IRRIGATION AND FRUITGROWING AT MILDURA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6124, 10 March 1898, Page 4

IRRIGATION AND FRUITGROWING AT MILDURA.

Some interesting light is thrown upon the progress of the Mildura settlement and i upon the results of irrigation by an Argus ; report recently published. At the begin- ' ning of the past season it was estimated . that the total returns of Mildura produce would reach ,£60,000, and although the whole of the stocks have not been quitted, the quantities are known with fair accuracy, and the minimum prices at which '. growers may sell the chief lines being ; fixed by the Dried Fruit 3 Trust, the total results are shown to be Is 6d, and the estimate is thus proved to have been exceedingly exact. . The quantities arid values of the chief products are as follow : — Dried apricots, 98 tons 18c wt lqr 211 b, at 6d perlb ... ... ... " ... £5,539 12 6 Dried peaches, 37 tons lOcwt lqr 271 b, . at. sd perlb 1,751 211 Pudding raisins, 766 toes lOcwfc Oqr 51b, at 41b per lb ... 18,616 1 8 Table raisins, 13 tons 13cwt, at Sd par lb ... 1,019 4 0 Currants, 32 tons Bcwt 3qr Gib, at 5d perlb ... ... 1,513 17 6 Sultanas, 32 tons lOcwt 3qr 101 b, at . 6\& perlb ... ... 1,974 4 3 Almonds, 20 tore, at 5Jd per lb ... 1,026 13 4 Jams and jellies, about 45 tons ... 1,125 0 0 Canned fruits, 80 tons 2.850 0 0 Pulped fruits, 180 tons ... 1,440 0 0 Oranges and lemons, 11 00 tons ... 10,000 0 0 Wine, 30,000 gal ... . 3,000 0 0 Figs, nectarines, prunes, oil, pickles,Ac, bring the total for export up to ...£60,866 1 6 And adding hay, lucerne, and other fodders, mostly consumed locally 4,000 0 0 A total production is obtained of ...£61,866 1 6 The area yielding this crop is approxi- ' mately arrived at in the following way : — Total area under irrigated culture and ! paying rates is 9200 acres. Of this 1200 acres grow fodder crops, leaving 8000 for ' orchards and vineyards. Of these planta- ' tions a careful examination shows that while no complete property is fully mature, there are 1250 acres, forming the best class of plantations, gradually rising to fullbearing, and already every year yielding a substantial surplus over all expenses. Then the lowest class comprises about 2000 acres, ] which are either not old enough to bear at , all, or only old enough to bear fruit suffi- ] cient ito prove varieties. Of the 4750 j remaining, there are two distinct classes, < one-half being fairly good, but the other, i from various superable causes, is not, as < yet, producing results equal to working ex- ' penses. Thenitmust.be noted, of every i lot in the whole area of 8000 acres, that tho ] results have, each year, been seriously in- < terfered with by. a defective water supply. ( One of Mildura's most successful growers, ; Mr Thomas Wilkinson, calculates his losses , in this . respect, off twenty acres, at .£l5O ; per annum during the last three years, and i he further states that in order to get water < when he requires it he is willing to pay a ; water rate of 50s per acre. Thus the ; portion of cultivated area chiefly re- i tponsible for last year's results may be ; aken at, say, 4000 acres— being the first ] and second-class already described — there 1 being 2000 acres more in bearing and other 1 2000 acres coming into bearing. These last ; two classes include the rebuddings and re- i plantings rendered necessary by the mis- - takes in the original plantings. During ] the last three years of their existence ■ Chaffey Bros., Limited, alone rebudded and ' replanted 50Q acres, owing to the earlier ; plantings not proving true to name. Many i private growers have had to imitate this example, and even now there is much of ; the same sort of work that must be under- : taken. : The apportionment per acre of the total i results now given is. consequently difficult , and unsatisfactory, but as showing how the , Mildura wage fund is made tip it may be roughly approximated in this way : — ; Total gross result* of sales of crops and crops ÜBed in cure uud cultivation of land £61,5G0 1 6 'Deduct cost of harvesting, processing, boxing, freight, and marketing 33 per cent 21,0:2 0 6 Net result to grower £43,244 1 0 Distributing what may be called these net proceeds amongst the producing acres, it will give a fair average to divide by 5000, being 4000 for the first and second classes of plantations, and 1000 for half of the other contributing acres, already given at 2000 (two acres in results being about equal to one of the other classes), which, roughly speaking, would yield an average return per acre, at this stage, of £8 10s 9d. The water and shire rates require nearly a guinea per acre, and the care and cultivation where a resident does the work himself and looks only for a return of wear and tear of plant, horse feed and ordinary wages for himself, is .£3 10s per acre. So that the margin, on the average, to provide interest on capital and profit for the grower is about £4- per acre. These figures seem to ahow that Mildura, notwithstanding its numerous disabilities, has almost reached the point of selfsupport, and that so far as the specially forward 1250 or 1500 acres are concerned that point has been fully atte ined. If the orchards and vineyards are so treated in the future that the trees and vines will continue to improve until they nre ten to twelve years old, as they do in Calif ornian irrigation districts, the place as a whole must shortly justify itself, although it may be admitted. that no great or sudden fortunes are likely to be made at fruitgrowing.