THURSDAY. 17TH JANUARY. (At Lowden)

Present : Messrs. Paynter and Venn.

JOHN THOMAS DAVERN , Orchardist and Farmer , Lowden.

10699. To Mr PAYNTER : I have been settled in this district for 14 years. I have 4,000 acres of which 3,000 acres is C. P. and leasehold , and the balance freehold. It adjoins the railway. I have 140 acres cleared and 80 acres have been under plough. It is all fenced and equipped with the necessary buildings. I go in for fruit growing mostly, run 1,000 sheep, have 12 head of cattle and 40 to 50 pigs.

10700. By Mr VENN : Do you find the pigs profitable ? — Yes , especially in consideration of the orchard waste. I buy no food for them , they find their own. I go on for export apples. I do not consider the prospects of exporting this year are good.

10701. Do you find the Department of Agriculture of assistance to you ? — Yes , they give us all the assistance they can.

10702. In the matter of fruits cases , how do you fare ? — I cut my own . Last year I cut my cases from the waste at the Swan saw mills. Now I have my own mill, but I have not worked out the cost. I consider however, that the price of cases is very hard on the industry. Last year I paid 10s. 2d. for dump cases. I consider they could be supplied at considerably less. The first year I got waste from the Swan saw mills. I paid a man 2s 6d. per dozen for the cutting , the total cost being 3s. 6d. If I had hauled my own timber I could not do it for this.

10703. By MR PAYNTER : What do you consider the cost of producing a case of apples ? — Roughly 4s. delivered on the siding. This is the bare cost without any profit.

10704. Is your orchard free from diseases and pests ? — We have the San Jose scale here and the red spider, although this latter pest is not bad.

10705. What is your most profitable line ? — The most profitable fruit grown are apples. Peaches were profitable but the people nearer Perth can put them on the market cheaper than we can.

10706. Is the season a good one ? — It is not a good season for apples. The market in the Eastern States saved us last year. I have two evaporators. I find these pay well. In this matter we can use up the wind-falls. It is an American machine. My wife does most of the drying, but so far I have not established the cost. Apples go about 8lbs. of fresh to 1lb. of dried fruit.

10707. By Mr VENN : What are the principal industries in the district ? — Fruit growing, dairying, and sheep. Dairying, however, does not appear to be increasing.

10708. By Mr PAYNTER : What class of sheep do you go in for ? — Lincoln cross is the most popular here. They cut a heavy fleece and the lambs do well. The average weight of the fleece is 7lbs. though a good number this year cut 9lbs. The wool from this district brings a good price. The cost of clearing depends on the length of time it has been ringbarked. After being rung a good while it does not cost much. I should say about £10 per acre is the figure. I consider that a man to make a good living from fruit growing should have 10 acres of orchard. One deficiency here is lime. If we could get cheaper agricultural lime we could do better. It is now too costly. I apply about 4cwt. to the acre per annum to the orchard, but this is not sufficient. I should like to give it half a ton of lime. It would cost 30s. per ton to get lime here.

10709. By Mr VENN : At what price do you consider if would pay you ? — if it could be supplied to us at 12s. per ton I would buy 40 to 50 tons right away.

10710. Is the district progressing ? — Settlers in this district are doing well as a rule. There is no land available for selection in the locality. The "cut-out" Jarrah country is no good , it grows up very quickly.

10711. Is the railway transport satisfactory ? — We want better railway facilities in the shape of louvered trucks. There are not sufficient of these available.

10712. Is there a school near by ? — The district is well supplied with schools. Donnybrook has the nearest doctor. 10713. What have been your returns from your orchard ? — Last year I sent away 3,000 cases of stone fruit, but this year I have not had 100. This is due to the season and the fact that the trees rarely bear heavily two years in succession. I have grubbed out several acres of stone fruit and am putting in apples. You are not bound to time in handling apples like you are with stone fruit. I have built a cool shed for the storage of apples.

(The witness retired)

ROBERT FOWLER , Farmer , Lowden , sworn and examined:

1074. To Mr PAYNTER : I have been established in this district for 40 years. I hold 1,245 acres, 640 acres of which is freehold and the balance second-class C. P. land. The property is only 55