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22 January 1942
Pages From The Past
AGRICULTURE
Scientific Attitude to Farming in Gulgong Cumbandry Gold Leads
A SERIES of articles of which this is the last have been compiled from data collected by Mr. W. M. Claridge, recently on the staff of the Gulgong Public School. As far as could be ascertained from the sources available, the facts given are correct, the sole aim being to present a true record of Gulgong's past days. Mr. Claridge would appreciate information which may be available in regard to any unwitting misstatements.
By W. M. CLARIDGE ARTICLE THIRTEEN
It is to be regretted that recorded statistics regarding agriculture were not available for Gulgong over the whole period of its history, and as a consequence it is difficult to trace the actual progress. During last century only county figures were recorded and whatever Gulgong had to report was included in the western or Mudgee division of County Phillip. However, for this present century records are available, the earliest being a report preserved at the Department of Agriculture and dated 1904. This gives the areas under various crops, and states that in comparison with 1896, eight years previously, there had been almost a fourfold increase in the area under crops, while for the period the numbers of livestock had remained constant, although those years saw severe droughts, which reduced livestock in the neighboring counties by nearly 30 per cent. The conclusion from this evidence is that the more scientific attitude for farming which had been forecast by the 'Advertiser' in 1898 was proving itself. while the comparative safeness of the district for pastoral purposes was manifest.
The only gold production of any importance in the present century followed the opening of the Cumbandry loads in 1904. These were really unworked portions of the Home Rule leads, but though a small number of men found employment for a few years, by 1909 the ground was worked out.
With the formation of shires about 1908, Gulgong became the centre of the Wyaldra shire, which has since been amalgamated with the municipal area. The opening of the railway, however, represented the most important influence of later years. This occurred on April 14, 1909, an anniversary of the discovery of gold on Red Hill. After the coming of the railway, the flour milling business was established in 1912 in the present mill.
Modern conveniences were added to the town when electric light was installed in the year 1923 and when a water supply was obtained in 1933.
The agricultural progress made in this century is most obvious from the following main items as they appear in the returns of the Department of Agriculture, Sydney:-
Acres cultivated: 1908-9, 10,912; 1918-19, 15,254; 1928-29, 16,649; 1938-39, 42,290.
Wheat: 1908-9, 4457 acres; production, 23,469 bushels; average yield, 5.2. 1918-19, 10,807 acres; production, 56,259 bushels; average yield, 5.2. 1928-29, 11,501 acres; production, 131,958 bushels; average yield, 11.4. 1938-39, 30,522 acres; production, 405,984 bushels; average yield, 12.1.
Hay: Acres cut -1908-9, 4677; 1918-19, 1793; 1928-29, 2615; 1938-39, 3345.
Green Feed: 1908-9, 819 acres;
1918-19, 2581; 1928-29, 2442; 1938 39, 5232.
Horses and Cattle: 1908-9, 2520; 1918-19, 4665; 1928-29, 4074; 1938-39, 3206.
Sheep: 1908-9, 111,162; 1918-19 73,470; 1928-29, 181, 686; 1938-39, 185,452.
As Gulgong has now become entirely dependent upon the land, it has settled down to a more humdrum existence than in the days when fortune was supposed to lurk in odd places round about. In actual fact, however, it is more than likely that there is greater richness drawn now from the district in its agricultural wealth than was achieved in the hurly-burly of the golden days.
So these articles close, in the hope that in them there has been something of interest to readers of the 'Advertiser.' There are many blanks which remain to be filled in if all of Gulgong's past is to be told, but at least there has been given an outline of the little town that played so great a part in the colony in those years of the early 70's1
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