FRUIT VERSUS GOLD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1243, 12 April 1880, Page 3

FRUIT VERSUS GOLD.

A correspondent wit trig to the Nelson Colonist, urges upon colonists to study fruit planting, and quotes : The following 13 taken from the Australiache Zeitung, of January, and as figures are stubborn facts, your readers will draw their own conclusions. The above paper says :—" The amount of gold in Victoria, in spite of all endeavors, decreases from year to year, and according to returns just at hand, last year produced only 718,2080z5. In 18GG the amount was 1,536,581023, and from that time the decrease became larger every year, and in 14 years it became more than halt the former returns. As a matter of course the number of miners and workmen decreased in proportion. In 18G6 their number was 73,740; in 1879 there are only 37,200, which means on the average L7O per man per year. This is a very sad result, and j if it is considered that millions are invested in machinery, etc., every one w ill j see that this industry can be no longer of any profit to the Colony." So much for gold. Now let us see what fruit and " 3ach stuff" can do. I quote again from the same paper :—" The following particulars have been published about ! the fruit growing in the United States : I —Twenty years ago the culture of fruit | trees in America wa3 in such a low state, j that the Pomological Society, which was j formed at tfjat time, did noc consider it •worth while to collect data. However, after '7O the planting began to assume, larger proportions, and statistical returns show that in 1875 4,500,000 acres were planted with fruit trees, grape vines, and small fruit, namely, 112 millions of apple tree 5,28,260,000 of pear trees, 112,270.000 of peach trees, and 141,260,000 of grape vines, which gave the following returns:— apples, 40,000,000 dola ; pears, 14,131,000; dais; grapes, 2,180,000 dols; straw-1 berries, 500,000 dols ; and other small j fruit—such as gooseberries, raspberries, i currants, &c-—10,432,800 dols. Call- ; foraia alone, independent of grapes and | raisins, produced ten million gallons of j wine. The total production of wine in j the United States was more than fifteen' pillions." j