THE GARDEN.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XLIII, Issue 2337, 27 January 1913, Page 2

THE GARDEN.

WIRE NETTING AND BIRD

There is probably more wire-netting i 'in use in Australia for the rabbit 1 than there is to be found in any ! | other country in the world for any | purpose. Yet we are only on the j fringe of protective work of that sort. The wire barricade is the most practicable remedy that has . yet been devised. The first cost is heavy, but it is money well spent. There are cases where bunny can develop enough cunning to crawl over the fence like a cat, but these in stances arc not common. Wirenetting, too, will likely enough become generally used by orchardists in the irrigation districts, for there the starling and other bird pcstj make the production of fruit otherwise almost impossible. Many schemes are resorted to in the light against these small birds, some of which are fairly successful. But they all fail to do the work of protection as effectively as desired. A Wagga orchardist has determined, therefore, to adopt the plan of netting his trees overhead, and he has already wired in 1* acres, at a cost of £l5O. The same precautions wore taken to protect a late crop jof grapes. When so protected the j Daria variety will hang right up [to July. Indeed, one grower succeeded in .getting these grapes to bang right up till August. At such a time of the year there is practically no other kind of fruit on the trees to attract the birds, so that without the wire there would he no hope of carrying on an important industry of this sort—one in whi< hj there would be money so late in the i season. A consignment of the Daria, j variety sent to Vancouver by the I State farm at Wagga realised 17/6 I per ha'f- case of 24ih. Worked out, ' th'is means that an acre under nct- | ting would he worth £2lO. Thus the growers could pay the £IOO fur the 1 netting out of the first year’s proceeds and make a good profit, even if the returns only realised half the 1 £240. The special feature of the Daria grape is that the fruit improves by keeping, both in flavour and appearance. By mid-winter the 1 flavour is really excellent. The expert is advising growers in suitable districts to take up tin; culture of this grape, but urges that it will he necessary' to net the vineyards i where the small birds are to be reckoned with, and that is nearly every- : where in these days. An acre car- '■ rics 400 vines, and each yields 25 to ; 40lhs. of fruit.

There is probably more wire-netting 'in use in Australia for the rabbit than there is to he found in any other country in the world for any purpose. Yet we are only on the fringe of protective work of that sort. The wire barricade is the most practicable remedy that has yet been devised. The first cost is heavy, but it is money well spent. There are cases where bunny can develop enough cunning to crawl over the fence like a cat, but these in

stances arc not common. Wirenetting, too, will likely enough become generally used by orchardists in the irrigation districts, for there the starling and other bird pestj make the production of fruit otherwise almost impossible. Many schemes are resorted to in the light against these small birds, some of which are fairly successful. But they all fail to do the work of protection as effectively as desired. A Wagga orchardist has determined, therefore, to adopt the plan of netting his trees overhead, and he has already wired in 1* acres, at a cost of £l5O. The same precautions wore taken to protect a late crop of grapes. When so protected the Daria variety will hang right up to July. Indeed, one grower succeeded m getting these grapes to bang right up till August. At such a time of the year there is practically no other kind of fruit on the trees to attract the birds, so that without the wire there would he no hope of carrying on an important

Although the season was some weeks later than last year the fruit supply in Auckland was very full at Christmastide. During December the strawberry occupied pride of place. Owing to the unfavourable season, it is estimated that the strawberry supply up to the end of November was hut little more than -

,a third of what it was last ye;/. And this notwithstanding that a good deal of additional ground was put under strawberry cultivation this season. In December, the supply equalled last year’s quantity and quite satisfied the demand. The sale of strawberries was noticeably affected by the recent change in the street-selling regulations which now prohibit the handcart trade that last year distributed great quanti-

ties of strawberries and other fruit to the people. By the middle of December the flush of the season had been reached and the wholesale price of strawberries was from fid.

to 7M- per box, the retail price being 8(1., 9d., and lOd , accord ng to quality and circumstances. During the second week in December the first fruits of the province came to hand in the shape of appbs from Avondale and peaches from Birkenhead. These, of course, were odd lots. Later on both these fruits began to come forward in marketable quantities. Besides strawberries, the fruits in the most plentiful supply were gooseberries, cherry plums and cherries. Amongst the imported fruits are cherries, plums, oranges, and mandarins from Sydney, oranges and apples from America, and banana' and pineapples from the Islands, up to the open'ing of the local season very high prices were maintained.