10451. By Mr. PAYNTER: What is the average production of the hens you keep?—About 180 eggs per hen per year.

10452. Do you adopt the system of single testing?—Yes, I have about 30 birds single testing, that is, penning each hen separately for 12 months and keeping a daily record. It is only since April that I have started single testing.I have one hen that has laid 186 eggs since April.

10453. By Mr. VENN : Does the Bunbury butter factory undertake cold storage of eggs?—No.

10455 By Mr. CLARKSON : How many cuttings do you get from your Lucerne ?—I average about seven good cuts. It is 26 days since I last cut, and it is up in flower again.

10456. Do you manure that heavily?—Chiefly with poultry manure.

10457.What is the highest price you have given for a rooster?—£7 10s.

( The witness retired.)

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THOMAS LEOPOLD ROSE, Farmer, sworn and examined:

10458.To the CHAIRMAN: I have been on my present holding for about eight years. I hold 300 acres. I gave £7 an acre for that land I bought it from the Henty Estate. I go in for mixed farming and fattening and raising stock. The property is a mile from the railway station. It is all fenced, and about 50 acres are cleared. I have a wooden house on it. I have farm buildings and the usual plant and eight working horses. I also run cattle and sheep. The cows vary in number from 20 to 40. I keep about 150 sheep permanently, and I get up to about 300 I go in for potato growing ,and put. in 50 acres a year.

10459. By Mr. VENN: You are a breeder of stud stock as well?—Yes, Yorkshire pigs and Romney Marsh sheep. I get from £4 4s. to £12 12s.for the pigs. I am the biggest individual potato grower here. I find that the potatoes which are most profitable to grow are the Delawares. The seed of this potato keeps pure if you work it the right way. The season has a lot to do with it also. The highest yield I have had per acre was year when I got eight tons for 22 acres right through, and in big patches I got up to 14 tons. My general average would be about five tons. The swamp last year averaged eight tons.

10460. By Mr. CLARKSON: Is that a fair average for the district ?—No; five tons is a fair average for the district, or four and a-half tons over the whole season"s crop.

10461. By Mr. VENN: Are there any diseases in your potatoes ?—Yes, the fly, and we have early blight now. That is on account of the wet season.

10462. Have you found potato growing profitable ?—Yes.

10463. What is the gross profit per acre you have made out of potatoes ?—I sold £ 1,250 worth off 22 acres last year. That is an average of £ 6 per ton. The most I have cleared out of some of the land has been £48 an acre net profit. This present year,with .