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Lyttelton Times, Volume LXV, Issue 7838, 19 April 1886, Page 4

Olive culture in Victoria, as far as it has got, seems to be in a bad way. A certain Mr M'Caughan, of Rome — the canny Scot -will possess the very Vatican itself some of these fine days —lately proposed to start the industry in Victoria by sending out 5000 plants per annum and experienced men to tend them. In Victoria there is a Minister of Agriculture, a portfolio that might possibly find work to fill it in our own Colony, and the Minister passed Mr M'Caughan's proposal on to a Commission on agricultural matters, which happens to be sitting. The Commission, as behoved a well-regu-lated body of the kind, made enquiry through their Secretary to find out if the scheme was worth taking up, and what had previously been done in a similar direction. It was found that, with the exception of a few gallons, not a drop of plive oil was manufactured in the Colony, though the Customs returns showed that in 1884 no less than 17,349 gallons were imported from other countries. That seemed bad, indeed, but, sad to say, still " worse remained behind." As far back as 1871, it appears, the Victorian Government had entered thoroughly into the establishment of the industry. In one place no traces exist of one plantation then made; in another —at a model farm, too, more by token—44 quite neglected trees were found; in a third the trees were thriving well, but bore no fruit; in a fourth, the Acclimatisation Gardens, they had been rooted up to make way for flower beds. So much for the Government experiments. Private persons do not appear to have done much better on the whole. A Mr Docker, of Botherambo, near Wangaratta—Mr Sala, who is a connoisseur in mellifluous nomenclature, should have visited this gentlman for obvious reasons had some 600 splendid trees. They bear as good a crop —so Mr Docker, of Botherambo, near Wangaratta avers —as any trees he saw in Italy, and their fruit makes splendid oil. Mr Docker, of &c, made thirty gallons, but found the cost of gathering it was more than it would fetch at ruling market prices. Now, herein lies both experience and guidance for us. Olive truncheons were brought here at considerable expense, and distributed freely, some years ago. It is plain that an olive truncheon, unlike some others, cannot stand knocking about anyhow, but needs looking after, and careful handling. It would be interesting to learn the fate of those truncheons, which created some excitement at the time, from those who planted them. Have the trees flourished or the reverse ? Are they "being cultivated carefully, or have they gone the way of those which stood where Victorians wanted flower-beds ? Have they borne fruit? is a question hardly worth asking, for they can scarcely be of a bearing age. But, to put the whole matter shortly, are we i to have a story of carelessness and

failure such as comes to us from Victoria, or are we to congratulate ourselves on superior thrift, and more hopeful results as far as the experiment has gone as yet.