bananas, as well as most other tropical fruits, when free from frosts. The third class of soils are free sandy loams, either scrub or forest. They are of various colours, and range in texture from light sandy loams to medium loams; they possess excellent drainage, and though, when covered with forest, they are not naturally rich, they make excellent fruit soils, and respond rapidly to systematic cultivation and manuring. They are usually of sandstone or granitic origin, and, when covered with scrub in the first place, grow good crops for the first few years, when they become more or less exhausted in one or more available plant foods, and require manuring. These soils, like the sandy alluvial loams, are easy to work, retain moisture well when kept in a state of perfect tilth, and respond readily to manuring. They will grow all kinds of fruits when free from frost. There are other soils on which fruit can be grown, but those mentioned represent those most suitable. The land on which these soils occur is often much broken, particularly in rich scrub country; it is fairly level when of alluvial origin, and more or less rolling, as a rule, when of a sandy loamy nature. High, ridgy, free, loamy country is usually the most free from frost, and alluvial flats the most liable to it. 2nd.--Soils of the Coastal Tablelands, suitable for the Growth of Deciduous Fruit. Starting from the Southern part of the State, adjoining the New South Wales border, the fruit soils are all of granitic origin. The country is much broken, but between the ridges and along the creek flats there is a considerable area possessing soils varying from a coarse, granitic, gritty soil to a fine granitic soil; that on the creeks of an alluvial nature, but still granitic. These soils vary considerably in quality, but are, as a rule, easy to work and retain moisture well. They are covered with open forest and are particularly adapted to the growth of apples, plums, peaches, and grapes, though other deciduous fruits are grown but not to the same excellence as those mentioned. Proceeding north the fruit soils are either sandy loams or loams of a brownish colour of volcanic origin. The former are suitable for almonds and wine grapes, and the latter for peaches, apricots, pears, apples, and especially olives. Further north a few of these fruits may be grown on loamy soils, together with citrus fruits, but, commercially, deciduous fruits are confined to the southern end of this district, the winter temperature being too high for their successful growth further north, as the trees get no winter rest, hence do not mature their fruit-bearing wood properly. 3rd.--Soils of the Central Tablelands, suitable to the Growth of Grapes, Dates, Citrus Fruits, Etc.