Cirrus@Austlit

Humorous poem critical of legislation introduced by the British Colonial Secretary, which set the minimum price for crown land in the Australian colonies at one pound an acre. In Australia, critics argued that this minimum price was too high, and that it stopped many would-be settlers from acquiring farms, which in turn stifled the growth of agriculture. This poem presents a scenario in which an exasperated Crown Lands Commissioner is obliged to make tours of his district, removing illegal vegetable gardens from crown land.