenton, Alberton, Allison, Alma, Apsley, Adelaide. Auburn, Beaconslield, Both well, Branxholm, Bellerive, Boobyalla, Buckland, Bracknell, Burgess, Bicheno. Bridport. Brighton, Bridgewater (South). Bra- bazon, Campbell Town, Cradoc, Cleveland, Carnarvon, Crotty, Colebrook, Chudleigh, Copping, Cookville, Carrick, Crawford. Camden, Currie, Corinna, Cheshunt, Cornwall, Darwin, Devonport, Deloraine, Derby, Douglas, Dundas, Deddington, Dunalley, Dulcot, Dorchester, Elizabeth Town. Elderslie, Enfield, Exeter, Fingal, Franklin, Fal- mouth, Folkstone, George Town, Gladstone, Gormanston, Gordon, Hamilton, Hobart, Hythe, Hamilton-on-Forth, Heybrid^o, Harford, Heazlewood, Hadspen, Hellyer, Howden, Hull, Havelock, Henrietta, Ilfracombe, Inver- m.iv. Jacob's Boat Harbour, Kettering. Kermode, Kun- nara, Koonya. Kempton. Latrobe, Leith. Launceston, 200 Liverpool, Liena, Leven, Lincoln. Longford, Lymington, Lovett, Lefroy. Leslie, Lottah, Long Bay, Llewellyn, Len- non, Lynchford, Lewisham, Macquarie Heads, Montagu, Magnet, Mangana, Moorina, Mathinna, Marlborough, Minnow, Napier, New Norfolk, Nubeena, Oatlands, Orford, Perth, Parattah, Patersonia, Pagunta, Poimena, Pillinger, Picton, Pontville, Pioneer, Pontypool, Queens- town, Richmond. Ross, Ramsgate, Ringville, Rhyndaston, Risdon, Riana, Ridgeway, Rose'bery, Rokeby. Remine. Sheffield, St. Marys, St. Helens, Swanston. Swansea, Sorell, Springfield, Smithton, Somerset, Strahan, Star- ford, Seymour, Summerleas, Scottsdale, Sonthbridge, Sidmouth, Shelstone, Shepton-Montacute, Stieglitz, Tarleton, Triabunna, Tunnack. Tullah, Tunbridge, Taranna, Ulverstone, Upway. Underwood, Victoria, Wynyard, Westbury, Waratah, Welsh, Weldborough, Walpole, Wivenhoe, Woodstock. Wiangata, Williams- ford, York Town, Zeehan. Mines Department. Maps, Plans, &c. Copies of the following Plans, Reports, &c, may be obtained at the Office of Mines, Davey-street, Hobart, or will be forwarded to any address on prepayment by post-office order or otherwise of the price thereof : — Rules under Section 196 of " The Mining Act," £ s. d. calico 1 Abstract of Part VIII. of "The Mining Act, 1905," calico 10 Sketch-maps of the West Coast of Tasmania, showing localities of the various mineral deposits, tracks, &c, for use of prospectors. per plan 1 Plans for various gold and mineral fields, viz.- — Beaconsfield, Mt. Lyell, Lefroy. Mt. Zeehan, Parish of Kay, &c, per plan 1 Reports by the Government Geologists upon various mineral localities throughout the State, published previous to 1-1-1900, Is. to 2s. each. Ditto, ditto, published since 1st January, 1900, free. Annual Reports of the Mines Department, from Is. 6d to 5s. Regulations under " Mining Act, 1905," pamphlet 1 Act and Regulations 2 6 Quarterly Reports on the Progress of the Mineral Industry, free. Recorder of Titles. Map of Hobart and Sandy Bay, distinguishing land under " Torrens' Act," 5 sheets 5 On single sheet, each 1 6 Plan of Lindisfarne 1 6 Mr. R. F. Young's Guide for Computation of Fees and Stamp Duty, under " The Real Property (Torrens') Act" 2 Diagram Forms each 1 Tables for the Transposition of Feet and Links 1 GOV I : R N M EN T FEES. The following is a list of Fees payable to the undermen- tioned Departments: — Lands and Survey Department. (Stamps will not be received.) £ s . d. Certificate of Location Order ... 5 Preparation of Grant Deed 15 Application to purchase Crown land . 1 Application to lease Crown land 1 Transfer of land held on credit, 3d. in the £1 on purchase-money, and Stamp Duty in accordance with " The Stamp Duties Act." Transfer of Pastoral Lease, Is. in the £1 on the annual rental, and Stamp Duty. Charge for advertising issue of Grant Deed under Section 104 of 3 Edward VII. No. 39 15 Search of Records made on behalf of other than the actual selector or holder of Crown land concerned, or other than search made on behalf of any public authority acting in the public interest, fee for each search 2 6 Information supplied as result of such search... 10 Copies of Records supplied per folio of 72 words 10 Mines Department. Prospectors' Licences, per annum 10 If issued after 30th June in any year ... 5 Miners' Rights, per annum 5 If issued after 30th June in any year ... 2 6 Duplicate Prospector's Licence or Miner's Right .. ... ; 10 Registration of Application for Miner's Claim (single) ... ... 2 6 Registration of Application for Miner's Claim (amalgamated) 5 Filing objection to Registration of Miner's Right Claim 2 6 Certificate of Registration of Miner's Right Claim ... _.. „ 2 6 On filing with Registrar any application for Lease ... _.. 10 Amalgamation of Lots under application for lease ... 10 Consolidation of Leases (each lease) 1 Filing objection to application for Lease or Licence (in addition to a deposit of £5) ... 1 Filing Noticti of Marking-off Lessee's Timber Reserve 1 Certificate of Registration of Lessee's Tinvher Reserve (each lease) 5 All Certificates not above mentioned 1 Exemption of Mining Tenements held under Lease, Licence, or otherwise, from covenant as to expenditure 5 202 £ s. d. Registration of owner of Quartz. &c. ; stacked 5 Filing and Recording any Transfer of Applica- tion (or interest therein) for Lease or Licence 10 Filing and recording any Transfer of Lease or Licence 1 Filing and Recording any Transfer of Miner's Right Claim (single) ..." 2 6 Filing and Recording any Transfer of Miner's Right Claim (amalgamated) 5 Copy of Surveyor's Plan (for each claim) 5 Tracing of Surveyor's Plan (for each claim) ... 1 Copy of Surveyor's Notes of Survey 2 6 Copy of Surveyor's Report 2 6 Inspection of Surveyor's Plan and Report ... 1 Copy of Form of Lease or Licence 1 Certified Copy of Records, not exceeding 74 words 2 6 Certified Copy of Records, for every additional 74 words or part thereof 1 Certified Copy of Lease or Counterpart 10 Search for. or inspection of, any Application, or record of any, for Lease or Licence, or of any Mining Company's Register or other record 1 Examining for and granting any Mine Man- ager's Certificate * 1 For every Statement of Claim taken before a "Warden under Part XI. of the Act, if ten- dered ready drawn 2 t> The Like, if drawn by a Warden or Registrar 5 For every Notice of Defence filed with a War- den, if tendered ready drawn 2 6 The Like, if drawn by a Warden or Registrar 5 For everv Summons drawn bv a Warden or ^ Registrar ..' ... 2 6 For every Copy thereof 1 Fee on filing Caveat with Secretary for Mines 10 Fee on Application for Renewal of Lease or Licence 1 Deposits. With Objection to Applications for Lease (in addition to the Objection Fee of £1) 5 With Applications for Forfeiture (for each Lease) 5 (Or if machinery of the value of £200 is stand- ing upon the land, then £10 instead of £5.) JOHN VAIL, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, TASMANIA. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. PRION m U)JURL REC'O LD-URL MAR Form L9-32m-8,'58(5876s4)444 ;BD TasTnnnia. Dftpt. nfl 10° 1 Lands and Works -J \m r ,vcr.vn Tpn^s cmide| FL91U 19lh 11 ^gg 01339 0058 HD 1091 D3 1914 AA 001252 477 3