FRUITGROWING.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XVII, Issue 7196, 8 August 1919, Page 5

FRUITGROWING.

■Ihe SOll ami climate of the Taurangu district make it eminently suitable for j the production of fruit of various kindMom> Units—peaches, plums. nc<tanuoa—do well, but owinir to the lack ol railway communication with the Wiikuto and the South these fruits cannot be marketed quickly, and consequently do not yield the grower the return which wouw be p oSS ibie were the district linked1 up with the railway, or did it possess a canning factory. True, there is a factory in Auckland • but for perishable mut, steamer communication every day would 1)0 necessary. The present trade however, does not warrant a shipping company jn instituting such a service. ° The growing of apples is carried on on a fairly large scale., and good returns aix- obtained from the late varietk-s, •■such as "Ballarat."' "Dougherty." "Deli' cious," "Statesman/ and "Allington Pippin.1' Tho largest orchard i n the district is that owned by Lieutenant-Colonel Mavj field and Mr. N. Chator, located at Bethlehem. and known as "Ha-\vkrid«e." In connection with the orchard a small cannery was established, and the quality of the finished product is certainly on a par with that of leading Dominion canneries and of imported canned fruits. I The ITa-wkridige orchard also supplies a j large quantity of various kinds of fruit to the Auckland market. The district is recognised as one of | the beet in the Dominion for the growing of passion fruit and tree tomatoes, but here again the lack of railway communication is a big handicap, and the heavy freight practically blocks the local grower from the Southern market, where there is always a good demand, particularly for passions. For the growing of citrus fruits this district is unrivalled. Lemon culture receives considerable attention. The trees bear well, and the adoption of modern methods should, 'as time goes on, make this branch of fruitgrowing one of the

most important industries in the dis.trict. Experience in other countries has shown that lemon trees must not be layered or grown from cuttings, but budded on various stocks, such as rough lemon and the sweet orange. As the lemon is a. good carrier, it can be sent long distances, and there is always a keen demand for fruit of the right quality.

At the Tauranga Horticultural Station a fair area has been planted in lemons. It was formerly thought that deep cultivation gave the best results in local orchards, but tho work at the local station goes to prove that instead of cultivating in bearing orchards it is best to put in green crops of a leguminous nature, andi in a young orchard plough in the green crop, while in an old orchard better results may be obtained by cutting and mulching the green crops round the trees. This latter method iias been followed in the old citrus fruit orchard on the station, with very satisfactory results. In this connection it is interesting to relate that the Berkeley Agricultural Experimental Station, which is the State experimental station of California, and one of the most important in the world, has carried out experiments in the green manuring of citrus orchards. These experiments go to prove that where leguminous green manures have been annually turned under, the trees are superior in every way to those where no leguminous green manure has" been used. Green manuring has resulted in a 30 per cent, increase in the size of the tre»s. What is more important is that the total yields at the age of 10 years were 68 per cent, greater on the green manured plot. 2Cot only was more fruit produced. but tlic proportion of fancy and choice fruits was larger. Many crops are suitable for green manuring, but lupin is always a safe cover crop, as the birds do not touch the seed. It may be sown in the autumn and ploughed in during the early spring, thq time from planting to turning under being five or six months. Lupin is the principal cover crop grown for lemons at the Tauranga Horticultural Station, but vetches, field peas and Boyd's clover art a!«o grown for a similar purpose.

In the Tauranga district lemon trees, when well cared' for, commence bearing in about five years, but do not reach their maximum profit until about ten years old.* Lemon curing has been successfully carried on at the station, and anyone desiring information on the subject will find much to interest them In this department of the station's activities.

Poorman * oranges, another of the citrus fruit group, find a favourable home in the Tauranga district. Given proper attention the trees bear well, and as this fruit is always in good demand for marmalade manufacture, its culture forms a profit-able branch of 4iie local fruitgrowing. It need* the same attention .a» the lemon.

The lime, another-of--the citrus family, thrives well aereabouts, and as time goes on it is likely to be much more exten-sively-cultivated.

Generally speaking, the citrus fruits in the Tauranga district, are fairly free from disease and pests, and the cost of keeping the trees in a clean, healthy condition is infinitesimal. - ■

The Department of Agriculture, in order .to mmfi. .Imw culture to xuq

! fullest extent, is establishing at the Tauranga Horticultural Station a new citrus area of about seven acres, which has been ! planted in lemons ami'oranges of ihe bi>Bt varieties calculated to suit this district. In this orchard one block of tree.-, i* to be pruned, and one block unpruned. while in a third block the trees are worked on various stocks. A complete record of the treatment every tree receives and what it will produce is I wing kept from the time of planting. This work, more than, unvthinjr yet attempted here, should tx; a great factor in assisting the development of citrus fruit culture in the district, and t-Tie Department and its officers are to be complimented on the thorough and systematic manner in which they are making the tests. MAIZE AND OTHER GRAIN CROPS

Ever since the settlement of the district maizo has been the principal grain grown by local farmer's. It does exceptionally well, am.l on i-oiiic farms the returns have 'been as hi^li i\> one 'hundred bushels per acre. " Tim year we know of a fair-sized paddock which is confidently expected to yield eighty bushels to the acre, and at tlio present market quotation of between 7/- and 8/- per bushel Avill produce a handsome return. For maize the land is ploughed and harrowed. Then drills are opened, and the maize planted in rows far enough apart to permit of a horse and scarifier working. October is recognised as the best month for planting. As soon as the | maize gets a start the scarifier should bo set in operation and kept going until the 1 maize is too high for the implement to work. Provided the weather and 3oil conditions are favourable, a farmer may rest assured of a good crop if he keep? the scantier busy. Many growers on high-priced land spend money in getting the crop in. and then fail to reap the full harvest by stinting the use of the scarifier. The maizo is picked in June and July, Maoris being chit'lly employed for this work—generally by contract at a \ fixed price per acre. The maize is then i placed in crib, and after allowing a, certain time for drying, the grain is shelled off by hand or horse-power machines, and is ready for the marfcat. The cevbs after going through the sMJer make excellent fuel.

KUMIKUMI FOR WINTER FEED

Nowadays nearly all farmers grow kumikumis with their maize. The kumikurni belongs to the gourd family, and will return a good tonnage per acre. They are eagerly eaten by cattle and sheep, and with maize stalks arc capable of wintering many cattle per acre. Their value as cattle food is beyond question, and there can be no doubt that a district capable of producing maize and kumikumis must commend itself to the average grazier who is in quest of land which will give him the best returns for his capital.

It may be mentioned that much .seed maize is grown in this district. The price for such maize U, of course, better than that paid for grain for horse and poultry food.

Oats for farm use is grown on most holdings. 'Wheat was largely grown in former days, but at present does not receive much attention. Barley is a crop which finds favour with some settlers and does well.

KUMARA GROWING ; The soil and climate of the district are I particularly suitable for kumaras. Prior to the advent of the devastating blight the Maoris grew large quantities of p6ta- ■ toe?, which they stored for winter use. The ravages of blight, however, made potato-growing very uncertain, and the natives then went in for kumara-growing on. a large scale. The crop is planted in rows, and practically the whole of the ' cultivation is in the hands of the Maori women, who display much energy and considerable skill in the raising of "heavy crop*. After digging, the tubers are stored in specially-constructed pits for winter use. As a food the kumara is much appreciated by Maoris and Europeans alike. At the Tauranga Horticultural Station kumara-growing receives special attention, and much valuable information, concerning the crop is always obtainable. Many farmers also grow small .areas of kumaras, but their culture still remains largely in the hands of the natives. Kumaras are "heavy croppers, and .are not susceptible *to the blight. There is a good market for the produce, practically the whole of it being forwarded to Auckland. Excellent markets are also offering elsewhere, but here again the want of rail communication is felt. In the not far distant future tye .wieiftg .of kuiaam ekmld

take its place as one of the most important products of the district. POTATOES AND ONIONS Potatoes and onions are two crops that to well here. The blight has made potato-growing somewhat uncertain, but there was little or no blight last year, and the crop was a good one—better, in fact, than it has been "for the last decade. For onions tho district is remarkably well adapted, and some very handsome returns have been secured by growers from timy to time.