GEOLOGY. The greater part of the surface is covered with recent formatitill, CretheeMIA iu the east, but in the main Tertiary. There are, however, numerous outcrops and soul).- extensive areas of ancient rocks. Thus the mountain region from Spencer Gulf northward consists mainly of Silnrian strata. Granite erops out in numerous places in the mountains of the interior, and the extreme northern portion, between the Roper and Victoria rivers, is a complex of granites and metamorphic and Paleozoic rocks, with numerous intrusions of trap and recent volcanic rocks. The Paleozoic limestones are very rich in copper, and argentiferous lead, bismuth, and gold are also found. Iron exists in large quantities, but it cannot he worked, as there are no coal beds.
Copper is the chief mineral mined, the average annual output being a little less than 100.000 hundredwei;dit between 1894 and 1900 and time value in the latter year £371,920.
AtillicuLTI•RE. South Australia ranks second among the Commonwealth States in acreage un der eultivation. It amounted in 1900-01 to 3.279,406 acres. Of this. 1,913,247 acres were
under wheat, the chief source of wealth. In the same year there were 15,352 acres of barley, 27,1188 of oats, 341,330 of hay, 35,323 of green fodder, 6628 of potatoes, and 31.841 of minor crops, including fruits. 'tine cultivation is a prosperous industry, the area having increased from 12,314 acres in 1891 to 20.158 in 1901, the wine production in the latter year amounting to 1,388.847 gallons. The small rainfall confines farming mainly to the southeastern part of the State. The disposal of the public land by per petual lease has become common. The State has adopted the policy of repurchasing large estates and leasing them to farmers. Some prog ress has been made in irrigation. the water being drawn from both rivers and artesian wells. The number of sheep declined from about 7.000.000 in 1890 to 5.283,247 in 1901. Cattle increased during that period, being 472,428 in 1901. In that year there were 179.352 horses.