FRUIT AND VINES

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 284, 1 December 1898, Page 18 (Supplement)

FRUIT AND VINES

pecially created: a gentle alternation of valley and hill, every bend in which reveals a fresh little homestead whose ten-acre orchard has more charm to its ownerthan all the long acres of a Tasmania:, apple grower.' The sole purpose of this industrious individual has been to make a living and a home, und, as always is the case, he has succeeded. Gay visions of a fortune never trouble his soul—they all succumbed long since to a state of contentment born of the modest existence of independence he now leads. His mind is exercised over nothingsave Codlin Moths and Orchard Pest Bills and such things. The promise of the future is fraught with encouragement everywhere. We see signs of this in all quarters. We see them for Instance in the activity of the Government. Even the codlin moth is as good as gone; phylloxera is gone; and San Jose scale, mussel scale, and all those little pests at which other agricultural departments stand dismayed we are soon to be absolutely proof against. However bold these assertions may appear to be, the signs of the times are so strikingly promising that it really requires no special exercise of courage to make them, at all. The.pluck of the Agricultural Department is distinctly refreshing-—invig-.*_.-*-rdting. Again, almost before we will be able to realise it there will be n big centra! market, which promises to be a boon to the province and to the colony and a mine of wealth to the industry. It is anticipated that this will obviate all the little annoyances which at present harass both producers and retailers, and prices will be steady and uniform. Next, to glance at the exporting question —the basis, as it undoubtedly must be, of all solid progress in the future. Never has it shown more promise of breaking into reality than it shows now. The effort made a year ago under Government guarantee contained much that was substantial. It was only in details that it failed to fit all the requirements of the case; and it is bound to come nearer to success on each successive occasion. But the efforts will require not to be spasmodic. They will have to be continuous and deliberate, and this there seems reason to believe they will be. . In every phase of the question there appears to be cause for cheerfulness, and the first permanent successes—whether they arise in Auckland or in Christchurch—will put such a burst of life into the industry as will never again subside. In short It will produce a fruitgrowing boom, and what, is of paramount importance —a permanent one. AUCKLAND ORCHARDS. It is hard to find an orchardist who entered the business with any considerable capital, but it is a very easy task to find many who began with

• '■'* -'iothing but a 'J. 10 note and a niort-jra«-e and are now doing well. These are not the most advantageous condiSfw Z Z^JtS^V^ fXvb 1 orchardist-a constant need of outside employment to make ends meet, and the orchard has suffered in

I' consequence. \ The neglected , orchard one sometimes sees and hears about will generally be found to be . the- child of \ such'; circumstances. a There has been no inducement in the past for the establishment of largeorchards of two or three varieties,, as / now recommended by - the experts. - Ik Capital was small', and the only avail|able markets were local markets; for I these a mixture seemed the best, and a mixture accordingly.', was I planted. With the approach of exI porting possibilities a rapid change lis certain; Thirty acres is the extent I of our biggest orchards, and perhaps five acres would' be a fair average. \ But five acres of plum trees such as t the Burbank of Mi- Beloe. of Puke-"'' I kohe, would return a big income, n counting 100 trees per acre. One tree in this orchard, both at four and five years old produced £G worth of fruit. This leads one to ask DOESN'T FRUITGROWING PAY? There is no doubt that it does-—in some hands; and there is still; less doubt that it does not in many others. Moreover, what one man would regard as a fair return another would grumble at. It depends on a man's aims and on his tastes. For example, fruitgrowing is as pleasant and healthy an occupation as one could possibly adopt, and this should count for something. It should command sympathy from all who may be inclined to work for their* health. Most people, however, grow fniit for their living—a mercenaxy consideration which takes the bloom from the whole affair. These consequently will be solely interested in the hard cash phase of the question; and this is the point on which results vary the widest. The scope for sort* and varieties is very extensive, for in most parts of the province nearly every semi-tropical fruit can be grown to perfection. True, if we want gooseberries, raspberries, or black currants we must, not search the sunny north for them, and if w re are partial! to apricots Aye must settle in the, Thames. But there are a hundred other fruits to take their place— from the strawberry to the orange and fig. But the question of success turns, as it always must, on two points—the nature of the man, and the size of his purse. The pi'ofit from an orchard is very greatly regulated by the texture of the soil and its richness, by the tillage and drainage it orig-inally received before planting, by the locality, aspect, shelter, pruning, and cultivation, by the quality, of the young trees when purchased, and by the business application and ability that the orchardist himself brings to his work. The crop, from a foia'-year-old Burbank for example may fetch .1.6, or it may (and more probably) realise not six shillings. PRODUCTION. Mr Hanlon. one of our most reliable authorities, has kindly supplied the following comparative estimates of the value of 100 Burbank (Japanese) plum trees and 100 Diamonds (English) for ten years from the bud, the result of observations in the Whangarei district. The. varieties chosen are. probably at present the most profitable, oil their class. The Burbank, it will be noticed, comes into profit sooner: — 100 BURBANKS. £ s. d. 3 years from bud, 31b each, 3001b at 2d nett 2 10 0 4 years from bud, 61b each, 6001b at 2d nett. 5 0 ° 5 years from bud, 121b each, 12001b at 2d nett 10 0 0 0 years from bud, 251b each, 25001b at 2d nett 20 16 8 7 years from bud, 501b each, 50001b at 2d nett 4113 4 S years from bud, 751b each, 75001b at 2d nett 62 10 0 9 years from bud. 1001b each, 10,0001b at 2d nett 83 C 8 10 years from bud, 1201b each, 12,0001b at 2d nett 100 0 0 £325 1G 8 100 DIAMONDS. £ s d 5 years from bud, 51b each, 500!b at 2d nett • 4 3 4 6 years from bud, 101b each, 10001b at 2d nett 8 C 8 7 years from bud, 201b sach, 20001b at 2d nett 16 13 4 8 years from bud, 401b each, 40001b at 2d nett 33 G 8 9 years from bud, SOlb each, 80001b at 2d nett 6G 13 4 10 years from bud, 1001b each, 16,0001b at 2d nett 133 G 8 £202 10 0

'The ibove' says Mr Hanlon, 'is a Q^" e n^""va ' ti ' estimate. No doubt veiy ™^ heavier crops at many im»vdl . addnce d. I have >mhX ioMSJH! Burbank .and 2401b. fiom a n;S d a ,t« S lemons, Mr men,

Dobbie, a well-known grower of citrous fruits, of Whangarei, says, 'We had 26 tons two years running- from 700 trees 14 years old, since when the trees have not looked so well, due, I fancy, to overbearing-. Trees begin bearing at six to eight years, but are ■ not profitable till the tenth year.' Mr Lipriiatt, of Otalmlm, obtained 30 tons of apples from six or seven acres of eight-year-old trees. Mr Blackmore says: 'You can produce apples for a good profit at 2/3 to 2/6 a (bushel) case.' Concerning grapes, Mr Bempsey, of Opnawhanga, above Whangarei, is said to have obtained 15 tons per acre. But this is not usual. The Glen Yar vineyards in 1897 yielded 7 tons per acre, which was considered a good yield. Some of the vines yielded SO to 90 pounds each, and an acre of American Black Muscats (erroneously called Isabella) 100 pounds per vine. Outdoor grapes are usually sold for 2d or 3d per pound.

Lecturing at Birkenhead last autumn, Mr Blackmore stated that 'experienced peach and apricot growers had given the following figures as to bearing capacity: Three years .old, 150 fruits; four years old, 2">0; five years old. 400; and not more than 000 Afterwards. A well grown six-year-old peach tree would often set 3,000 or 4000 fruits, and thinning, was imperative. Mr VV. Johns, of Te Awamutu, obtains a handsome return from peaches and nectarines. If.' says,' Nectarines are only occasionally met with, and as they thrive and bear abundantly wherever planted, they should prove a source of profit to those who cultivate them intelligently-' This last word strikes the keynote to the whole situation, but, the present is not the occasion to describe what intelligent cultivation means. Such knowledge can always be obtained by those who care to study a selection of the standard books pub-

lished on the subject. It embraces, liowever, the whole question of agricultural science, which must be toned down by local experience. ™TIES AND VARIETIES. Variations of climate, soil, and other influences are very wide in the

province. The soils north of Auckland city are to a great extent poor and hard to work; but with plenty of horse-power, a fair amount of the right manures, suitable fruits, and an excellent climate, even the poor soils are highly productive. Such a farm is Mr E. Morrison's at Mahurangi, where oranges, lemons, and limes which are not usually considered suited for stiff soils, thrive wonderfully. But apples and- pears seem to take most kindly of all to this class of land. Lighter and alluvial soils are, however, to be found in patches everywhere, and consequently the north of the province has the advantage of a very wide choice of varieties. Around Whangarei, citrous fruits and grapes are largely grown, and there are several large blocks of pears. Closer to Auckland, pears have, not proved a success, but apples are very productive. Peaches and plums are the most in favour, and in the Birkenhead and Northcote districts large

crops of strawberries are.grown for • the spring season. But i WAIKATO SOILS ; are perhaps the most profitable of all "Tor fruits of the plum and peach class". -'Mr Johns, the president'of the Auckland Kruit growers' Union, is of this opinion.' 'Waikato.' lie writes, 'is pre-eminently -adapted for the growth of all the soft fruits. The deep rich, yet light, loamy soil of the 1 district suits the pencil', plum, cherry, nectarine, and all the small fruits ; much better than it does the apple or •pear, which succeed better on stiff or soils, though the latter thrive tolerably well also, in no other large, district in the colony do the soft fruits thrive better. Foremost among them —though of but recent introduction — ' are. Japanese plums. The peach may ! also be said to revel in the deep, warm, alluvial soil of the district. In the early days—just after the Waikato war—the peach groves of Bangiaohia, whether in flower or fruit, ranked with the most beautiful sights imagination could conjure up. These groves—covering some hundreds of acres in extent—must, in favourable seasons, have borne a couple of thousand tons of fruit. Cattle, horses, pigs, and men all enjoyed the great annual peach carnival, but were unable to consume more than a small part of the gigantic spread at Nature's own board, it was often truly laughable to watch a pig or a cow critically turning over the fruit that lay in heaps beneath the trees and selecting only the plumpest and daintiest. Since those days the "peach blight" invaded New Zealand in common with almost every other peach district throughout the world, and those wonderful groves became a thing of the past. More recently, however, the peach has again thriven with something of its old-time vigour, and the luscious fruit is now being extensively cultivated throughout 1 lie district, and yields, in favourable seasons, very bountiful , crops. As a fruitgrowing' district Waikato has clearly a great future before it. Bossessing soil of the highest quality, easily worked, with cheap transit by rail to a large and increasing market, and with a, climate eminently suited for the growth of all temperate fruits, there is nothing to prevent the fruit industry becominglike, the dairy industry—one of the leading resources of the population of the Waikato; and one, moreover, likely to prosper and to exercise a beneficial influence on the progress of the Auckland district.' PEACH AND PLUM ORCHARDS. At the present, time these probably are the most profitable of all, but they are fruits which insist on receiving very skilful treatment. Indeed, a neglected orchard of apples will give a far better yield than one of peaches and plums under the same conditions. BlUms, since the introduction of the Burbank by Messrs 1). Hay and Son, and of other Japanese varieties, have been very largely planted.

Some discretion is, therefore, needed in the choice of sorts to plant varieties of a kind and season where there is least likelihood .of a glut. Mr Hani on says' on this, question 'I quite expect to see a glut of Japanese in the Auckland market before long, but think there is a good;prospect, an the southern districts- for several yeai's yet. I believe a scarcity of the choice gage varieties of European plums will manifest itself in our market very ; soon, although in Auckland the taste of the people is so uneducated as to make them prefer size and appearance in preference to quality. I believe, in the end, quality will hold its own. In Wellington:and Dunedin choice gage sorts make fifty per cent, more than cooking - sorts, such as Diamond. Bearing the fact in mind that but very few of the choice gage varieties have been planted for several years, there would appear to be.wisdom in making a plantation of such.'

CITROUS FRUITS IN THE NORTH. Citrons fruits are already grown to perfection in the north of the province, and _\lr Bobbie, of YVhangarei, the owner of one of the oldest and largest groves in the colony, regards •it as a-very promising branch of the industry. In some interesting notes kindly furnished ron ■ the subject he .remarks;—T recommend light volcanic soil with stony well drained sub-soil for oranges and lemons. We had 2G tons two years running from TOO trees 14 years old. Since then, however, the trees have not looked so well, due I fancy to overbearing. The most profitable varieties are St. Michael and Boor Man's Friend oranges, and the Lisbon lemon. The pests are all scale insects, black, brown, red and white. Trees begin bearing at 6 to S years, but are not profitable until 10 years old. Oranges pay better than lemons, as there, is very little other fruit in the market when they come in—July to December. Large trees are very difficult

to bud, but December or January are thb best months, and September for slip grafting seedlings. It is imperafive to keep the ground thoroughly cutava.eel round and between the tre'p. This entails much labour whijch, it hired, runs away with all theiprofit., Oranges are shipped duty free \Writhe Islands in great quantitles, Mnd New Zealand growers are, in consequence, pushed to the wall, or need to;.work their own orchards at starvation wages, the freights are in favour of Island and Austra-

lian growers. As there is plenty of; land■ north of Auckland to. grow all the oranges and lemons consumed in. New . Zealand,': some protection may he regarded as advisable. It was in this manner that the orange industry was established in California.' GRAPES. This fruit has been very much spoken of lately, but though it thrives well it has not been yet rapidly planted, possibly in waiting for some of .the newer varieties lately introduced by the Government. Says a well known authority:—'Of all. Australasia we are in the most favourable position for the production of claret and champagne.' Captain Smith, of the Glen Var Vineyards, recommends for the province:—Black Muscat (American), Pinot Meunier (French), Pinot Blanc or White Cluster (French), Pinot Noir (French), Golden and Fink Chasselas, Black Hermitage, White Hermitage,. Beisling, and - Cabernet Sauvignon, -Norton's Virginia, Cynthiana, Elvira, and Black Malvoisie. Mr P. E. Fenton, of Kaipara, on the other hand is very much opposed to the planting of the American varieties like Isabella and Black Muscat, on the ground that they pi'oduce a poorer wine than the European. He recommends that Isabellas already planted should be used as stocks for other varieties, though not phylloxera proof. In training he endeavours not to shade the ground from the sun. A certain amount of wind he believes will help to blow away mildew and keep the ground dry. In our moist climate grapes cost more to cultivate, but yield heavier crops than in Australian vineyards. The wine industry has certainly a rosy future. At present New Zealand wines, being scarce, sell at 10/ to Jo/ per gallon, while the cost price is estimated to be less than ]/ per gallon. NEW ZEALAND FRUIT ABROAD. Any greater success which other Australasian colonies may have secured commercially in some particulars as compared with _\"ew Zealand is due. not to their ability to produce an article of better quality, but solely to their more advanced facilities for pushing it to the front. In reporting on the inter-colonial conference last _ year at Brisbane Mr E. Morrison stated that there was a grand display of apples from New Zealand, which was a long way ahead of that from any other colony. 'The Xew Zealand collection of pears, though I believe clear ahead of all others, did not secure a prize. In cured lemons, cooking pears, poorman oranges, and medlars. I was successful in taking first prizes.' Further on in the report he says concerning a very large and .old Sydney orchard which he visited: 'The lemon trees do not look nearly as healthy as lemon trees in this (the north) part of New Zealand. The orange trees seem to struggle very much harder for existence than they do on our orange-growing land, and though with care and cultivation they live to a good old age. yet they seem to be dying all the time and never make large trees. There is an enormous quantity of oranges grown in the Paramatta district, but I saw no better trees or fruit there than are grown in the north of New Zealand.' EXPORTING THE BASIS OF PROGRESS. The importance of this subject cannot easily be too fully realised, and yet nearly everything depends on our obtaining a good grip of its significance. 'It is well known.' says Mr E. Morrison, in his official report of the Brisbane Conference, 'that the most is made out of fruit both for the grower and consumer when there is just enough to put on the market to meet the requirement. When there is just a little too much soft fruit, some of it is always going bad, and people sicken of it. We do not want this; but we want people to have plenty of good, fresh fruit at such a, price that they will all buy it.' This is exactly the posi~ tion which has to be faced. A steady, plentiful supply is just what has not characterised our markets up to now. They have rather been distinguished by successive flashes of glut and scarcity, and the cure is exportation.

With an organised system the supply of exportable fruits might increase to any extent without risk, ' and neither glut nor scarcity need occllr , T he fact that the colony spent £58,000 last year for imported fruit that could have been grown here does not prove that the local supply is short of demand, but only points to the impossibility of spreading the supply evenly over the year, with the range of markets limited. The Agricultural Department must renew its enterprise of last year till permanent

■,'■'. . .;; ' ■ .. <:.■.;■ success is secured. But it must not expect to find orchard ists ready at short notice to furnish a big- supply of exportable varieties of fruit from orchards that" were hitherto planted only for local requirements. • Growers need an assurance that enterprise in plant- ./J ing such varieties is reasonably safe. ■; Meanwhile, the most must be made , of the small amount of material al- m ready at hand. The producing cap- .:; acity of the north of the colony is /j almost unlimited. Past results have ,\ shown that in no other climate in the world can land produce so much good -S fruit per acre as in the province. of 2 Auckland. It is certain that the pre- _l sent output can be increased a hun- >f dredfold when the opportunity for its'| disposal is secured. In regard to foreign markets avail- ; ■ able and prospective, Mr Hanlon, in his paper to the Auckland Fruitgrow- .i; ers' Union last year, mentioned y : Queensland and Western Australia as '';- ; : markets for certain fruits, Vancouver ;, (February, March and April), Klondyke, San Francisco (late March and : April), Bio (without cool chamber);and Buenos Ay res. Writing later, Mr Han- :: lon says: 'Apple export may be expected to assume importance as soon as steamships provide well ventilated holds artificially cooled while passing : through the tropics, and land the y fruit in good order at a total cost not j . exceeding 3s per case.' 'The shipping companies,' writes Mr J. E. Ewing, of Whangarei, can carry/ apples, oranges, lemons, etc.. to Europe and deliver them there in good condition if they'will. It is a question of suitable storage at suitable temperatures, and if the companies and the fruitgrowers can work with each other ' for each other's benefit a great and growing export trade in fruit' will-; soon spring up, to their mutual bene-; fit. South Africa is, of course, better situated as far as West European and Eastern United States markets are concerned than Australasia, but with;} the development of Japan andi China|;; new markets are springing up in the North P^ctftiS'-%^g^MtW!/&S!^^' those already existing- in the western V United States, British Columbia, etc.* i PEST LAWS INDISPENSABLE.. The most powerful of all obstacles '=; 1(r exporting is probably the übiquitous codlin moth. Whatever various opinions may exist as to the possibil-'} ity of eradicating it, there is no ques-1 tion as to the desirability of doing so,:' unless one takes Mr Hanlon seriously when he calls it the growers" best friend, because it prevents the mar-; ket from being- glutted. Authorities in the province seem agreed that tol i combat the moth properly it is necessary to enforce the adoption of somej fixed method of treatment. It is irif : the selection of that treatment thatf all the difficulty has lain. To the "9S Bill the main objection from Auckland! has been that spraying with arsenical, preparations, the officially advocated; treatment for codlin moth", if found to, be ineffectual, apparently on account' of the frequent number of broods pirj 1 season, combined with frequent! storms of wind or rain, which render spraying either impracticable or': inefficient. There is. however, a de-; sire for compulsory bandaging- of the; trees to trap the grub, and gathering of infected fruit. In view of local opinion in favour of bandaging- andl gathering of diseased fruit, it may _ef reasonably expected that for the cod- ■ lin moth these will be the main steps to be enforced. The general adoption of these measures would eertamlf,;; have a good effect. America-1 blight is the most prevalent of. all diseases. But it is also one of tlio,

least harmful on account of the fact 7that only a certain number of va* cties of apples are subiect <ob" brM ; al lacked, and a o Te at iu.mi.e-- of r>' fitable varieties ot o- o od quality e^' which are practically blight V° c The o-reatest amount °of ? oC could &be -done by attacking first only those diseases which thn en a real'danger to the 'ndnstrv, they include probably alt those sr x ulecl (except American blight) ■ Bill, which came before the NYliament last session.