C.--1

6

other subtropical fruits common to his native Italy, reports a very great interest in those industries, and that orange and lemon orchards are already established in various districts north of Auckland, with every appearance of success. At Whangaroa four orange trees in one garden produced, last year, 320 dozen of finely-flavoured oranges, some of which were brought by him to "Wellington; as also bananas grown in the open air at Mangonui. In the district north of Auckland, which stretches for 200 miles between the 37th and 34th parallels of south latitude, there are 3,000,000 acres of a most beautiful country, with numerous picturesque deep-water inlets running in among the hills, opening up fertile well-sheltered valleys, adnyfafely adapted for orchards and vineyardp. The time will assuredly come when that country will be so occupied by a numerous population, for a few acres when devoted to subtropical*friait-cultivation is an extensive possession, and will afford scope and reward for the labours'of majiy workers. Thus, at Wanganui, the Messrs. Soler (Spaniards) planted a vineyard of throe acres nineteen years ago, and for the last ten years the average yield has been 20 tons of grapes^ which, at the low price of 2d. a pound, would amount to nearly £400. These gentlemen manufacture their grapes into wine, for which there is a dema»d, and it is important to know they have successfully contended with the diseases to which the vine is subject, and are willing to afford others the results of their experience. In the matter of olive-cultivation,- as was stated in last year's report, olive plants raised in the public domain, Christchurch, from the truncheons imported from South Australia, were sent to the Domain Board of Auckland, which has undertaken to form a nursery for the growth ajid distribution of plants. As the introduction of subtropical industries has been discouraged by some persons on the score of dear labour-preventing such pursuits paying, it is encouraging to refer to the Australasian of the 22nd March, 1884, in which the special correspondent of that paper sent to California to report on the agricultural industries of that country says of the olive-culture that the plantations are rapidly increasing. The trees yield much sooner than in Europe :at six years eld the crop is payable; at eight years old ihe trees yielded 2,000 gallons of berries per acre, yielding 250 gallons of oil, for which there is a ready market.at 20s. per gallon. The orange and lemon culture in the colony is well known to be very profitable to those who were far-seeing enough, or fortunate enough, to plant an orchard ten or twenty years ago. A considerable amount of attention is now being given to the subject, and the department has recently made arrangements to have the orangeries of New South Wales visited and reported on, for the information and guidance of settlers who may be about to enter on this industry. The tobacco-culture has now got beyond the incipient stage of being cultivated by a few as a curiosity or for private use. A tobacco manufactory has recently been established in Auckland, and arrangements made with settlers to grow the leaf in quantity. It is only a question of time, and that not very long, until silk, olive oil, wine, and such-like products will be established extensively in the colony, for the country and climate are suitable, and there is a teeming population coining forward, many of whom will have a drifting, aimless life imless there is a greater variety of industries which they can follow than at present. Thebmal Spbing-s . The hot springs, geysers, and solfataras of the North Island are on so great a scale, and the wonders around Botorua and Eotomahana so challenge admiration, that comparatively few even in the colony ever think or even know of the hot springs at Hanmer Plain, in the Amuri District, Middle Island. Still fewer know that inland from Hanmer Plain to the west there are hot springs to be found here and there over a region of 1,000 square miles. The Hanmer springs have long enjoyed a local celebrity for the cure of rheumatism and cutaneous affections; but, situated in the heart of a pastoral district, and, until lately, difficult of access, but few ventured so far from the populous centres : indeed, the fatigue of the journey was more than an invalid could bear, and hence their healing virtues remained almost unknown. Since the opening of the railway north to "Waikari, a distance of fifty miles from Christchurch, the springs are within one day of that city, for Hanmer Plain is only forty miles from Waikari by coach or buggy over a comparatively easy road. If once the railway extension to Eed Post, now in progress, were opened, the distance to be done by coach would be reduced to twenty miles. The springs will thus be within'six or seven hours of Christchurch, and will assuredly become a place of great public resort. In the Appendix will be found a description by Mr. H. A. Gordon, who planned the works of the bathhouse and other accommodation which have been executed recently, or are still in progress, to render the springs suitable for public use. Eoads to open up Lands befoeb Sale. The satisfactory record of settlement effected during the year is very largely due to the previous opening-out of the lands selected by the clearing and partial formation of road-lines in the various blocks. There is still a vast amount of this sort of work to do before extensive blocks of Crown lands are rendered available for settlement; for it may be at once assumed as incontrovertible that, until bush lands more especially are made accessible by road-formation, they are not fit for the settler, and that it would be wrong to tempt him to occupy lands on settlement conditions until the preliminary opening-out by felling and clearing the timber on the road-lines has been effected. There are many blocks of valuable Crown lands in both Islands which could be adduced as of no more actual value for the practical purpose of settling a thriving population on them in their present inaccessible state than if they were so much waste or water. But it will suffice to adduce as an illustration that in the extensive area of Crown lands in the Seventy-Mile Bush, on the line between Masterton and Napieg, there is an excellent coach-road running through, and a trunk line of railway also in course of construction, but, unless the Land Department is enabled to run cross branch roads from these trunk lines to the Crown lands, the influence of such great and costly lines of communication will have but a very partial effect in settling the lands even in their close vicinity.