FRUITGROWERS AT WAERENGA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 142, 10 March 1908, Page 2

FRUITGROWERS AT WAERENGA.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS. - A BID FOR A COLLEGE OF AGRICUL- ' . . .. TURE: Further details of tho proceedings at.Wae'renga Experiment Farm last Saturday are supplied by our Auckland correspondent. Ths Uprooted Vines. ' Mr. John Bollard, . M.P., said there had been an impression . that fiye. or six .acres, of vines that had cost some thousands. of pounds to produce had been' rooted up bf order of the Minister. The latter had riot he considered, explained ; this matter suffiv ciently. Ho was reported to have-said that it.'-was becauso.he did notlike • competing witlr the private grape growers and wine morchants. He (Mr. Bollard)' understood that only two acres of,vines'liad been rooted up, and it was done for the express" purpose' i' ,n ' their places other vinc3 on phylloxera-proof stocks. The impression had got abroad, that the vines were uprooted because tho_ Mjnister happened to be opposed 'to wine drinking. He thought that ought not to bo allowed to go uncontradicted. When the vineyards,- at' - Wacreiiga had 'roached a. certain stage it,'was intended to let private persons lease areas and go in for " •>:, Agricultural COIIO3O fw -Auckland.;. >•. Mr.' Bollard went 'on,to- say that he would like, to_ see the Department establish: schools of, agriculture.- • (Applause.) ' At l Ruakura they were; he believed,' going 'to take in cadets; but ,lib'knew: from experience that if a successful, school' of, agriculturo was wanted, it'must be in .tlie ; neighbourliood'of a , large . city.:.' (Applause./■ -Where was a soji of a professional man in town to go tofor agricultural education? -Thero, was 110 plage. In Canterbury they bad .the" Lincoln. College/ which /was,doing. good- work., We. .wanted a., school of. agriculture of . that sort in the Auckland part■ of' the'Domiiiion. (Ap-„ plaiiso.). There , was Something, to be ' learned there that-Could not be .'learned, in Canterbury.; - )t was , a''different ' climate'" altogether.' 'Ho; believed thai if-'the Minister for Agriculture would only ask Parliament fb'r'a grant, to establish an agricultural college in Auckland, ho would' get ; it. (Applause.) ' Why should not the - Gover.i .lent ao for the North-what'they were doing for the South? It was riot every mail in the' Dominion who could afford to pay £40 to £60 for,'.sending',liis.son- down South-to learn agriculture, ;but if there .was, an, Auckland -School;of- Agriculture,, such as he had suggested, it could be done for. £10 a year Tliat gave every. ,poor : man's , son a good, chance ■to .become a ■ farmer., .Another; advantage; ;of such; a college near Auckland would .be that, tho students could attend the, .University jccturCS.. .... Mr. F. vLawryj M.P, referring to the rooting-up of; vines, : said, that, hotwithstaiid-: ing Mr. Bollard's explanation,, he believed it was a mistake:,; ' - / Mr. H. j: Grc«nsliide,"M.P'.i thought tho collego. ought; to be'at Hamilton,, uear Ruakura; ,Th 3 Crape Crcp. • '. Probably the greatest (interest taken', bv the ■,fruit-growers* whei;.visited; .Waerenga oh Saturday was in' the - large' area; planted in vineyards:, Here;'were seen' row : after, row of ,fino healthy riiies, ' prolific ' in luscious friiit of many varieties'; .well set .-.and' hanging' ih thick elus'tored bunches,v an eloquent testimony'to'the riches' which lie-undeveloped' in' tho, enormous : tract''' of - ' so-called * poor lands in the North: The aburidanee of'table andwine grapesi aeon on-every hand'-' showed conclusively what: a; gpbd opening' exists for anybody 'wishing-' to embark -in- the grapegrowing and 'wine-making' industries.' Signor Briigato : undoubtedly- is 'to: be ,congratulated upon-.these: : As'for-tho',wine grapes'; nobody eould | desire' anything- .fietter.'ithan' those'seen at Waerenga; whilst connoisseurs, who tasted the, wine', product; doclare'd .that •-it compared moro than well' with the superior' wines produced in the Old Country. ,Tho,Wacrciiga viiieyards'and its wino went far to support Signor Bragatbiin his. assertion, that lie-has demonstrated so far- thnt the wine industry;, •if* established : in New Zealand/ would bo the. . means of ' oloso sottloment among, v psople; with, small capital.- . i;;"'' ,' Tho Dost Shslter Trees. % The shelter .trees 'at. Wacrenga;Expeririient Farm, which, have'.'so far, 'given promise of' being the'best' adapted - toVthe 1 purposo,' are two varieties of acacia';;namely/acacia'.oxylon ; (blackwood)" iand -a'caoia decurreris (black wattle), their rapidity'of growth arid' natural habits fitting them for affording Shelter on ' exposed positions. ' Of- the others,'; certain ' varieties , of' eucalyptus,:, namely/ amygdalina (almond-leaved peppermint gum) and rostrata (red 'gum) are 1 being' extensively ■planted.' - Of; the conifers/ tho 'l'nsignis pineis by no meahir.to'. be neglected, judging by results .wheri-'plarited' fairly dis-'-tant from'.fruit'trees'or buildings.' : ' Orchards' to Let. :HMr,' Clifton stated that orchard, planting is to ,bo '; contihu'ed.;' l • in, .the.season of ,'i9oß on ah area of .120,acros; This; it'is'proposed to'divide* into three fan»»': .and, .as 'm : the/others, half tlio area . will he devoted 'to 'orchard, .and, .the .remaining half, reserved for : 'grass; and ; qtner"branches of farming. ./ r . ■ : ./.; Wacrcnga for Bees. ' "Concerning/ the AYalereiiga apiary; ." . which; Mr; I. Hopkins, the'"Government bee expert,' is establishing, the : ,work/of . chief: interest '•which is being developed.' is . tlie_ rearing , of Italian queen .bees. ... Waerenga is esteemed by Mr. Hopkins as particularly, adapted- for the purpose. '.' . • .. . / S " ' ' ' "" PASTURES RECOVERING. ■ J- ' SHANNON HOPEFUL. ; ; . The w'eather,-yesterday was. Cold and windy(writes , our.; Shannon, correspondent). Provided there, is an average rainfall ; from now, on. :<and no severe frosts occur,; this district 'will supply any amount of feed for, stock for -the/winter. The grass has made a wonderful recovery, and is. coming; away nicely.' . - AUCKLAND WET. i •'/.' :: /;." ' WILL FLOODS FOLLOW? ■ ■ The heavy rainfall sincei Saturday has completely ;.broken-, the drought., (telegraphs our Auckland, correspondent) experienced "over tho •Auckland province -during ; tho ',: past.... two. months. - While the rain, conies too late to restore the grass to normal summer feeding strength, it will, nevertheless, .. .bring ; tho foddor. on sufßciently' to enable the fattening of lambs- to be.continued, , and to steady somewhat the alarming decrease in the out- . puts of butter from the factories. Many Settlers have been obliged' to lise up the winter feed 'to. tide' tne" stock" the drought period, but ,Where : the fires ' have been:raging over grassed lands; or in bush areas' where grassi had been sown, tile effect will be , immediately beneficial, while tliero will now be nc more fear of loss through any moro .bush fires. On the other hand, the steady downpour is giving rise to some fears that it ,may continue for soino days yet, in which case floods woiild .be moro' than probable.' On the subject of the now-ended drought, an agricultural , writer in . tho Herald" says: There: is no doubt that tho great lesson; offered to the farmers-of Northern' New Zealand .'by the recent spell of dry summer weather is the. need for the cultivation of fodder crops, and tho providing of hay arid silage.. Northern farmers as a rule do riot make enough preparation either for spells of drought or for- winter scarcity. They lose money every year by. depending too much on grass. The very mildness and beneficence of the climate, which , enables their pastures to. provide a cortain 'amount of growth throughout nearly all the year, makes tno grass particularly susceptible: to heat or drought, but at the same time makes the produotion of all kinds of fodder easy and simple.