Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/196

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FARMING.

will be able to beg a few trees from his neighbours. Mulberries as a rule are very plentiful, also peach, orange, and in Queensland quavas, mangos, &c., &c. Let him put in all and every variety of fruit bearing tree, he can "beg, borrow or steal" to use a common saying—while he working and planning they will be growing and preparing to give him a return for his care and attention.

He should also put in slips and flower seed. Most people who possess gardens are good natured enough to give anything they can spare in the shape of roots and slips, and as he will have bees by-an-bye the flowers will be useful. Indeed, I would advise his getting a hive of bees as soon as he can, and from his flowers he can make a few pence if they grow well. I would have him try to make money out of any and every thing he possibly can; wallaby and opossum skins will sell too, and if there are many upon his selection he might shoot them and make a profit thereby.

I have now brought my young farmer through his first difficulties, he must endeavour to surmount the rest without my aid. Following this he will find information re building a four or five-roomed house; and elsewhere almost every other subject he can want to know about is touched upon.

HOUSE BUILDING

MANY a man arriving in the colonies finds himself with sufficient ready money in his pocket to buy an allotment of land, but he lacks the required amount to pay a builder to put up the house upon it. There are plenty of men clever enough to do the work themselves, if they have but the clear directions and a plan of the house before them. These are what I purpose giving, as there is really no reason why one should not build a house from written directions any more than one should not make a table, cupboard, or any other article of furniture. You have here before you the whole plans, working and manner of putting together a four roomed hut, which is the usual bush house a selector builds when he first takes up his land, that is if he is a family man and requires accommodation for more than himself. This sort of house is in most respects the handiest to build for the reason that it is easily added to.