of paying long distance freights to the market. I should say that we could pay and make a profit at £10 for Bartlett pears—that is for prime fruit. We sold all the canned fruit at a good profit. All our canned fruit was good but the jam was not. The first manager we had only understood canning and knew nothing about jam making. He said he did understand it and of course we had to take his word. We could have continued canning and drying but for the want of capital. Growers would not put further money into the factory which would have been going to-day if they had stuck to canning and drying. I have been drying fruit myself for some years and have had no difficulty in selling it at a profitable price. I use an evaporator. I think if more orchardists went in for drying they would do well, provided they turned out a uniform grade. I do not go in for raisin drying except for my own use. Currant drying would pay handsomely here. I have one vine that I took 100lbs. of dried fruit from last year. This was equivalent to about 400lbs. of fresh fruit. I have a few cherry trees although this is the first year that I have marketed any fruit from them. They had a good crop at Sir Winthrop Hackett's place this year. The trees take from 8 to 10 years before bearing.

10690. What application of manure do you give to your orchard—I apply 5cwt. per acre of mixed manures. I think this is the usual manuring for the district.

10691. To Mr. VENN: The citrus fruits are a profitable line in this district, but on the Preston they do not do so well. My orange trees are about 14 years old. In places after a winter such as we have just experienced die-back is present. I irrigate some of my trees in the summer and find this makes a great deal of difference. I only water them once a year. I have on oil engine and pumping plant. I adopt the furrow system of irrigation. Eighty Alberta peach trees that I have, have given an increased yield of fourfold since irrigation during the last four years. They are on a slope. Couch crass is the troublesome in the district. As soon as cultivation takes place it is continuous work to keep it down.

10692. By Mr. PAYNTER: Have you any difficulty in securing suitable labour?—No, except in the fruit season. My family is of great help to me in my drying operations.

10693. To Mr. VENN: There is very little land available for selection in the locality.

10694. What about the marketing facilities?—They have been satisfactory this year, but in case of a glut they are never satisfactory.

10695. By Mr. PAYNTER: What system of disposing of your produce do you favour?—I prefer the auction system when fruit is scarce, but when fruit is plentiful it is bad. I sell, however to private people.

10696. By the CHAIRMAN: Where is your market?—I sell all the dried fruit to three firms in Perth. I could have sold twice what I produced, which last year amounted to 2 1/2 tons of dried fruit.

10697. By Mr. VENN: What class of evaporator do you use?—It is one of my own construction. The evaporators on the market are, I think, satisfactory, built on the principle that has obtained for many years.

10698. By Mr. PAYNTER: Can you give the Commission any idea of the cost of producing dried fruit?—Yes. The proportion of fresh fruit to dried is as follows:—Apples 8lbs. to one pound, peaches 5lbs to 1lb., plums 4 to 4 1/2lbs. to 11b., apricots 5 1/2 lbs. to 1lb. I may say that if it had not been for my drying plant I should have had to feed my peaces to the pigs. As it is with the drying system they work out at about 5s. per case net. But of course this could not be done by a factory at that price. The cost of production varies and I can always produce cheaper than a factory could. 8lbs. of fresh fruit for one of dried would be too low for factory operations. They would go 9lbs. to 1. An evaporator is a good standby for any orchardist to have. Two years ago peaches were very plentiful and I sent a wire to the markets to let know when peaches dropped below 4s. per case. When they did I stopped sending. I go in for export apples and consider the future in this direction is promising. The apple crop this year is very fair. The market showed want of organisation last year. Last year they sent away so many apples that they could not supply the local demands. If the market was organised so that the people could buy fruit at a reasonable price all the year, it would be much better for all. Had the department advised the number of cases on hand and the number required for local demand, a number of the cases sent away could have been kept here and prices throughout the year would have been much more uniform.

(The witness retired.)