Difference between revisions of "Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 16/10/1875 (2)"

Latest revision as of 21:59, 20 November 2015

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The supply of wool from Riverina this season will be far in excess of former years, and the general quality its superior. It is finding its way to Melbourne in vast quantities by road, rail, and river.

Mr Manton sold on Tuesday, at Moulamein, 5708 acres to Mr M'Been, and 270 ½ acres to Messrs Black, of Murgah. Other sales are advertised of lands, situated in Wangoritta, Groongal, and Burrabgue runs. 120 acres only were selected.

The weather is getting more settled; the sum is pretty hot in the daytime, but the nights are still chilly. There is every prospect of a splendid harvest. Fat sheep continue to pay through at the rate of about 25,000 per week.

Mr Man the stock agent, has completed a roomy wool store.

Messrs, Wooldridge and Wren are appointed agents for the Mutual Investment and Building Society, which is likely to find many supporters in Deniliquin.

The Wileannia steamer is high and dry on the upper Darling near Brewarrina, and by all accounts likely to remain there for some time.

A poor woman, Amelia Gowan, aged 40, was found drowned in the Darling, near Merindie. She was a married woman but her husband had left her for some time. An inquest was held, and a verdict of temporary insanity returned.

A few grasshoppers have put in an appearance.

There is a slight mortality among sheep travelling this way, supposed to be caused by some poisonous herb. the salt bush, and cotton bush, both affording such an excellent ? source in bad seasons, is fast disappearing.

October 7.

On two or three occasions I have referred to some cabbages I planted many months ago as indicative of the progress of the season. They were planted under favourable circumstances, and I considered that if anything would grow they would. Week after week I watched them and could see no change, and tried everything l could think of to bring them to a head, except poulticing them. I now refer to them for the last time. They took a notion at last, and the prove have gone the last week or two would win a cup. The flower and kitchen garden and the field are each and all in the most, flourishing condition.

I may mention that the grasshoppers are becoming very numerous. Some are the full size, but the main body are small fellows, just emerging from the ground, as in former years.

We have had about three-quarter of an inch rainfall during the week, and the thermometer above summer heat.

A great many sheep, especially in travelling mobs, are dying apparently from eating some poisonous herb. The “Cap weeds" (as it is called here), is blamed for it. but I know in bad seasons sheep eat it with impunity. Whether its prolific growth this season can have changed its character I cannot say.

The new Lands Act seems to have given the conditional purchasers a check, the only one this week being Mr Hay (our member), 320 acres at Boomoonoomoond; 4440 acres taken up at Hay, 1233 acres at Wagga Wagga, 1048 ½ at Albury, and 930 at Gundagai.

It is plain that no more little colonies of the same eternity will be formed as under the old Act, for the simple reason that there will be no land for the youngsters to select. The working of the two Acts will be seen side by side and "experenria docet."

A number of reserves for water and stock routes are proclaimed in this district. At the Government land sales, held almost every week throughout the district, the lots are cleared off with very rare exceptions at £1 per acre.

Mr Reynolds has sold Talbura Station to Mr Tomkins with £600 sheep, horses, plant &c. Mr Hay has bought Mount Monaro station. Mr M’Donald's Kilgera Station is under offer to Mr Armstrong. Messrs C and E Young have bought Caimurra Station, with 5200 head of cattle and ? sheep; and there is a good demand for a back block country. There will soon be very little country unstocked in New South Wales. All the back runs are being improved on a very extensive scale. Fencing, tanks, &c, whilst they are making every blade of grass available, are also giving employment to large numbers of men, and putting plenty of money in circulation.

In these distant parts the primitive style of lambing down the cheque men still exists. A shilling a nobbler, and the score sometimes marked with a three-pronged fork, a victim informs me is the style out back. A rough bar room, and a keg or two of indifferent rum and brandy, are sufficient to induce half the labouring men so spend they have earned with hard work and harder fare; salt beef and brackish water as a rule. We are getting more civilised here, and they try to run the gauntlet to reach the metropolis for a spree. Plenty of them, however, get bewildered by the pretty barmaids of Deniliquin.

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