Page 4 Advertisements Column 3

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17290, 4 October 1916, Page 4

DOES FRUIT-GROWING PAY? ' ■■ CAREFUL ESTIMATE OF PROFIT. The reply reminds one of fclie answer to tho question: “Is life worth living?” It depends on the liver. So the returns from fruit-growing depend on the grower. Unquestionably, many men have made fortunes off quite-small orchards. Given the right qualifications, fruit-growing will pay, and pay handsomely. One difficulty is the fiveyears’ wait before the trees come into profit. Supervision—to he dealt with later—covers that question. Let us suppose that the orchardist commences his fruit-growing career on an orchard planted some five to six years. For a year or two his returns will be small, but will increase rapidly until his orchard is ten years old, then steadying down to a good average. When mature, many orchards average three, and even four, cases per tree. A fair average is two cases per tree, or 210 cases per acre. We will assume an area of twenty acres in orchard. This would give a return of 4800 cases per annum, which could be safely, averaged at 6s 6d per case gross or 4s 3d per case net, after deducting cost of caso wand freight, totalling £IO2O per annum off twenty acres. The expenses to bo deducted from this are, approximately: —Labour, permanent, say, £l5O per annum; casual, say, £SO per annum; horse work, £6O per annum; spraying, manuring, etc., say, £IOO. Allow a further £IOO for incidentals, and we have a total expense of £460 per annum, leaving a net income of £560 per annum off twenty acres of orchard. It. is, of course, understood that other land is required for paddocks, house, etc. A return of nearly £6OO per annum off, sav, a thirty-acre farm. Mr Reginald Shepherd, the supervisor on Komiti, last year took 1700 casos of good marketable fruit off 370 trees, an average of nearly 4J cases per tree. We recommend anyone interested further in the matter to write for a book called “The Fruit Lands of the North.” This is obtainable, free, from the Secretary, ICaipara Fruit Lands Association, Box 603, Wellington. Our next fruit article is entitled “ Bringing an Orchard into Profit.” This also covers the question of how rejiiib. capital is needed'. 8251*