Dear Sir,

Further to your report on stolen produce, some years ago my next-door neighbour had a large avocado pear tree. This was a year when he had a bumper crop. He was not living in the house at the time, so we came to an agreement — I would harvest the avocados and sell them to the local supermarkets and we would share the proceeds.

I fenced in the tree and put three geese in the enclosure. It was amazing to hear some of the folks in the neighbourhood. One taxi driver complained he could not get any avocados because of the geese. I asked him why he had not knocked on the door and asked if he could have some. His response was that in the past, he was able to get them. I reminded him that was stealing. On another occasion, the geese were squawking loudly, and there was a little old lady standing by the fence. When asked what she wanted, she said she wanted some pears. I gave her the same answer I gave the taxi driver.

That year we sold 1,500 avocados and gave away at least 500. It was a bumper year and the geese earned their keep.

On another occasion, I had a lemon tree with a bumper crop. On returning for lunch, the tree had been stripped. The next year, we had another good crop — 300-plus lemons, on which I wrote in red marker pen “Stolen”. Needless to say my friends were very amused when I gave them “Stolen” lemons!

ANTONY SIESE

Paget