Latest equipment and ideas on display

Press, 20 April 1982, Page 24

Latest equipment and ideas on display

The latest horticultural equipment and ideas will be on display at the Horticultural Trade Fair at the Addington Showgrounds tomorrow and Thursday. The fair, which has been organised by the. Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Canterbury Growers’ Society, will be the first of its type to be held in the South Island.

The fair will provide an opportunity for commercial growers, horticulturists and the general public to see a wide range of specialised equipment which has been developed for horticulture.

A feature of the fair will be a seminar at which commercial growers and horticultural experts will speak on the subject. The seminar, which has been arranged with the co-operation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, will be held in the Wool Exchange building at the Showground on Thursday, starting at 3.30 p.m. The seminar chairman, Mr G. Mavromatis, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, intends introducing each speaker and allowing a period for questions from the floor.

Mr Mavromatis hopes each speaker will explain why he is involved in horticulture, why he chose particular crops, problems associated with those crops, and how he views the future of the horticultural industry. Mr Mavromatis said the seminar would look at horticulture from the growers’ viewpoint. Most similar seminars were comprised of speakers associated with the technical aspects of horticulture.

To end the seminar, Professor R. Rowe, from Lincoln College, will sum up the proceedings. The seminar will be open to the public. The speakers will be: nursery crops, Mr T. Bayliss, Belfast; flowers, Mr M.

Gerard, Landsdowne Valley; blackcurrants and other berryfruit, Mr D. Eder, Woodend; raspberries, Mr B. Garguillo, Harewood; asparagus, Mr L. Eder, Woodend; grapes, Mr R. Mundy, Belfast; pip and stone fruit, Mr G. P. Ward, Loburn; glasshouse vegetables, Mr A. W. Smith, Christchurch; herbs, Mr J. B. Rainey, Flaxton; tree crops, Mr H. Deans, Darfield. About 50 exhibitors from Invercargill to Auckland will have displays at the fair. Some exhibits will be under cover in the Western Pavilion and others will be outside.

The fair will open at 9 a.m. each day, close at 5 p.m. tomorrow and 6 p.m. on Thursday. A charge of $2 will be made for admission but children will be admitted free. Full catering facilities will be available. An exhibit sure to attract plenty of interest will be a display of fresh fruit and vegetables arranged by the Canterbury Growers’ Society. The date for the fair was chosen to precede the 1982 New Zealand Tree Crops Association conference which will be held at the Addington Raceway from Thursday to Sunday. It is expected that several people involved with the Tree Crops Conference will be interested in the

Horticultural Fair as well. Organising the fair had been a challenge because it was the first of its kind in the South Island, said the chairman of the organising committee (Mr Bruce Russell). “As an A. and P. Association, we are here to promote and encourage agriculture," said Mr Russell. “Horticulture is now a large part of the agricultural sector and many fanners are looking at alternatives to the traditional land uses,” he said.

The organising of a horticultural fair had been talked about for some time before the first steps were taken. Interest in horticulture had been increasing fast and the A. and P. Assocation considered .it should encourage farmers to look at alternative types of farming, said Mr Russell.

Several Canterbury members attended a horticultural trade fair held in Auckland last year which was described as a tremendous success. Another fair will be held in Auckland later this year. Mr Russell said he would like to see a horticultural fair held in Christchurch on a regular basis, possibly every year. The interest shown so far augured well for its success.