Mangoes, Pawpaws, and Avocado Pears. 339 



Avocados are ordinarily budded in the usual way. Use large 

 shield buds, but young wood of current season's growth is mostly 

 used for scions in grafting. Budded or grafted trees are left one 

 year in the nursery, and then planted out about 25 feet apart. 



Worked trees begin to bear in the fourth or fifth year. The tree 

 grows well on anj^thing froin a sandy loam to a heavy soil, with 

 plenty of manure. The first season or two they should have 

 abundance of water to keep the tree in active growth. Later on, 

 water should be reduced in autumn to clieck the growth and allow 

 the tree to make its wood for winter. It requires about the same 

 amount of water as a lemon tree. Old trees may be top-worked and 

 produce fruit two years after. A good average yield is about 500 

 fruit from a ten to fifteen year old tree. 



Wheat: Change of Seed. 



There is a notion very prevalent among wheat growers that the 

 " continued cultivation of the same variety of wheat under the same 

 soil conditions for a number of years results in a deterioration of 

 that particular strain of seed to such an extent as to render a change 

 absolutely imperative." Richardson, of Victoria, considers, how- 

 ever, that " unless the change be for the purpose of obtaining a better 

 variety, or more vigorous seed, or for seed that has been subjected to 

 careful and continued systematic selection, there can be no advantage 

 resulting from change of seed. . . . The balance of evidence goes to 

 prove that farmers should rely on locally developed seed, and should 

 give more attention to their own seed, and the prevalent idea that 

 TTiere change of seed gives good results would appear to be founded 

 more on opinion than upon well ascertained fact." 



Prices of Agricultural Implements, etc. 



In its monthly trade report, No. 47, the National Bank states 

 that the prices of agricultural implements and machinery show no 

 tendency to ease. Indeed, most lines are now invoiced higher than 

 previously, and American manufacturers state that, since they are 

 working on raw material bought at high prices, it is unlikely that 

 there will be any appreciable fall for some time. Locally, the demand 

 for new implements continues small. The inquiry for spares con- 

 tinues undiminished. The supply of machinery is more than adequate 

 for requirements. Tor grain bags and wool packs quotations have 

 been further reduced, 25-lb. grain bags now being quoted at 77s. 

 per 100, and 10-lb. wool packs at 3s. 4d. each, c.i.f. 



