TOMATO CULTORE IN NELSON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 18, 23 January 1903, Page 2

TOMATO CULTORE IN NELSON.

( 'omnattnicated). Afc the Conference of delegates of the variou3 Fruitgrowers' Association affiliate ed to the Auckland Fruitgrower-*' Union, held at Auckland last month, reference was made to tne /• Bleepy " disease of the tomat\ This disease is much more pre- j valent am ng the toniato plants in Nelson thiß season than it has been ; d previous years, both under glass and in Ihe open. Probably there is oofc a glasshouse in the discriot.which has entirely escaped, and while in soxut> instances but a plwit or two has '• collapsed," in others the loss has been very (treat. 60 fax no absolute remedy has been found for the disease, though plants hare been occasionally somewhat brought round by the application of lime applied as soon as the leaves show signs of drooping, or a drenching with a solution of sulphato of copper. Sulphate of iron, spoken of as a remedy, did not fulfil expectations with one local grower this season. Bef orb sowing the seed he stooped it in a solution of sulphateofiron. Thi» should have been a thorough test of the supposed remedy but little good seems 10 ha*e resulted from treating the seed in this way, as there is quite A3 much if not more disease this year with this particular prowot than previously. Mr Day, of Auckland, speaking at the Ottfeffnce referred tp> said that " tbe Bkei>y disease of the tomato was undoubtedly con ireyftd in; the seed, or plant*, and the obtaining 1 of pure seed was very important." '"" Mr Lippiatt, of Auckland, also spoke of the efforts of oxperb to combat the disease. He said that " the di jsase appeared to bo .caused by want of aeration and want of rain^and the only remedy wag complete change Of soil. It was important also I o select seed from the first fruits of the plants before the plants had become overcropped. In his own practice he grew the tomatoes in large bozo?, and ha had noticed that wherever the roots jyrew through tbe boxes and jcame into contact with the contaminated soil of the glasshouse they immediately showed signs of the disease." It would be a good thing if local tomato growers could bo induced to give their opinions on the origin of the disease, and also on their efforts to cope with it. A. discussion on such a matter would be of the greatest interest, and th> se uote3 are written in the hope that they will lad to such a discussion. O£ coarse opinions will differ widely, but all the samegcod will result from an exprossion of opinion from practical growers. Speaking personally, and with all dno respect to snoh an authority as Mr Hay, I beg to differ from that gentleman when be states that the sleepy disease is undoubtedly conveyed in the seed or plants, and for this reason : Such a cause, which conld be termed a *'* general cause," woull res alb, to my mind, in far more plants Collapsing. Ib may be presumed that tbe expetience of local grower!,- wilh tbe disease is similar to that of other places. That i?. that the disease is distinctly patchy — one plant here, another some distance away ; one plant taken today, and perhaps no more for a week or a 'fortnight:.. This seems to me to quite upset the theory that the disease is in the soed; for, tor as stated, a general cause, the chances are that it would run through a house and leave scarcely a plant. It may be said, in answer to thiv that the fruit from which the seed is taken may not have boen diseased, this would no doubt be so in some cases -in fact in the maj rity of cases. But then, Buppoaing the seed of only one diseased tomato were u*ed in a house, this would furnish rc~>res of plantej and than the loss would be far greater than experience discloses. Tbe opinion of Mr Lippiatb also com*, mands respect, but Nelson growers will hardly bear him ont when be states that he believes tho disease to be due to want of rain, Growers who have plantations of tomatoes outside this year complain that a larger number of plants are going off fcban last year, and tbis js very apparent iv many instances. Hoti, this cau'fc be due to want of rain, as tvo have had a; wetter season thiurusuaT. In fact many of the growers attribute the prevalence of the disease to having so much ram. This ia just about as contrary to Mr lappiatt'a belief as it is possible to be. As far as changing the aoilg.ies, there may be some thing in this. It is undoubtedly true that After a House has v ■rried Bay thtee crops, beneficial results have folio wed frqm inking the soil out and replacing with new soil. Bnt this docs pot seem .to have always answered, for one instance, at least conM be recorded where this was done and no benofit occurred. This of course may have beon due t > not having removed the soil to a sufficient depth • but the fact remains that the grower referred to failed to get a crop, and came to the conclusion that changing the soil was useless, , r' All estimate of tbe area devoted to tomato oulture und r glass in the city givffl the total at from 350T 04000 feet of glass in length with an average hroadth of 20 to 22 feet. Ja «osi c^ses tho crop nasDeen aguod pqe^nnd in one or two exceptionally heavy. The latenoaa of the season has made a big difference, in the value of inside orops, as the competition with the outside fruit has birelyyet commenced, Kith tho result that thp supply has not beene^ual to the demand. The present; may well be <lnscnbed as a " fat " season for those cultivating under eJas9. . The outside cr«p3 are not likely t he an jthing like so hea\;y this year as last. r:he «reat]\er has been against the' pla.nts^ ancl although exception, must be made in aon^ inpnge^lt^ Sffib&i-, big falling off mine quautity and quality ;of the output from thoopeu-air plantations generally.