ao March, 1909.] Imgatiou in Eastern Spain. 189 



■ of the landscape. The i)hotograi)h on tlie oi>posite page shows one of 



■ these; the open front is protected at niglit by a sort of mat woven of 

 straw and string. 



Planting out takes place in early February. As early as the middle 

 of January, 1 saw the complicated shelters to protect the newly planted 

 tomatoes against frost being placed in position and one or two farmers 

 more venturesome than their neighbours were already planting. The 

 young tomatoes were being planted in a shallow trench, the ground re- 

 moved from which was thrown out on the north side ; into this pieces of 

 bamboo a couple of feet long were obliquely driven which served to sup- 

 port the protecting straw mat. The onion is a favourite crop, cheaper and 

 less troublesome to put in than the tomato, and not nearly so risky. It 

 can be planted considerably earlier. At the time of my visit, onions were 

 mostly planted and were to be seen every here and there, usually arranged 

 on double drills each side of a small mound, the intervening gutter servmg 

 for irrigation and drainage. The arrangement was such that the rows of 

 •onions were equidistant and about i foot apart. The cultivation during 

 the growing period, necessary to keep down weeds &c., would result in 

 the gradual filling of the gutter and levelling of the soil. Onions come 

 in at Gandia a little before those from Valencia, for the former town is 

 nearly 40 miles further south. It is estimated that 50 cents per arroba 

 ,(:=32s. per ton) will leave a small profit for the grower. 



Beans of all kinds were everywhere in evidence, chiefly of the horse 



or tick bean variety so largely grown as green manure. 



* ■ * * * * * * 



It was with regret that I was obliged to leave this interesting region. 

 Though the season was just after midwinter, an unfavorable time of year, 

 my visit impressed me most forcibly and provided me with much food for 

 reflection. The general prosperity I had seen, due entirely to most intense 

 culture, on small holdings, with thorough utilization of land and water, 

 could not fail to make an Australian foresee the enormous future there is 

 before the irrigated areas of northern Victoria when once their occupiers 

 make up their minds to utilize natural advantages to the full extent. 

 Our climate is equal, if not superior, to that of Valencia, and there is 

 nothing to prevent the raising of products on our irrigated lands in similar 

 variety. There cannot be any two opinions as to the benefit which would 

 accrue to the general health of the community from the substitution of 

 vegetables and fruit for a certain quantity of the meat so lavishly used in 

 Australian homes. But, apart from new forms of human food, the pos- 

 sibilities in the way of the raising of fodder plants are not realized, 

 and certainly not developed, as they ought to be in our irrigated areas. 



I asked myself if we could not, with advantage, induce some of these 

 Spanish cultivators to try their fortunes in Victoria. Accustomed as they 

 are to the working of their small holdings to such excellent advantage, 

 the homes they would establish here would serve as object lessons to many 

 of our own irrigationists. 



We have, in fact, a precedent in the Bendigo district where the now 

 thriving tomato industry owes its origin to a few Spaniards, whose methods, 

 though at first openly criticised by their Australian neighbours, have since 

 been adopted by them. 



Suitable men could no doubt be selected. Thousands of Spaniards 

 emigrate every year to the South American republics. Manv of these would 

 •make excellent colonists and some might be induced, in spite of the 

 ■language difficulty, to come to Victoria. 



