846 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.TF. [Oct. 2, 1908. 



Takiiii;' the Yai'iunmlong Road, which joins the Gosfurd between tlic 15th 

 and lOlli mile posts, some fair land was scon on several of the unselected 

 blocks, but the best land is found after leaving the Yarramalong lload at its 

 junction with the AVollonibi Road, not far from the village i-eserve ; and lying 

 between 2 and 5 miles distant can be found one or two thousand acres of the 

 best land, etjual to that lying around Mr. Ikishell's farm. No doubt if one 

 had time to pros])ect, thousands of acres of such land could be found lying 

 away fi'om the road, and not discernible from it. 



Tiie village reserve on the Yarramalong Road is a splendid piece of soil, 

 on which some very fine timber is growing. The greater portion of the best 

 land lying along the I'oad is taken up, as far as my insp(»ction went, which 

 was to within about 3 niiU^s of Yarramalong. 



Returning to tlie Gosford Road, most of the good land betw^een this point 

 and Mangrove, aiul lying in the immediate vicinity of tlie i-oad (a distance of 

 abovit 6 miles), is selected. From wliut T could learn fi-om old settlers there 

 are many places scattered through the bush where good land can be found in 

 different sized areas. 



In the parish of Olney, lying to the north of 8towe, there is to be thrown 

 open on the 9th instant some of the best land in that district 



On the map (not reproduced) and marked in red ink, is some of 

 the best land operi for selection which I saw during my trip. The land in 

 question is mostly hea\ ily timbered, and very expensive to clear. It cannot 

 be classed as rich, l)ut is chiefly light, easily worked, and will always require 

 liberal applications of manure, and would also benefit by the a|)plicatiou of 

 lime. There will be room for men with money as w^ell as those wdthout 

 nuicli, if they have muscle and Avill, hut it is not a country for the man 

 who has a natural aversion to w^ork, as for the first three or four years the 

 pioneer will have a big fight with the giants of the forest. After the second 

 year some very handsome returns can i)e looked forward to from the passion- 

 fruit. The man who has liad previous experience in fruit-growing, and who 

 is thoi'oughly practical, is the man who will do well in that district. 



It may be ask(^d : what about the price of passion-fruit if a few thousand 

 acres were planted in that district 1 My reply is : Can them when they are 

 cheap, as also all of the small and inferior ones, and only market the best. 



If we cannot succeed in placing the fresh passion-fruit on the Old Country 

 market, we can at least easily place the canned article, and the growers 

 might easil}' co-operate and i-un their own I'annery at a central spot, for 

 which purpose I would recommend that a 20-acre block be reserved adjoining 

 the ci-eek, somewhere close to the 14-mile post on the Gosford-^Mangrove 

 Road. 



I would not recommend the extensive planting of apples, peaches,, 

 nectarines, or plums, as I consider passion-fruit and oranges would be the 

 most suitable crops to grow, so long as there is mucli trouble w ith the fruit fly. 



There is very little of the land suitable for growing crops. It is purely 

 fruit land, except in a few isolated spots. 



