know a person who accidentally came upon a kangaroo, to which he gave chase: after a long run the creature turned and fought desperately, killing one dog and disabling another. Finding his dogs overmatched, the bushman inconsiderately dismounted from his horse, when the kangaroo flew at him, severely wounded him with its powerful claws, then took him up, carried him to a pond hard by, and when I arrived was endeavouring to drown him. The poor fellow was insensible when rescued, and he kept his bed for six weeks afterwards. He will ever remember needlessly going out of his way to assail a harmless creature who never injured man or beast, but in defence of its own life. Emus are troublesome to catch, for, although unable to fly, they are swift on foot, and run along the ground with flappers outstretched, and with the speed and the thumping sound of a race-horse. They are considered to afford the finest coursing in the world: it is seldom a man on horseback can run them down; and, while VOL. I. L chasing them, many a horse has dropt dead under its rider. Shooting is a very common amusement; every settler keeps his gun, and many of the boys are first-rate shots. The creatures to be shot are various, and for the most part numerous; native turkeys, wild ducks, bronze winged pigeons, wild geese, teal, and young parrots, are all excellent eating. The quadrupeds occasionally shot and eaten by the white man are the wombat, the bandicoot, and the kangaroo rats. It is a common amusement to form parties, and go out with guns by moonlight to shoot the opossum, a nocturnal marsupial, about the size of a rabbit. It exists in abundance, and beautiful, soft, warm rugs and cloaks are made of its skin; but its flesh is not eatable. Before concluding this chapter, it chapter, it may be well to mention, that both in South Australia and Victoria the estimated average yield per acre is for wheat, 21 bushels; barley, 25; : oats, 23; potato, 4 tons. The expenses for cultivating 80 acres of wheat in South Australia are thus esti Unloading and stacking, 3 men, 8 days, at 5s. each per day Thatching, 8 days at 5s. Threshing, winnowing, and carrying to 60 0 0 800 market, 10s. per bushel 69 0 0 £231 10 0 Thus the year's cost, for producing wheat, to the capitalist in South Australia, who performs all his operations by hired labour, is about 2s. 9d. per bushel; or, if reaped by the machine, about £50 may be deducted from the above estimate, which reduces the cost to 2s. 2d. per bushel, without taking into consideration rent of land, interest on outlay for plant, wear and tare of the same, business losses, &c. CHAPTER VIII. The Gardening Population-Advice to SettlersHorticulture. THERE are many market gardeners in the neighbourhood of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and the other leading Australian towns, and their number is fast increasing. The majority of these gardeners have too little capital to become agriculturalists; they possess, according to their means, from one to twenty or more acres of land, which they carefully cultivate, and they generally have a few milch cows, some pigs, and a little poultry. Some of them before emigrating were British or German peasants, others |