Subject: Truffle cultivation

From: [email-masked] (Gareth Renowden)
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 17:19:33 +1300

Hello from Christchurch in sunny New Zealand, where spring has sprung...

I am considering the purchase of a local property which features 450 6yr
old truffle oaks. As yet, I don't have any information from the vendor
about the prospects for these young trees and their potentially precious
companions - but this was one of the first experimental plantings in the
local area, and one of the first in the country. I will of course have a
chat with the local Ministry of Agriculture (who were involved in the
planting, I believe), but I would be grateful if anyone could provide (or
point me in the direction of) information relating to commercial plantings
of this sort. In particular, I would like to know more about the success
rate (excluding climatic/soil factors, which I appreciate are extremely
important) and the potential yield. How long does it take oaks and truffles
to settle down and produce a crop? What sort of yield is possible/likely?

Answers to these questions and any other information or pointers will be
very gratefully received.

Thanks in advance,

Gareth Renowden