rontiin-.-i to pdti^ntQ%e,Goolgardie and the Murchison goldfields, 

 a smaller stream spread over the moister coastal districts. Gold 

 was to be won from the ploughed fields as well as from the quartz 

 reefs. 



A great many may claim, to have first discovered that Western 

 Australia was teeming with gold, but the pride of having discovered 

 that the State was teeming with latent horticultural and agricultural 

 wealth must belong to the proprietors of the West Australian news- 

 paper. At their instigation, the late Mr. L. Linclley-Cowen set out 

 on a vovage of discovery through the agricultural districts of what is 

 known 'as the South- West Division of Western Australia a pro- 

 vince covering an area of country 350 miles from North to South 

 by 100 to 200 miles from West to East. From every point of that 

 territory which he visited Mr. Cowen, in a series of articles which 

 at the time attracted attention, as well as enlightened the settlers, 

 old and new, described the achievements of the pioneer agriculturists 

 of the country, and prognosticated the era of wonderful development 

 which every branch of agriculture has since entered upon. 



That Western Australia bids fair to eclipse the other States of 

 the group as a fruit-producing territory is firmly believed by all who 

 have paid any attention to the circumstances which favour or retard 

 fruit-growing as an industry. Its soil is virgin, and for ages without 

 number has supported gum trees and shrubs of various sorts 

 without a rest, and been fouled by their residues, until at last it 

 welcomes fruit trees with the same eagerness as does a corn-sick 

 field some other crop in the course of the rotation. 



Its climate is consistent and not capricious. When going 

 beyond well-defined and moist zones for the purpose of starting 

 fruit-growing, the settler has himself to blame for courting failure ; 

 his crops a/re not periodically threatened by destruction from hail- 

 storms, such as are at times heard of in other parts of Australia. 



Untrammelled by errors which, in the Eastern States, have 

 defeated the aims of the earlier fruit-growers, and proved a source 

 of loss to them, Western Australian growers start with the 

 experience of others, and are reaping the fruit of the knowledge 

 dearly bought. Thus they are able, with comparatively few faults, 

 to start a clear course on embarking into fruit-growing on 

 commercial lines. 



This State besides possesses, amongst all Australian States 

 the incalculable advantage of being from 1,200 to 2,000 miles 

 nearer the European markets ; or, in other words, its perishable fruit 

 crops, owing to its geographical position, are produced from four 

 to eight days nearer the consumer's table. 



Another advantage of no mean importance is that the popula- 

 tion of Western Australia very small until the discovery of gold 

 -has since been increasing steadily and rapidly, as the mineral and 

 agricultural resources of the country are being developed. Such 

 indeed are the demands of the local market that a ready sale, at a 

 profitable price, is obtained for all fruit of good quality ; and, whilst 



