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Range Evaluation Using Aerial Photography, D G. Wilcox

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Department of Agriculture, in association with the University of Western Australia, recently undertook a study of the application of aerial photography to range condition monitoring in three rangeland types in the mulga zone of Western Australia.

The project was financed by the Rural Credits Development Fund and the C.S.l.R.O. Rangelands Research Unit.

This article deals in a general way with the possible use of aerial photography in rangeland administration.

Some Wildflowers Of Western Australia, C. F. H. Jenkins, A. S. George

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

MUCH recent discussion on conservation has centred around the importance of wild flower reserves and the need for protecting one of thci State's most important tourist attractions. Although less important to visitors than the flowers, many of our wild animals hold equal interest for nature lovers and scientists, and they also need protection.

ALTHOUGH the brilliance and diversity of West Australian wildflowers are widely appreci­ated, the localities where they can best be observed in their natural state are not so well known.

In this article a brief outline is given of the more important districts in the south western part …

Water Conservation : The Storage Life Of Farm Dams, D J. Carder

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

HOW MANY stock can a dam of a certain size and depth be expected to carry and how long will the supply last?

What size of dam is needed in case the winter rains fail? How many stock can a dam support and still provide a drought supply?

Fisheries Report No V (5) - Report On Marron In Farm Dams (Cherax Tenuimanus), N M. Morrissy

Fisheries Research Reports

A programme of selling marron (Cherax tenuimanus) to country dwellers for stocking farm dams, has been carried out by the Pemberton Trout Board for the past few years with considerable financial gain. In this case permission to sell the marron was granted by the Department of Fisheries and Fauna so as to encourage the provision of stocks of this large, freshwater crustacean for farmers in the dryer inland areas of the Southwest which are remote from sources of fresh fish and from natural stocks of marron.

The marron, however, have been sold indiscriminately, upon request, without any advice as to …

Fisheries Report No Iv (6) - Report On The Current Status Of Crocodiles In Western Australia, H. Robert Bustard Dr

Fisheries Research Reports

The aim of the survey was fivefold,

(1) to determine the present abundance and composition of saltwater crocodile populations in Western Australia,

(2) to comment on the status of the freshwater crocodile in Western Australia following 7 years of total protection,

(3) to locate study area(s) for detailed work on crocodile biology,

(4) to investigate the feelings of people on the spot (especially shooters or ex-shooters) towards crocodile conservation, and

(5) to investigate law enforcement problems relating to crocodiles

Promising Results On West Kimberley Pindan Country, A L. Payne

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN the 22 to 28 inch rainfall belt of the West Kimberley area of Western Australia are extensive areas of what is locally known as "pindan" country.

The term "pindan" refers to a light red or yellow sandy soil type supporting scattered Eucalypts, sparse-dense wattle scrub and grasses such as curly spinifex, ribbon grass and native sorghum.

Flora And Fauna Conservation : A Plea To Landholders, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MUCH of the recent discussion on conservation has centred around the importance of wild flower reserves and the necessity for protecting one of the State's most important tourist attractions.

Although less important to visitors than the flowers, many of our wild animals hold equal interest for nature lovers and scientists, and they also need protection.

Water Storage Has Not Kept Pace With Stock Numbers : South Stirling Survey Finding, A L. Prout

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

RESULTS of a survey on water storage capacity in the South Stirlings area indicate that farm water storage has not kept pace with increased clearing and stock numbers.

This has resulted in many farmers requesting advice on water conservation projects following two consecutive years of low rainfall runoff.

Pasture Establishment In The Wheatbelt, M L. Poole

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The value of legume based wheatbelt pastures is so great that considerable care is warranted during their establishment. Without such care patchy establishment or even complete failure is likely to occur.

IN THE WHEATBELT too many farmers still put less effort into their seeding of pasture species than their seeding of crops.

This may be because both compete for the farmer's time in the busy seeding period and it is the cereal crop which possesses the obvious cash value.

However, the total value of a good pasture has to be assessed over a period of several years because of its …

Pasture Improvement In South Western Australia, J W. Malcolm

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

"There is no doubt that Australia's enhanced prosperity in the last 30 years has been dependent in no small measure on the use of legume-based pastures." E. M. Hutron, June, 1968. *

THE LAST 30 years have seen an increased interest in pasture improvement which has transformed much of Western Australia. Large areas have been sown to new and improved pasture species—as a result productivity of both livestock and cereal enterprises has risen.

Wildflowers Of The Stirling Range, Alexander S. George

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TWO hundred miles south-east of Perth, the Stirling Range rises abruptly from the surrounding plain. About forty miles long, it is a line of semi-isolated hills, rather than a continuous block.

There are many intriguing plants of diverse colour and form. Well over 400 species are known from the Range. A number of these are found no-where else, and some are restricted to one mountain.

Pastures For The Pastoral Areas, D G. Wilcox, K. Fitzgerald

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The pastoral areas lie generally outside the zone where cultivated crops are grown.

The rainfall is erratic and the basic pastures for sheep and cattle consist of native plants.

In some favoured areas however, and in particular situations, sown pasture species are becoming increasingly important.

Chemical Ploughing, Geoffrey A. Pearce

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

PROGRESS in the field of chemical weed control has been spectacular in recent years. One field that is attracting interest is the idea of replacing cultivation with chemical sprays.

Overgrazing And Wind Erosion, J R H Riches

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

OVER the last few years wind erosion during the autumn in the wheatbelt districts has become increasingly evident.

This has occurred under normal seasonal conditions and observations in this article are not related to unusual conditions such as the extremely low rainfall during the current season.*

Soil Conservation Land Use, J E. Watson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MANY things are blamed for soil erosion—including storms, fires, cost-price squeezes, ploughing downhill and rabbits. But the basic factor is the risk involved in the way the land is used.

It is therefore vital that everyone—not only farmers—should begin their thinking about soil conservation from the land use aspect (of which special practices such as contouring, are a small though spectacular part.)

Saltland Pastures, C V. Malcolm

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FOLLOWING THE DEVELOPMENT of Agriculture in Western Australia considerable areas of highly productive land have become salt affected to the degree that normal crops and pastures cannot be grown.*

However, species and establishment methods are available which can bring at least some of this land back into production.

Pasture : Corner-Stone Of Soil Conservation, W J. Burdass

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LEGUME PASTURE is the basis of prosperity in farming in the agricultural areas of Western Australia.

The livestock industry could not thrive without it and it also maintains fertility and soil structure for the cereal growing industry.

It is, in fact, the comer-stone on which the soil conservation conscious farmer rests his soil management.

Land Use In The Kulin-Kondinin-Hyden District : Notes On A Recent Survey, D J. Carder

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A RECENT survey by the Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service has highlighted the nature of the problems facing farmers with flooded or salt-affected land near salt lake country in the wheatbelt.

The Certified Strains Of Subterranean Clover : Their Origin, Potential Use And Identification, B J. Quinlivan, C. M. Francis, M. L. Poole

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

SUBTERRANEAN CLOVER originated in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and in parts of Western Europe.

Therefore it is not surprising that it grows well in the agricultural districts of Western Australia, for these regions have a typically Mediterranean climate with cool wet winters and hot dry summers.

Wheat In Development Programmes For New Esperance Farmers, R J. Doyle, G. D. Oliver

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN the December, 1967, issue of the Journal of Agriculture, we reported on five development budgets for the Esperance region.

The aim of the exercise was to find out if a new settler concentrating on sheep, with $20,000 available for development after acquisition of land, could make a reasonable living for himself and his family while developing his farm.

West Midlands Development : Erosion Prevention And Control, G W. Spencer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE prevention of soil erosion is essentially a matter of using each soil according to its potential, and treating it according to its needs.

Good land use and sound management practices are the best preventive measures.

The Ord River Regeneration Project. 3. Eight Years Of Progress, K Fitzgerald

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

REGENERATION of degraded areas in regions of marginal rainfall is a slow process under the best of conditions, but on the Ord River Catchment, where much top-soil had been removed, the problem was unusually severe.

In many areas top-soil will have to be rebuilt before vegetation can be re-established.

This will be a long, slow process and regeneration will proceed through gradual plant succession from the "pioneer" annual species through to the permanent and more productive perennial species needed for a stable catchment area.

Multiple Cropping Will Increase The Erosion Hazard, W J. Burdass

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WITH the low price of wool and the price of wheat high in comparison, farmers need little encouragement to increase their acreage of crops.

Unfortunately with increased cropping comes the risk of increased erosion—unless there is a simultaneous increase in the use of conservation practices.

Fisheries Report No 3 - Western Australian Freshwater Fisheries, Donald D. Francois

Fisheries Research Reports

Most of the Australian States have a comprehensive system of inland waterways, Western Australia, however, is in a less fortunate position. True, the maps of the State show many rivers, but in much of the southern, more populous part, with no summer rain and no winter snow, the majority are virtually a chain of waterholes during the long summer months. At the same time, in a relatively small section in the south-west corner, there is a series of permanent streams flowing through what was originally dense forest. But apart from the three indigenous freshwater crustaceans, the marron (Cherax tenuimanus), the …

Piggery Septic System, N E. Macintyre

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the problems of intensive houses for pigs is the disposal of the dung and urine.

If proper arrangements are not made to remove this, it soon accumulates in an offensive pile at one end of the piggery, making an excellent breeding ground for flies.

Irrigation In The South-West : Report On Government-Controlled Areas, 1965-66, G Gauntlett

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LARGE scale irrigation in the south-western part of Western Australia is confined to the coastal plain, west of the Darling Range where the three irrigation districts of Waroona, Harvey and Collie have been established.

Fisheries Report No I (1) - The Shark Bay Fishery On Snapper Chrysophrys Unicolor (Quoy And Gaimard), B. K. Bowen

Fisheries Research Reports

As regards both catch and value, the Shark Bay snapper fishery is the second most important scale fishery in Western Australia. Until 195%, the fishing was done solely by means of hard-lines operated from beats drifting over the snapper patches. In 1959 traps were first used with great success and in 196) this method of fishing was again the principal technique.

Prior to the 1960 season there were several suggestions that the use of traps would have a deleterious effect on the fishery. On October 19, 1959, the Western Australian League of the Professional Fishermen's Association wrote to the Fisheries …

Soil Conservation : Build Contour Banks With A Disc Plough, G W. Spencer, D. J. Carder

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Heavy earthmoving machinery is not necessary for contouring; most farmers are already equipped to do the job themselves.

This article by soil conservation advisers G. W. Spencer and D. J. Carder tells how to build contour banks with a disc plough.

Treating Severe Saltland, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE illustration shows a large area of severely salt affected land near Narembeen.

Before treatment, sheep had access to the area and in summer broke the topsoil into a fine powder which lifted to form dust storms with every good breeze.

Soil Erosion And Farm Water Supplies, J C. Grasby, J. E. Watson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Water supplies for stock have an important influence on farm management.

In this article Soil Conservation Advisers J. C. Grasby and J. E. Watson discuss problems of soil erosion and farm water supplies.