Nelson and Marlborough

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21391, 6 February 1935, Page 16

Nelson and Marlborough

THE IDEAL CLIMATE

Nelson's Attractions A PLACE FOR HOLIDAY MAKING \>lsnn's record for bright sunshine surpasses that of any nthrr part of New Zealand. In one year it reached a total of 3010 hours, equal to an average of more than eight hours' bright sunshine for every day in the year. According to the latest New Zealand official year book the average yearly amount of bright sunshine in Nelson is 2504 hours, the next four places in order being:—Napier, 2451 hours; Lake Tekapo, 2418 hours; New Plymouth, 2215 hours; and Blenheim, 2171 hours.

Tf Nelson merely excelled in sunshine it might be a drought-stricken erea. The district, however, also has s plentiful rainfall and heavy dews, the rainfall being well distributed find usually at night. The effect of this balance of sun and rain is apparent in Nelson at present. While ran'o-bury and Marlborough are rsrciiPfl. Nelson pastures still show .- treat deal of green, and though < '-mplaints are made of the dryness nf the season the Nelson rural population has far less reason for complaint than the farming community m other parts. Nelson has actually * higher yearly average rainfall than Duncdin, and half as much r;,m ngain as Christchurch receives <T,ch year. Nelson's rainfall is higher than the average for the British Wcs. The charm of Nelson has been appreciated by visitors from the tune of the earliest settlement. More than 00 years ago Bishop Sehvyn v.-rote: "No one knows what the '•llrnatc is until he has basked in the Tilmnr-t perpetual sunshine of Tasman's Gulf, with a frame braced ?nd invigorated to the full enjoyment of heat by the wholesome •frost or cool snowy breeze of the right before." .Many Things to Sec With such a climate it is natural that the district should be specially : uited for widely varied farming activity, and in addition provide an unusually favoured setting for the cultivation of fruit, tobacco, and hops. The same qualities, together with the great diversity and beauty of the scenery make Nelson one the best holiday resorts of the Dominion. The city itself, among the tunny slopes of its hills, has a r-peeial charm. Out on the nearby Waimea plains is a great diversity <A orchards and cultivation, set in a. landscape that is particularly beautiful from its many trees. Further on, on the western side of Tasman bay are the Motueka and Riwaka fruit, tobacco and hop-grow-ing districts. Beyond them, over a mountain road, are Takaka and Collingwood, the limestone caves, cement works and iron works. All this country is framed in a hackground of mountains and native bush, which comes quite riose to the closely settled valleys. For the camper and sportsman the district possesses countless attractions. For the angler there is an abundance of well-stocked trout rtreams, while for the sea fisherman :-uch places as Croixelles Inlet and many other bays are remarkable for their cod-fishing. In addition the district boasts of several very fine beaches, notably Tahuna sands, right close to the city r>i Nelson. This beach is one of the best in New Zealand, and its development by a voluntary organisation under the Nelson City Council has added a great deal to its natural attractiveness. It is safe and clean, and the public dressing sheds provide excellent facilities for batheis.

THE CAWTHRON INSTITUTE

A NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE Probably the most famous institution for scientific research in New Zealand Is the Cawthron Institute at Nelson, established through a bequest of £200.000 by Mr Thomas Cawthron. The institute building was officially opened in 1921, although some preliminary work had then already been done by the research staff. One of the first studies made was a foil survey of the Moutere district by Mr T. Rigg, who is now director of the institute, the result being that by following the prescribed manurial treatment the productivity of that area, both as orchard land and as an agricultural and pastoral area, has been increased greatly. At the same time a special study was made of means of controlling woolly aphis, which was one of the chief pests contended with by the fruit grower. A parasitic minute wasp 'aphelinus mali) was introduced to control the aphis, and was so successful that the aphis is no longer a serious pe:-t in Nelson. Another trouble of 'he orchardist—black spot—is now controlled through knowledge gained in of the institute. Other help has been given through research into the cool storage of apples, the elimination of fungoid and other diseases, the control of brown :v, in peaches, the manurial treatment of raipberries, the growing of toma'oes—which are worth £50,000 a year Uj Nelson—soil treatment for lucerne and barley, and control of diseases of tobacco and hops. The work of the institute is not. however, confined to Nelson. It extends to other parts of the Dominion, as shown for example in the bush sickness investigation in the North Island and the study of the pakihi lands of the West Coast. Special studies have also made possible the control of insect and plant pests which are not confined to Nelson. The institute's work has recently been restricted in some ways by lack of funds, but it has an unusually skilful and enthusiastic staff. Its equipment is up to date, and it possesses fine ■ libraries and. a comprehensive IBUKUXn.

FRUITGROWING INDUSTRY

WEALTH OF NELSON CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT Nelson is the chief fruit-growing area of Now Zealand, and each year about £300.000 is distributed to growers of apples and pears in the district. The industry itself has been long established, although it has reached its greatest, proportions in the last few years, and last year more than 1,000,000 cases of apples and pears were exported from the province. So long as only a local trade was looked to, fruit growing was carried on in a fairly easy Roins way, but once an overseas trade began to develop the quality of. 'he product had to be maintained <-t the hig'iest possible level. The export trade realiy began after a visit L> Tasmania about 1908 by Mr F. O. Hamilton, of Buxton and Company. Ho was impressed by the extent of the fruit . xport business from Tasmania and Victoria, and was convinced that Nelson could produce better apples. Accordingly he brought back to Nelson with him a case ol apples wrapped and packed as a sample of what was clone in Tasmania, and this was demonstrated to local growers. The first, year's export w-j* c,, t '' l ? without the help of expert packers but. it was realised that special knowledge was necessary to make sure of Nelson apples arriving in the best possible condition. and the next year thief, expert packers were brought from lavmania to instruct the growers, rhift continued in 1911. 1012. and 1013. the firm engaging the packers and sending them out among the growers to teach them how to wrap and pack the mm. ! in 1913 the firm exported 150,000 cases of apples, while other firms, as well I as the Moutere fruitgrowers, were exj porting separately. Expanding Industry I The success of these operations up to 15)15. when exporters found some difficulty in obtaining refrigerated ■space oh overseas vessels, led to extensive planting of orchards and general expansion of the industry. The original orchards were mainly m he Stoke and Itiwaka districts, but the new plantings were mainly centred about the Moutere hills. There was little development in the later war years, and the years 1920 to 1925 were a period of depression, mainly because the 1915-16 plantings did not produce up to expectations. Much of this arose from lack of knowledge of such things as proper pruning, spray programmes, manurial treatment an« packing of fruit for export, and many orchards were abandoned. . Apart from the solid work put in by the growers themselves a great deal of the ultimate success of the industry arises from the scientific help given by the Horticulture Division and the Cawthron Institute. A soil survey was made, a definite manurial programme was laid down, and initiated with Government assistance, and the woolly aphis blight was successfully brought under control by the introduction of a parasite—aphelmus mali The Cawthron Institute has continued its researches into the problems of the fruit grower, and in addition a special investigation into all branches of orchard practice has been undertaken at a research orchard by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Federation Formed After conferences among fruit growers' organisations in the main districts a national organisation under the title of "The New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation, Ltd.," was formed in 1916. t , During the earlier years of production very little first grade fruit was available for export, but a steady increase in knowledge, and a steady application of the advice of scientists and field officers of the Department of Agriculture, has consistently improved the quality of the product. In addition much land has been brought under cultivation, and proved highly productive as orchards, which was formerly considered worthless. In December, 1924, a vote was taken in each orchard area, and the result was the setting up of the. Fruit Export Control Board, whose functions

are to control the assembly, shipment, and marketing of export Iruit. The powers of the board extend to all orchard areas except Otago. Amount of Export Although last season's export of apples from Nelson province reached the record total of 1.008.000 cases, this year's export is expected to fall to about 800.000 cases. The export o! apples and pears since 1023 is shown in the following table:— Cases. 1(123 .. .. OJ.ROO 1024 .. .. lfVi/112 1 i):>s . . . . 1 58.639 192fi . . . . 4<i7,935 1027 . . . . 339.244 1028 .. .. 004,583 1020 .. ~ (115.218 1030 .. .. 779,931 1031 .. ~ 815.201 1932 .. .. 991,72!) 1933 .. .. 724.421) 1934 .. .. 1,008,570 All fruit exported is inspected by the Government inspectors. This inspection was formerly carried out in the growers' packing sheds, but the increasing quantities made the continuation of this method impossible. Accordingly, the inspection has since been done at assembly points at the three shipping centres —Port Nelson, Motueka, and Mapua. The dump case was the one first used for the fruit export trade, hut was later rejected in favour of the Canadian bushel case. This type of case has a light top and bottom, permitting a bulge which allows a tight pack.

MAYOR'S MESSAGE

ATTRACTIONS OF NELSON The Mayor of Nelson (Mr W. J. MoffatO has written the following message:— "In response to the request for a Mayoral message to the readers of your page featuring Nelson, I extend a hearty and cordial welcome to all visitors to the city, which is invariably described as 'beautiful' by all who stay long enough lo sec all there is to be seen. During my term of office, many visitors have either called on or written lome, stating that they have had a most enjoyable time throughout their stay in the city and district. "I am taking it that those who are reading what I am saying will also read the matter supplied by your special reporter describing 'Sunny Nelson,' but 1 have no doubt whatever that all who do so and have not yet visited Nelson will want lo do so and be equally happy in their experiences when they visit us as those I have mentioned. "It has lo be admitted that the economic depression has affected (his locality as it has the whole Dominion, but our industries are io varied and our settlement so close that, favoured with a glori- ■ eus climate, we may not have felt the effects of it so acutely as have many others. Our business people have had a good Christmas trade, and fori her improvements are being made to many business premises, the standard of which throughout the greater portion of the city is already high. "As a residential area, Nelson is becoming increasingly popular, and Ihe City Council is about to submit, to a poll of the ratepayers for approval a scheme for an additional water supply, which, if carried, will ensure abundance not only for the city but for its environs—the borough of Richmond, the Sloke area, and the township of Tahunanui. The Jast of these possesses, according to the testimony of many visitors, the finest beach in New Zealand."

NELSON'S GROWTH

Nelson was the second of the settlements founded by the New Zealand Company, and had its name before it had a location. The original idea was that it was to be planted on. Banks Peninsula, but Governor Hobson disagreeing, a site was sought in Blind Bay. The first settlers arrived on February 1, 1842, and by 1858 the settlement had so far advanced that Queen Victoria' issued Letters Patent constituting the town of Nelson a Bishop's See and a city. Strange to relate, the oily did not have a mayor and city council to manage its affairs until 1874. The Province of Nelson was established in 1853, and the Provincial Council administered the affairs of the district until the abolition of the provinces 23 years later, having its headquarters from 1859 onwards in the picturesque Provincial Buildings, in Bridge street. After lean years in its early days. Nelson enjoyed a period of great prosperity following on the gold rushes on the West Coast with the ensuing demand at high prices for all the settlers could produce. This put the district firmly on its feet, and since then it has pursued the even tenor of its way, steadily progressing, and affected less by booms and slumps alike than almost any other area in the Dominion. The 'highly fertile tract of small farm and orchard country around the shores of Blind Bay has throughout been Ihe backbone of the province, with timber, mineral, and pastoral resources in the outlying areas.