using potato manure and bone dust and anything that can be obtained.

10371. Would lime do these parts any good? —Yes, it breaks up the clay and improves the soil. they nearly all use lime to the extent of half a ton per acre per annum. They get it about three or four miles from here. It costs them 7s. per ton. It is not pure lime . It shows 84 per sent . of lime when analysed. Potash and nitrates are wanted to a considerable extent, but you cannot obtain them at the present time. The average manuring on the most successful orchards here is 25 cwt. per acre and a ton of lime per acre as well. Some the orchards on the good land have done very well.

10372. By Mr Clarkson: Do they manure as heavily as that every year? - On the best places here they se not less than 17cwt.

10373. By the CHAIRMAN: Can you give us any comparative idea of success here and that of Renmark and any other place in the Eastern state? —There has not been sufficient time to arrive at a determination here for comparative purposes. The greatest trouble here has been in not having anyone to advise the growers in regard to the proper way to use water. The result of the present methods is that some of the orchards get flooded and others get nothing. as a matter of fact, the irrigation began before the people were ready. Each man has to put in his own channels to carry the water through, and the was water run before the channels were ready.

10374. By Mr. CLARKSON: Is any maize grown here? —Yes; also amber cane. mangles have also been grown here, and there have been some fine potato crops in summer under irrigation. These crop have been used for feeding dairy stock.

10375.By Mr. VENN: Does much cream go to the butter factory from here? —About 45 cans a week .( The witness retired.)

ROY OGELTHORPE HAYWARD, Orchardist, Harvey, sworn and examined:

10376. To the CHAIRMAN: The first point which I would like to bring under your notice is the question of increases of freight on the products which the farmers use. It must be remembered that the farmer can never get the benefit of any reduction when the goods he uses are bumped up in price. He can only buy at best on the open market. Therefore the price if his purchases and the freights on the transport of his produce should be kept as low as possible. With regard to potato growing, we think it is detrimental to the growers unless they can get supplies of sulphate of ammonia which we understand is in stock. The potato season is coming and it means that if we do not get it the crops must suffer. The same thing applies in regard to lime. we must have lime here . None of the crops will grow here without it. we cannot pay 22s. to 25s. a ton for it . That was the contract price last season, and we cannot afford to pay it.

10377.By Mr. CLARKSON: Are the results satisfactory? —I cannot say that because very few people have used it, but from a chemical point of view the use of lime is certainly beneficial. I have seen this lime , and it is possible that you will get good stuff, and it is also possible that you will get bad stuff. We have a rainfall of about 40 inches, and if you can sweeten the soil with lime for a start you are helping the manures. There are several large deposits out from here. The whole of the Harvey land must have lime, and we can get it if we get assistance. We also desire that the Government should provide dairy bulls and cows on easy terms . There is any amount of land in the district which is suitable for dairying. The men who have 10 acres or 20 acres find that this area is practically useless to them as they cannot get any more. The Government has 8,000 acres of land surrounding the holdings here. This is lying idle, and it is suggested that it should be made available so that intending formers may the stock on it .If this were done there would be no doubt about the success of dairying, but merely on a 19-acre block a man will not be able to do anything. With regard to the land reserved for repatriation purposes. I was the one responsible for the sale of the land to the Government .I know every inch of it, and the land which has been surveyed and cut up for the returned soldiers is rather on the poor side. I fancy the blocks have been cut into acres of 20 to 40 acres. They had a steam engine on these doing the ploughing, but the ploughing was a disgrace, and to put returned soldier on that class of land when there is good land on the North-West corner of the estate is not right . In one patch alone which I surveyed into 20-acre block there are 640 acres of beautiful blue gum land and peaty swamp.

10378. Who is responsible for selecting that particular area for repatriation ? —When there were unemployed in the State, men were brought here from the mill to clear this land , and after it was cleared the Government thought something should be done with it, and considered it advisable to bring it under the irrigation scheme. The Water Supply Department have run the water on to this part of the other part estate, but it is not nearly so suitable as the other part to which I have referred. It will not be suitable for irrigation until it is drained, and the soldiers can never make a success on it. The land will prove good provided it is worded up and sold at a reasonable rate. We have pointed out that they are putting the soldiers on the worst part of the block. Drainage channels have been cut through, and these are tumbling in already. Another matter which I desire to bring under notice is with reference to nursery stock. In a number of cases tree after 13 or 14 years of cultivation have turned out to be worthless ,and were not those which the growers thought they were when purchased. Out of my 30 acres I have five acres of immense tree, which have cost me £8 to £10 a tree, from which I have not had 3d.These tree do not bear any fruit. They blossom heavily, but the blossom always tumble off. There should be an act of Parliament passed to protect orchardists in this direction; we have no such protection at the present time. If we order a Valencia tree, which is a good variety, and after eight years or more we find it to be a worthless Jaffa orange, we have expended eight years of labour for nothing. The Government should make an endeavour to assist the settlers here, and find out for them what can be done with second and third class fruit . There must be some value in them . In Italy for instance, with regard to lemons, the essential oils and juice is extracted from lemons, and lemon peel is also made. We applied to