Ibs. of fresh fruit, 17,000,000 Ibs. canned fruit, and 42,000,000 

 dried fruit. 



We speak with some little authority as an erstwhile contractor 

 for this class of work. Let us take one job out of several which 

 came under our own eyes during our last season : A five-acre 

 block, the contract price to dig the hole and plant the tree was 

 6d. per tree ; long price you will say, but nevertheless money 

 was lost on the job. 



The soil, a rich, black, stiff, clayey loam, that is there called 

 " adobe," was so hard that we could not get into it even with 

 picks, so the only course open to us was to dig the holes 6 inches 

 deep, then fill them with water from a barrel, wait until the water 

 had sunk and softened a few more inches, and so on, ad 

 nauseam, until the required depth had been arrived at. The trees 

 were planted with a couple of buckets of water added, and they 

 grew. One is altogether too much inclined to imagine that fruit- 

 growers in other countries, who have made a success of it, have 

 had no difficulties to encounter, but we think this will generally 

 be found to be not so. In fact, it is safe to say, that the greater 

 the difficulties to be surmounted, the greater the success ; as the 

 initial energy displayed is only a foreshadowing of what will be 

 displayed in the future. 



THE GENERAL TREATMENT AT PLANTING AND DURING 

 FIRST SEASON'S GROWTH OF A YOUNG ORCHARD. 



If possible, one should have had the land prepared the year 

 previously, and lying, in summer, fallow. This should be more 

 important in districts which get their rainfall during a period when 

 a deciduous tree is in an active state of growth. We will pre- 

 sume the ground is in a thoroughly clean and well-pulverised 

 state, or as nearly so as the frequent ploughing, cultivating, and 

 breaking of clods would allow. On arrival of the bales, or 

 boxes, as the case may be, they must be opened at once, even if 

 it were the morning ,and one intended beginning planting the 

 same afternoon, one should have them all layed in by the roots, 

 in a trench, which should be dug on, or near the ground to be 

 planted ; if the soil were dry, this laying in should be done 

 where one is able to allow water to be turned into the trench. 

 In doing this work, take care that all the roots are well covered 

 with the soil. Should the varieties be bundled up, all strings must 

 be cut and the bundles opened, prior to covering the roots with 

 soil, taking care that different sorts are carefully marked out, so 

 that the varieties do not get mixed at this early date. At the 



