THE SAND WASTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 251, 20 September 1933, Page 3

THE SAND WASTES

PRODUCTIVITY OF THE SOIL. |s “We are fortunate in that almost Sit every_ vegetable and fruit found in !§' other pai'ts of the world can | be grown in New Zealand,” | stated Mr J. Linklater, M.P., | when officially opening the anil nual Bulb Show of the Bongotea Hortigf cultural Society yesterday. “Insofar I as the Rongotea district is concern|ff ed, its possibilities have been ably ex(s■ emplified by the wonderful exhibition if of vegetables that we see every year at jf| the A. and'. P. Shows by Mr J. Mels Ivelvie, through his excellent gardener, Mr Aggett. He has demonstrated |f- very definitely the great possibilities of g| sandy country, not only for the grow- § ing of vegetables, but also for the growj| ing of flowers and fruits. I believe there g are wonderful possibilities in the sandy v. soils of this coast, not only in the grow- ['■ ing of trees for commercial purposes, A but for the growing of lucerne. We have S> demonstrated at Flock House very |>: successfully that both can be grown, and what can be accomplished there j»L can also be done in the sandy areas along the coast. An area of 600 acres at Flock House has been, planted in y trees and they are growing well. At

Tangimoana and at Manawatu Heads, where similar afforestation schemes have been attempted, the same happy position has resulted and those of you who frequent Tangimoana will have noticed the great growth which has been made by the trees which were planted some years ago. Recently I took an aeroplane flight along the coast to below Waitarere Beach in order to view the extent of the sand dunes and I can assure you that there are thousands of acres that are now lying idle and which are of great menace to the land adjacent. Those dunes could very profitably grow trees which would ultimately become a fine national asset. It is a matter which might well be exploited and I think it is one which the Government will take up seriously, for certainly no better or more productive work could be done than by the planting of the sand dunes around the coast.’ concluded the speaker.