There is no great chain of mountain ranges to gather the surplus moisture in the form of snow, and send it down to the parched plains just at the time it is required for irrigation and pastoral purposes. But there are vast elevated table lands, composed of porous material, which receive the semi-tropical downpour of rain that finds its way in great subterranean channels across the continent to the southern sea. And it is these stores which are now being tapped with so much advantage.
All the colonies have passed through a most disastrous period of drought during the last four years, and consequently the pastoral and agricultural interests have suffered severely. About one and a half million acres are put under wheat every year in South Australia; and in ordinary seasons a yield of eight to ten bushels per acre may be anticipated. This, of course, returns a handsome profit to the farmer; but during recent years, for the reason stated, the average yield has sunk below the remunerative point, viz., to a little over four bushels to the acre. The wheat, on account of the heat and dryness of the climate, makes a very high quality of flour; and, therefore, it realises the best price in the world's markets, fetching in the London market, like the Victorian article, considerably more than English, Indian, American, or New Zealand produce.
The soil and climate are exceedingly well suited for the growth of the vine, the fig, and the olive. The wine industry has already attained considerable proportions. The soil is nearly everywhere a rich red alluvium, overlying limestone, and upon this latter the vine flourishes luxuriantly. There are about 18,000 acres of vines in full bearing, mostly in the warmer districts, which produce a rich full-bodied wine. But in the cooler portions of the colony, towards the south, and in some of the hilly
