"PARADISE OF THE DOMINION."

Northern Advocate, 3 September 1919, Page 2

"PARADISE OF THE DOMINION."

In refuting the ridiculous rumour as to •New Zealand's early disappearance beneath the ■waves, Mr Clement L. Wrag-ge pays a liigh tribute to North Auckland. He declares that the climatic factors are such as to make this part of New Zealand a veritable paradise of charm and productivity. And this high praise is from a man capable of bringing a sound judgment to the matter. He has travelled widely , , and his acade* :'mic attainments give his opinion a worth that a- more casual judgment does not possess, He has, moreover, given practical evidence of* his faith in the future of Northland, by the establishment of bueine&s Tentures of an horticultural nature, by which ho illustrated his conviction that so-called "waste lands" may be ma-dg. to yield thousands 1 of pounds. His aim has been to prove to the people the horticultural possibilities of the geniail Auckland climate, occupying, as it is does, a position mid-way between the heat of the equator and the cool temperate latitudes. Notwithstanding that the latitude is 30deg\ 48min. S., yet in Auckland g-ar-

.dens are to be found some forty different varieties of palms from various parts of tlie tropical world— there are fully 2000 in all—rapidly growing , from the young stage towards maturity, and all in the open ail - , overlooking an inlet of Waitejnata. Bananas from Fiji, basking in the mellow sunlight, caoi be seen in actual fruit, while the giant Abyssinian banana (inusa ensetej, the most noble and useful of all the banana family, grows to perfection, its enormous leaves averaging 3 feet in diameter with a length of nearly 20 .feel, the plants themselves reaching 9 feet in circumference.,; North Auckland is even more suited to horticultural introductions from the tropics. Splendid though the result of i the North's fruit culture has been, it is agreed by aid that the future promises to speedily eclipse the past. Every investigation by capable specialists indicates a remarkable future. One could dwell upon the wonderful resources of Northland regarding , orange and lemon culture. So far, the area under such cultivation is very simadl; the prevailing tendency is more towards dairying than horticulture. But the tide is setting in more definitely in the direction of utilising the favourable climatic conditions for fruit culture. Nature has given many a hint of her rich bounty, and she but awaits the co-operation of strong* wills and welldirected energy to give a splendid response. It would appear that there is a, great, future before the giant Abyssinian Banana (musa ensete) for economic, commercial, and ornamental purposes, and it is the most handsome and noble of alll the banana family. Contrary to common opinion it is a most useful plant. The fruit, carried in enormous bunches once in five years, can be eaten when properly cooked and the stones removed; the young , leaves, boiled form a table delicacy; and the stems and trunks yield a vaUuable fibre as useful, indeed, when properly treated, as that of the flax. Fortunes could be made by the introduction of this splendid plant, as it can be used in the manufacture of paper, and even lace. The dried leaves ea<n be used for comfortable bedding. In fact the Abyssinian Banana is admirably suited for planting in all the warmer parts of New Zealand north from the East Cape, and particularly throughout North Auckland, where the socalled "waste laoids" anight be anade to yield thousands of pounds. The splitting , of the leaves by wind does not affect the economic value, but if sheltered so much the better. The huge fronds reach 20 feet long and 3 feet broad and the base of the full grown tree will exceed 9 feet in circumference. Much of the settlement of Northland is still of the pioneering nature, and cattle raising, sheepraising, and dairying, seem to be engrossing most attention, and will indeed continue to show signs of great development. But gradually and with growing conviction this "paradise of the Dominion" is being realised, and waving and profitable palms, well-set orange and demon groves, and fruit culture generally, are making this garden of the North •true to its rich promise of loveliness.