SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
One of the initial steps taken by the Irrigation Commission upon 
the inception of the scheme was to plant an experimental orchard, and 
the experience which has been accumulated, even in so short a space of 
time, is proving of immense value to the settlement. From the know- 
ledge gained of the behaviour of fruits under observation, advice now 
can be given with confidence to the settlers as to the varieties that can 
most profitably be grown, and they are being encouraged to extend their 
choice by selecting, not merely one or two favoured kinds, but others 
which will either mature early or late in the season. This prolongation 
of the picking period will mean constant employment at the factory 
and the economic running of the plant. A policy of this kind should 
require very little effort to commend its acceptance, and as the acreage 
expands there should be large and regular supplies from the earliest 
fruiting period to the latest. 
The gloomy view, in regard to the future of the fruit industry, taken 
by those who are not engaged in it, or who are not as favorably circum- 
stanced as the growers at Yanco, is not shared by the men around 
Leeton, whose trees have commenced to yield. Probably there have been 
failures in the past, and certainly there will in the future. Any land 
settlement scheme, where the opportunities of one man are similar to 
those of all of his competitors or co-workers, must be judged, not by the 
failures, but by the successes. Enough settlers are making a success 
upon this area to refute any suggestion that the land possesses inherent, 
insurmountable difficulties. It is no longer a question whether the- 
fruit can be grown. It is being grown—grown in large quantities on 
small areas and of exceptional quality. That much having been 
established, the suitability of the soil has been incontestably demon- 
strated. Hundreds of acres are being added to the acreage annually, 
which is further evidence of the attractiveness of the proposition. The: 
future of the men engaged in the industry will depend upon the efficiency 
of the organization they provide for the disposal of their crops. Cali- 
fornia possesses no advantage which is not enjoyed by the growers at 
Yanco, or, for the matter of that, on some of the Victorian irrigation 
areas. A close study of their methods, and an inquiry into the 
organization of the Californian Citrus-growers’ Association, which 
annually handles millions of dollars worth of fruit, should, in this 
connexion, prove profitable. In the meantime, the Government. is. 
providing valuable assistance, and gives the growers representation upon 
the board of management of the factory. 
oe igures quoted in the first article indicate the fast growth of the 
dairying industry. A glance through the factory returns shows some: 
remarkably high individual returns, and in the circumstances, some: 
remarkably poor ones also. How far these wide variations were due- 
to skilful management as opposed to indifference, inefficiency, or sheer 
Ignorance, months of investigation would be required. Many factors 
might operate. A variation in the quality of the herds, and of their: 
general treatment, and in the kind and amount of the fodder provided, 
would all affect the question. But here, as with the fruit industry, 
the proportion of successes is sufficiently high to pronounce judgment 
upon the land. An extensive range of crops can be grown, but as a. 
general rule, lucerne is the mainstay. 
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