8 Fruitgrowing under Irrigation 



chosen. Seepage is brought about by the irrigation 

 water running along the sub-soil and coming to the 

 surface where this sub-soil is shallow or where it 

 meets the surface of the ground. Blocks situated on 

 sandy rises which peter out on to clay flats are liable 

 to develop seepage, which will show itself along the 

 line just above where the clay and sand meet. Land 

 that contains hollow, basin-shaped, depressions 

 should also be avoided, for unless the sub-soil of 

 such depressions consists of deep sand, the water 

 from the surrounding higher lands will soak into 

 the hollows and kill the plants it contains. A block 

 'of land having deep soil of a uniform nature, with a 

 not too tenacious sub-soil, and having an even slope, 

 is about as good a proposition as can be obtained. 



SIZE OF BLOCK. 



Another thing the prospective settler must con- 

 sider, before finally making his choice, is the size of 

 the block. Providing he wishes to work his land by 

 his own labour, this will greatly depend on what he 

 intends to grow. For fruit-growing, a block from 

 10 to 15 acres is quite large enough for one man to 

 manage, successfully. New-comers selecting land 

 for fruit-growing almost invariably make the mis- 

 take of choosing too large holdings. It is a big pro- 

 position for one man to successfully look after more 

 than 15 acres of fruit trees and vines on an irrigation 

 area, especially as the trees attain age. Good livings 

 have been made at fruit-growing on 10 to 12 acres 

 of land, and for the man of limited capital a block of 

 such an area will be found most convenient. 



Given efficient management, more can be accom- 

 plished on a large holding, for the labour applied to 

 it, than on a smaller one. On a large plantation, 

 labour-saving implements, such as multiple ploughs, 

 larger cultivators, tramlines on drying grounds, can 



