H.—s

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have, has to give six days' labour in the year to road-making and repairing. Apart from the heavy indirect tax the resident of America pays through the heavy protective tariff in force, he pays fully three times as much in direct taxation as the New-Zealander; and yet people insist in raising the bogie of heavy taxation in this country. But how infinitesimal is our taxation compared with what the farmer pays in England. Farmers whom I met were paying one-fourth the amount of their rents in taxes; one gentleman paying a rent of £250 and taxes £15; another gentleman farming 1,000 acres of land was paying £70 a year as a school-board rate alone. These are facts which the English emigrant should hear of; they are facts which some of our own people are not acquainted with. In the fruit-industry I see no reason why people here should not amass the same large fortunes as have been made in California. All that is wanted is the practical knowledge. Fruit-culture is a science, like all other things, only acquired and mastered after years of patience and perseverance ; but we have all the conditions here favourable to its prosecution. We must, however, substitute for the present system that followed in America of laying down an orchard so that it can be worked with the plough, &c, substituting machinery for manual labour in every department, and minimising the expenses. Foreign markets have to be opened up, and the various methods of canning, sealing, drying and preserving fruits introduced. The Government would, I think, do well to give every encouragement to horticultural societies. I would suggest the giving of small prizes for the best collections of fruit, so that the Government could from time to time have made wax-models of the finest fruits produced in the colony, to be placed in our museums, and also sent Home to the Agent-Geueral for exhibition in London. It is worthy of consideration, also, whether it would not be a great benefit to the colony if the Government were to hold —say, at Auckland —a fruit exhibition, and invite the American manufacturers of orchard implements and appliances for evaporating fruit, &c._ to send exhibits. The Government could at the same time have taken at such exhibition wax-models of all the fruit shown. At the Colonial Exhibition in London all the colonies, excepting New Zealand, had its exhibit of fruit in wax-models. As for markets for our fruit, we have here in Australia upwards of 3,000,000 of people to supply. Other colonies of course produce fruit as well as us ; but it is in the difference of seasons where all localities have their innings. Sydney sends fruit to Auckland before any is ripe here ; Auckland reciprocates by sending fruit to Sydney after the season is over there. Auckland again can send fruit and early vegetables to the South before any is ripe there; and the southern fruit comes into Auckland when the local fruits have gone out of season. California and Auckland can exchange by means of having the reverse of seasons; and fruit—at any rate apples and pears—can be shipped to London, if kept in a temperature of 40 degrees, with the greatest success. Californian dried apples are selling in this colony at lOd. a pound, of which sum 2d. is import-duty, so that, with such a heavy protective tariff in its favour, the grower here, with the necessary skilled labour, should have a wide margin of profit. To make fruit-growing a success here, two things are essential, namely, first, a knowledge of how to preserve fruit that cannot be placed in the market for dessert purposes; and, secondly, a union of the fruit-growers to regulate the supply upon the market to prevent gluts and consequently loss. In America the matter is arranged very simply. The fruit-growers band together as a . limited liability company. Every orchardist takes a dollar share for every acre of fruit he cultivates. A manager and executive committee are appointed, who sell all the fruit for the growers on commission, which of course goes into the funds of the company. But the way the market is regulated is here: Every fruit-grower sends in to the manager a statement showing how much and of what variety of fruits he will send to market between such and such a date. The manager makes an analysis of all these returns, and sees at a glance how much is likely to come forward on given dates. If the supply is greatly in excess of the probable demand, he warns the growers; and they, instead of risking unprofitable prices, either can seal, or evaporate, their fruit. Thus the market is seldom glutted, and the grower can reckon on a pretty steady price right through. Without such protective measures, fruit-trading is the most uncertain, and liable to end ruinously., In England, during the last session, the Kentish growers sent away tons and tons of fruit, and in some cases only a few shillings were received by the growers for tons of plums. Organization is imperative. Though the Government may think it distinctly not a matter that they should move in, I think its importance would warrant measures being taken to promote such an organization here. The importance of Government taking measures to deal with our insect-pests at an early date I cannot speak of too strongly. It is of the greatest urgency. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Lands, Geoege E. Aldeeton. Wellington.

CULTIVATION OF THE AMEEICAN VINE. As a number of persons, mostly natives of Germany, France, and Italy, have already entered upon the vine-industry in the Auckland District, and others purpose going into it, and as most of them are cultivating the American Isabella extensively, the following from the " Bushberg Manual" will be of importance to them, as well as a guide in the future to others contemplating vineculture :— Location. The only general rules we can give to guide in the selection of a proper, desirable location for vineyards are — 1. A good wine-growing region is one where the season of growth is of sufficient length to ripen to perfection our best wine-grapes, exempt from late spring frosts, heavy summer dews, and early