the farmyard and dairy products of the Commonwealth standing now at
over $96,000,000.00 per annum, the industry may be said to be well in
its infancy.

Under the large irrigation projects being carried out in several of the
States there are splendid opportunities opening up for the carrying on
of all these industries, either separately or in conjunction.

Share Farming.

The system of farming on shares is common in several branches of
Australian farming, including dairying. To the intelligent and
industrious man with a limited amount of capital, the system offers many
opportunities for success. Practical dairymen, and especially those with
children over fourteen years of age, may obtain a farm on shares. The
arrangements made between landlords and their tenants on shares are not
uniform. They differ considerably in individual cases, but the following
broad outlines of the arrangements made between the parties may be set
down as having a more or less universal application.

As a general rule the landlord provides--

(a) The land cleared and fenced into convenient paddocks.
(b) The dairy herd.
(c) Cowbails and piggeries.
(d) All necessary utensils and implements.
(e) Dwelling.

On the other hand, the tenant supplies--

(a) All the labour--milks the cows, separates the cream and carts
it to the nearest butter factory.
(b) His own horse and cart.
(c) Cultivates sufficient land to grow green fodder for the winter.

In some instances the share farmer buys his own dairy utensils, but in
the greater number of cases the landowner provides them and keeps them
in repair. The sharing of the profits depends largely upon the character
of the farm. As a general rule the tenant receives from one-third to
one-half of the proceeds of all cream or butter sold. He also receives
from one-third to one-half the value of the pigs raised, and from $1.20
to $1.80 per head for each calf reared to the age of six months. A man
is generally given as many cows to milk as he can conveniently manage
and care for.

[Illustration: In the Cheese Factory.]

There are cases which can be pointed to where a tenant farmer after even
paying for assistance, makes a profit of from $67.20 to $96.00 every
month.

It is not possible to state definitely the size of herd that any
individual can manage, but it is by no means uncommon to see a herd of
forty head, with from twenty-five to thirty cows in