FRUIT-GROWING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 11

FRUIT-GROWING.

■ '■■. ; ;_ .-, ' ',v..».....' —-~.....;.... ..J'"-. . ■ j A FINE YEAR'INv NELSON: .',-, "I have .never seen the Nelson orchards ■ looking so well. ..Orchardists have been .working reaj hard, for .the last few years, and, tho . result is to.:be seen on.all sides,", said Hr. .; Harold Drown, of tho firm of Laery'ancl Cα.,. ! who: for tho last ten days has-been-visiting, the orchards: , of 'tlio Nelson district. ".They don't mind tho stringent regulations which tho Department imposed—rtljcy. liayp.-.becn educated up to know that it is all ia-'their, own interests." ;•■■, , ■••,. ■■'■.• ; : "What they do object to, or, rather, what they would liko to bring under the notice of the Departmental inspectors is tho manner in which the man with the small orchard is allowed to neglect , his trees, whilst'the big orchardist nest door is giving every attention and is striving all ho can to keep his place in order..- I was showri one place where, next to an orchard-in porfect trim and clean as a whistle, was a small'settler with half a dozen: trees : in 'his back yard simply filthy 1 with;" codlin and stale. This sort of. thing , was a continual menace to those who were, doing their utmost _ to. keep ..'their orchards clean, and it a matter that the~Departmeiit might look into." ";. .. :_;../'.■.■■. . Mr. Brown said that the season is develop 7. ing with fine promise. 'Apricots will .hot. boso plentiful this, year/ but tho quality will be tetter, which; remark also applies to-the' plums,: 01 which there was a. too abundant l supply; last year. A great many of tho■ or-' chardists were going.jn for apple-growing, , and there;would be a bigger output;this year , than eVer , before, with .the promise of very '-. heavy crops ivithin the next year-or t\yp. : The Nelson.people are'growing a.good keeji-' ing'apple, otherwise there , might be a risk of them over-planting. When Mr. Brown. T was in Nelson he came across a very good eating apple that had t been cased away since.last' Benson.-.':• .;■ ■■'■. ~-. ;- .~ : . '-. > ■-~'.■,- .■...'..•:':. ' ■ '..Owing to the drought last' year Nelson growers lost the whole of their second crop ,'of ;tomatoes. ■ This year they ; are picking the first lot now; and the second crop had' ■ sSt well, and promised to be better than the first. '•■■■.■ The : melons., grown in .the . district ; mostly went to the jam factory,, which had waited many 'years before.utilising the melon- . for that purpose;';. Taking the.season..generally,, it promised very,well indeed, and the , growers' were quite satisfied.- One.orchard- .' ist, who had his place in tip-top order,-said, that he had. cleared, between. £60 and £70" an acre net-last year, arid there was every prospect. , of doing it apaihthis year. As. this.man-has between 20 and 30 acres,.of-' . boarinc; fruit trees, it would .seem thatthere - is pood .money in fruit-growing in ; the Nelson district..-.'...- : .;,-;>■<.-'.■■ ■'■■ ,■' '-.■ •.-:'.'-•■'. '•■•-■''■■ : ' ; ;