must understand how to grow it. I sowed mine broad-cast, and I found that is the best method.

10593. Is there any particular matter you wish to bring under our notice?—I bought some spikes from Sandover's, Fremantle, during show week, and they have not turned up yet. Then a truck of mine of lucerne hay was totally destroyed by fire. The value was £36. Dalgety's made a claim, but the Railway Department replied that as it was consigned at owner's risk, they declined to acknowledge responsibility. (The witness retired.)

GEORGE EDWARD DILLEY, Farmer, Capel, sworn and examined:

10594. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have been here since 1877. I hold 42 acres of land. It is all rich land. I use it for potato growing and orchard. I have 16 acres under fruit trees—apples, oranges, and apricots. The apple trees are on the young side. There are none in full bearing. The oranges are also young trees. I consider it will cost from 2s. 6d. to 3s. a case to produce a case of apples from trees nine to 10 years old. There are 100 trees to the acre. With regard to potatoes I have had fairly good crops. I practically make my living from potatoes. I have made a lot of money out of potatoes, but since the price has gone down I have not been able to grow them. I have not made anything out of them for three years back. They cost at least £6 a ton to produce. That is with the present price of fertilisers and labour and bags. I grow Delawares; they are absolutely the best I have grown. I have kept my own seeds up to the time I was flooded last May, and I have started out now on fresh seed. I find it necessary just before the crop is ripe to pick out the best of the tops for seed.

10595. By Mr. VENN: Have you ever tried onion growing?—Yes, there is no trouble with onions. I have some nice onions growing now close to the orchard trees. It pays a man to put in his time better on a small piece of ground, and to attend to that properly.

10596. To Mr. CLARKSON: There are a number of pests and diseases on my property, but I have coped with them. There is black scale on the oranges, but I find that good cultivation puts it to bay. If the tree is growing well the scale does not hurt it. The red spider is very bad.

10597. Have the experts of the Agricultural Department been of assistance to you in your operations?—They generally call around and say that I cannot do any better than I am doing. They are always willing to give advice.

10598. By Mr. PAYNTER: What area of land should a man hold to make a decent living?—About 20 or 30 acres. That would be for an orchard and potato plot.

10599. To Mr. VENN: The best return I have had from potato growing has been 104 tons from 25 acres. I got £9 a ton for them in that year. The cost per acre of producing potatoes is £23. Last May 400 bags of potatoes were carried away by the floods.

10600. To Mr. PAYNTER: I had a capital of 1s. when I started. I have been on my land for 12 years. It was the best move the Government ever made when they repurchased the Stirling Estate.

10601. By Mr. CLARKSON: Can you suggest anything that can be done to benefit production in this locality or assist producers in any shape or form to reduce their costs?—There is a shortage or sulphate of ammonia. I believe the reason for the poor crops in potatoes is due to shallow working. I work my ploughs 17 inches deep even when planting fruit trees. You must have fairly good grubbed land when you start. The cost of clearing that land and grubbing is £30 an acre. The use of gelignite has reduced the cost by £15 an acre, because there is only half the work to do. It is very noticeable on the particular spots where dynamite is used to blow the trees out that the crop on that portion of the land shows a distinct improvement over other parts. The heaviest yield of potatoes I have had was 11 tons. On the river flats where I have taken out trees the tops are fully one foot high. (The witness retired.)

JOHN CAVELL, Farmer, Capel, sworn and examined:

10602. To Mr. CLARKSON: I hold about 12 acres of first class land. I go in for potato growing. I have a few apple and orange trees, which are not in full bearing.

10603. To Mr. VENN: I have not been successful with potatoes. I was ruined some years ago. The cause of my failure was chiefly planting imported seed potatoes. I bought them in Perth. I am speaking of nine or 10 years ago. I am now growing Delawares principally. The seeds are not keeping true to type; they are running out. I have had 10, eight, and nine tons, and this year only two tons, owing to the extremely wet weather and the dry weather which followed immediately. There is a little swamp river land and high land on my area. I had 84 acres originally, 65 acres under conditional purchase conditions, but I lost that through an unscrupulous firm in Perth, who sold me the seed potatoes which turned out badly. There was a law suit over it, and as I could not fight it properly they got everything, and left without a shilling. The difficulty I am labouring under just now is that I have no funds to build a shed and an additional room for the house. I am just getting a little together again. I applied to the Agricultural Department for assistance. I was just about sending in an application for a loan, but I found out that what men had said about the department being a curse was true. I had about £400 capital when I started, but a lot of that went in expenses.

10604. To Mr. PAYNTER: I had previous experience before I came here. I wrote a letter to the Premier's Department 10 years ago complaining of the treatment shown me by the Agricultural Department.

10605. By Mr. VENN: Are you under the bank at the present time?—Yes, £40 has been advanced on one of the blocks, and the other is on the place I am living on, the 12 acres. I have had £100 from the bank. I have not applied for further assistance since.

10606. By Mr. PAYNTER: Is your land satisfactory?—I would not call land satisfactory which requires manure for the first crop. (The witness retired.)