NEW ZEALAND FRUIT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 14 April 1908, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND FRUIT.

To the Editor. Sir,— A, one of the first fruit-_r..wL-rs in Nelson, say thirty years ago, who began to plant out orchards for commercial purposes, allow me to nuke a few more remarks in regard to the collection of New Zealand fruit to be sent to London for exhibition in the Royal Horticultural Society's Show. If not mistaken, this must be the third or fourth att.myt ot our Government to -Slow to the world what beautiful fruit New Zealand can Sr The first of this kind was when Mr J. C. Blackmorc went as a delegate to tho fruitgrowers' meeting in Brisbane. I was able to give him a beautiful collection of apples, about oil or 60 different kinds, properly named and classified a la Dr. Hogg. . The collection created ereat admiration in Australia. However one clear-headed Australian remarked that if this collection came from one orchard, it was a great nlistake. Ana ,it was. If T had spent all the money I had paid for importing hundreds of different kinds of fruit in planting out only two or three good kinds of apples, it would have been a practical step in llie right direction. But nearly all the fruitgrowers here at the time made this mistake me New Zealand Department of Agriculture was established with the ob^t of giving practical advice to the growers. But growing bigger ani Wer, the Department ceased to a-.1---vise-it became a dictator. It pasted severe laws-some useless, irritating, and even foolish laws, ofteu more destructive to tree and plant than o the insect it wanted to destroy. Lo-ik at those fruit trees now, which na-v been for years under the se. ere treatment of Paris Green, salt, lime, and sulphur, and other poisonous abominations! The life is taken out of them, and they produce poor trm., if any at all! . . . Our Department of Agriculture follows more the views cf California.! Entomologists than the laws ol Nature Nature does nothing useless. To keep up its balance Nature has many ways and means at its disposition, aud even if insect pests threaten to destroy the growth of plants. Nature always reman, s the victor. But this is too slow work for om | greediness, and we must help Nature to mount four-pounder guns to kill sparrew.. It was not by using hellebore that the, cherry sing, Trypt-i Signata, the greatest pest we had here was exterm:.'.ated. It was done by Mother Nature in proper time. The same with K-erza I'urihasi. Our D,_,. i..ent of Agriculture goes too far. '„-re are means and way; to help Is. '...!■" to keep insect pesttin cheek; i ".t fo pass laws to extermi nat:> them by fire and sword, so tc speak, is like the doings of that gal hint knight of Spain who broke a Inn..' against windmills. Tf „v- fruugrt.wers d<> not he-/ ' tr R ro7 fruit of the right ki*.-' ci. n-.c.sse. we never will be able 1- cyporr. It s v.vll known that soil .:■ .-^'.'.Vioii make all li.c differenc: ■ wow mi it >„ perfection. One .re-hard pro luces one kiud of appl. tc pcrleelion. the next on. c'ocs -naz. If our Fruit Tii'-TVftors sv.-uld mak. :t their business to fhiu out twi 0' three kinds of apples fit or export, v/h'.ch grow best in each .ar,-e ore! ard, and advise te, re-g-aft J.i '-•-'* wher trees with these few kin. wov.ld do some practi-goo-i. We ea". tx- many beautifu. «.nowy apples, '^.n'ectlj n-ieU'ss fe. export, iradirg before tiv world r: public expense those slicwy bubbles might please the Gover.-.iient, i"-.t- will put io money into -be pocket of the fruitgrower. 1 am, e^c. . CHAS WISSENHAVEEN, Spring Grove, April iJ, 100 S.