FRUIT GROWERS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 6, 8 January 1925, Page 6

FRUIT GROWERS

TRIALS IN AUCKLAND A FEW BRIGHT SPOTS GREAT RAVAGES OF PESTS. (HI TEUGKAPH.— SPECIAL TO THB POST.) . . "AUCKLAND, This Pay. /Frujt-grpwing- in the Auckland district just now is a discouraging industry • indeed, the 1924 7 25 season is likely to prove one of the worst and least profitable experienced''for many y^ars. There are nearly- 120Q commercial qrch.ardists and strawberry and small-fruit' growers in the district. Of that number, over 300 are engaged exclusively iii the production of strawberries in and about Greater Auckland. They .alone, ''as a rule, have done well. One - grower,' for example, put in 75,000 plants, and marketed daily almost' throughout' the: season some £5 crates, or 40Qlp. . y B did not employ much -outside labour, go that ha was an exceedingly busy mail arid he reaped a substantial lewurd fop liis' industry. There are quite a number' of growers of strawberries in Auckland ■who earn from $700 to. £1000 "a" yeur off comparatively small hol'dinus. ' Tim local growers last year planted smaller areas than usual, the decreases •' aggregating one million plants,"- " ; FORTUNES UNDER GLASS. Fruit-growers and commercial horticulturists who concentrate thgir industry mostly under glass" have had a good season, top. As usual, althoiHi there are several exceptions to the ruje their returns generally from early grapes ami hqt-hpuse tomatoes have.been satisfactory; but possibly, the best'results have, been obtained from the raising' of tojnato plants, and bedding plains, for \vhiph t|iere is an enormous demand in Auckland, at relatively high' prices. One grower/.wised, and sold aO,QOO. tomato, plants this season as a side line, in '"- a cr^de glasshouse. Competent growers, .with a good spread of glass" qnd artificial lieaUcan make a hafldspme^iucoWiu. and about Auckland- " " ■"-' '. T, The '.experience of an English' immigrant is worth citjnjj. He came'": to Auckland..{pur. years ago' and" acquired a small holding, on which there were three, gjasshquses. His .first;- season "was anything but gopd, because conditiiiis were different from th.6se he ihacl oxpenenced in the south'c-jf England; but industry and intelligence are. fine'assets,' and his earnings now" average "£7OO a year.. . . .... ; .'" '.-, -r y" . ■ STONE AND PIP -TRIBULATIONS.' There is. no conspicuous' joy among those commercial orcliardists whose ' industry is confined to the' production-of stone' and pip fruits. An experienced qbserver of tlie industry throughout the Auckland, district states that he does not kn.ow a single case in which *;i grower has macje anything like a substantial income, -while he could cite hundreds pf. examples of dispiritirjg results. Outstanding exceptions to this . rule^ are several citKus fruitgrowers at Henderson, Aypndale,- and Tauranga. " "' THE PEAR i MIDGE. The woes, of the majority of the Auckland commercial: orcliardists take ' varied ( forms. "The worst of: many bad varieties of blights and destructive insects . this, season'has been the pear midge. This insect has become V curse. It is extraordinarily prolific," arid raises from four to five broods in a sea'spn. Its appearance..last 'spring was' made about a month earlier than usual, so that the maximum rate, of reproduction may be anticipated. This .elusive midge has defied all experimental sprays and poisons, and; ruthlessly increases tho .extent of its ravages in attacking- the blossoms of pear t-ees and "digging in." It is knpw'n that ihere is in the United States and Germany a parasite which destroys the pear midge, but the *Js rew Zealand Department of Agriculture has not yet obtained supplies of the destroyer, though the necessity, was urged upon the Government two years ago. JJence the widespread bitterness: of the harass-., ed orcliardists throughout the Auckland district, wh.ose pear trees this season have been rendered practically barren. There are. about 40,000 pear trees in, bearing in' the commercial orchards, of Auckland, bu> the yield this season will be short. . .1 : FUNGOID DISEASES PREVALENT. Fungoid diseases have been exceptionally bad this season. The worst has been that known as brown pr ripe -rot. It has affected'very badly several varieties of peaches," such as Paragon, Golden Queen, Mahutu, and Prizetaker. Plums (excepting some Japanese varieties), apricots and; nectarines Kaye also'been attacked to i great extent, and the growers will'be fortunate if 25 per' pent. p£ their stone fruit yields prove to fie frea of brown rqt. The. disease, appears to have/returned to Auckland wth ii^ereased vigour. . • ' : :.- : -■■ The present season has been' one pf tlie worst ever experienced in the district for the_ ravages .of.'. fruit by plack" spot. There is sonip cpnsplatiori' in the fact that there has "been no devastating j spread of fir'ebljght ihis seaspn^v Only ! o.ue area of infection has Jjeen! repprted. 1 The disease "is Vtill'very bj'd,: Übwever, in districts outside the range pf "commercial crchards, and hundreds pf trees are hopelessly blighted" in certain North Auckland localities: : ~