A FAMILY GATHERING.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 19, 5 January 1923, Page 5

A FAMILY GATHERING.

CANTERBURY PIONEER'S RETURN.

FRUITGROWING IN CALIFORNIA

Christchurch, Jan. 2. Probably the largest family gathering ever held in New Zealand was that which took place on the racecourse at Kaugiora, on New Year’s Day, in order to welcome Mr. James Boyd, a pioneer of Canterbury, who, after an absence of 56 years in California, has returned to New Zealand on his way round the world. Ninety-four relatives attended a banquet. The chairman (Air. W. Banks, of Rangiora), iu proposing the toast of the guest, said this old pioneer had just completed the enormous task of writing the history of Riverside in California, and was now on Ins way round the world at the age of 84, which might be considered a record in itself.

Mr. Boyd, in replying, said that in the early sixties his lather, John Boyd, and a family of four boys and tour girls, had landed in New Zealand with the astounding result that there were now 328 direct descendants at present in New Zealand. Speaking of California Mr. Boyd said that of the many flourishing industries grape growing is amongst the foremost. There is one vineyard alone of 6000 acres. When prohibition was introduced, however, many of the large proprietors suffered from severe fright. Some sold out at a huge sacrifice. Very soon a ready market was again found, which placed the growers in a much better position than they were previously. People commenced making wine in their own homes, and instead of the usual lOdol. per ton for grapes, the growers were receiving ten times that amount. Thus, instead of the difference going to the middleman as was formerly the case, the whole profit came direct to the growers. California was a great fruit country. One of his nieces had written to him: “1 will come to California when the oranges are ripe on the trees,’’and he had replied that she could not come to California when they were not ripe on the trees as they were ripe all the year round. "When he, left California, the latetst figures were that 250 million boxes were being shipped annually, lie felt proud in having had a haiid in making that industry what it is to-day. In the Imperial Valley, about 300 feet below sea level, the soil was being made up of river silt. They grew lettuces on 15 aad 20 acre plots, which reached up to 1000d.il. per acre, while melons were railed East in large quantities. He knew of an instance where 10,600 carloads of about 25 tons each, owing to the excessive heat, had to be cleared out, and railed East within fix weeks. The railway companies made every provision for handling large quantities of fruit, and one one cross-continent line alone one million tohs of ice were used annually for cold storage purposes, and there were five such lines.