ut just scratched over.
The ground was left open for some months, to receive benefit from the sun
and air; and on that newly cleared the trees were burnt, and the ashes dug
in. I do not find that a succession of crops has yet been attempted; surely
it would help to meliorate and improve the soil. Dod recommends strongly
the culture of potatoes, on a large scale, and says that were they planted
even as late as January they would answer, but this I doubt. He is more
than ever of opinion that without a large supply of cattle nothing can be
done. They have not at this time either horse, cow, or sheep here. I asked
him how the stock they had was coming on. The fowls he said multiplied
exceedingly, but the hogs neither thrived or increased in number, for want
of food. He pointed out to us his best wheat, which looks tolerable, and
may perhaps yield 13 or 14 bushels per acre**. Next came the oats which are
in ear, though not more than six inches high: they will not return as much
seed as was sown. The barley, except one patch in a corner of a field,
little better than the oats. Crossed the river and inspected the south
side. Found the little patch of wheat at the bottom of the crescent very
bad. Proceeded and examined the large field on the ascent to the westward:
here are about twenty-five acres of wheat, which from its appearance we
guessed would produce perhaps seven bushels an acre. The next patch to this
is in maize, which looks not unpromising; some of the stems are stout, and
beginning to throw out large broad leaves, the surest sign of vigour. The
view from the top of the wheat field takes in, except a narrow slip, the
whole of the cleared land at Rose Hill. From not having before seen an
opening of such extent for the last three years, this struck us as grand
and capacious. The beautiful diversity of the ground (gentle hill and dale)
would certainly be reckoned pretty in any country. Continued our walk, and
crossed the old field, which is intended to form part of the main street of
the projected town. The wheat in this field is rather better, but not much,
than in the large field before mentioned. The next field is maize, inferior
to what we have seen, but not despicable. An acre of maize, at the bottom
of the marine garden, is equal in luxuriancy of promise to any I ever saw
in any country.

[*The best crop of barley ever produced in New South Wales, was sown by a
private individual, in February 1790, and reaped in the