FRUIT AND HONEY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14987, 6 June 1914, Page 13

FRUIT AND HONEY.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS.

- In a brief chat with a representative ;of "Tho Press' yesterday, Mr T. vv. Kirk, Director of the Orchards,: Oar- " dens, and Apiaries Division of the Dei partment of Agriculture, gave some in- '■ toresting facts regarding the fruit and « .honey industries. ' .

" Jlr Kirk stated that from reports he received from the officers of*the : "Division, the estimated area planted in .fruit this year was 3149 acres, bringing.the total area in orchards in the - Dominion up to 424)00 acres. Of the _. total to be planted this winter, 1300 -Seres would be planted in Nelson, between 300 and 400 acres-in- Canterbory'and Westland, about 300 acres m ' Otago and Southland, between 400 and sW>.acres in Marlborough, and 500 acres -' in Auckland. The actual area planted in orchards last year was 2497 acres. As indicating the growth of the fruit export industry, Mr Kirk gave the following figures :— Year. Cases. * 1803 ... ~... 1,236 " 1909 ... ... 191 , 1910 ... ... 5,647 * Wll ... ... 6,031 1912 : ... ... i4,86y 1913 33,000 1914 ... • ...85,000 The figures for the present year, Air Airk explained, were up to the end cf April, aud he confidently- estimates that the 100,000- mark will be reached be«ore the end of the export season this year. Five years' hence, he said, on a conservative estimate—in fact", on an absurdly low estimate—the export will IiSOO.OOO cases of apple alone. . „ to the export of bonev, Mr Airksaid that when he estimated that toe output for last season would be."in value, £-15.000. some doubt was exPressed by tho«e who tho eonrerence of beekeepers, but after-events ,had shonn that he was correct. The -value of the outnnt since tne Apiaries Act came into forre was £2-).T'-'J, and -P* output,- valued at £40,uu0, had ' ««n obtained from fewer hives. This „ ™9 W «I tha: as an outcome of the Act, * great number of undesirable and diseased hive, had been got rid of, and We bptur hiv«* had resulted in gfeater Production—in fact, it had resulted to con filing the production. "And the exported," Mr Kirk added, »increasing." . - j