MR. H. BETTS' NURSERY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1664, 1 July 1887, Page 2

MR. H. BETTS' NURSERY.

1 , » -'W* : -Ai I A visit to Mr. H. Belt? nuroeffcor I the Normanby road, about tbree lumL ■ from Manaia, will convince tbe IB ml sceptical tbat it i» possible to grow 'ippfir^ * and peach tree* almost, if not qj *t»tC.p , without shelter. Mr. Belts has ijjova^ t 12 acres of trees planted out in| Eft^jSj * manent orchard 20 feet apart each' \ gjjflj > ■he rows running at right angles tofpVH 1 another. There is no shelter and' PAt&jJjS ' tbe land is very much exposed. Neifei-pS - theless, tbe trees have, thriven renw.^^ - ably well. In fact- one Kentish' i|&fl 1 a remarkably large and fine apple]! J^| * attracted tbe notice of a Maori, 1 living near who offered to buy thegti^a^J - almost at any price.. Mr. Betts,.hoyrgty^| r declined to remove the tree froof'ioH * place in tbe orchard, "but offered tof* f.-^« 3 the native "another tree of tbe samel-^H * However the Maori resolutely' decor. lg^ 1 to believe tbat the' grower &^^M ' have other trees of- such exceltfe^^H so the deal fell through. Mr. BettsJbeh^^H 1 that trees grown "in the open iwiflj.'ii^ , shelter are more free from blight ■?&»#• '•' I insect pests than others not grown under I such trying conditions. We saw two- ) year-old seedling apples which had otfA* . a growth of fully five feet since last BpA|, « i so that the soil is evidently suitable^ {or i this clu6B of fruit. Several of the yojitng t trees on June 30th still had preserved s , much ot their foliage. Peaches and gopw^ r berries also bear well, and a Keswig&p. Codliu apple under' three years of; ap , ripened 36 large apples last season witqo^L^^ 8 manure or shelter of any sort. Anio^lt B other apples whose names are' familisr*tf :«H 1 uiost fruit growers in this distric^^lfrQ< 8 Betts recommends French. Crab, Gox'tll 8 Orange Pippin,, Blenheim Orange, Stppe^J 3 Pippin, and King of the Pippins; to*M 8 Wolseley, Keswick Codlin," and T||a^ a The latter is a handsome, striped apptt^^ ; '' very popular down South. . Mr. Betta?t^|jj c some 5000 young trees in stock. T^<^[ c have been regularly shifted year by.'jgjft|||| ® and have a good show of fine fibrousrfll^l . which should recommend them <^g^| ': cbardists. Mr. Betts' orchard has^b<t(|H remarkably free from blight ,or- :^^B 8 Only on one patch, where a bunch o/hd^Sifl tutu scrub was grubbed out, a few i^fS succumbed to root fungus, attributabft^B decaymg roots left in the ground. JjPfjjS trees, as a whole are aa well-growffi^M healthy as even the grower could -^flfw^l