THE SOIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 21 April 1911, Page 2

THE SOIL.

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

GREYTOWN FRUIT FOR ENGLAND.

TO BE FBKIiLY EXHIBITED. A consignment of apples and pears from the orchards of Mr W. A. Tate, of Greytown, is being prepared for the International Exhibition in England, according to a correspondent of the "Dominion," who sends the following: —-- The writer visited the orchard of Mr W. A. Tate, at Kuratawhiti, and found' Mr Tate and his assistants, with Mr Nottage (Government Fruit Expert') all hard at work _ making boxes, the size of which is x 7 x 18 (half a bushel), and sorting the fruit ready for packing in wood wool. Mr Tate explained that ho Js ■sending a quantity of fruit, (apples and) pears) "to the .International Exhibition, to be held in England. A number of eascte will be* exhibited at the various winter shows throughout New Zealand. The Government. Department. I understand, takes charge of the xhiblts, so as to advertise New Zeh land-grown fruit. Mr Nottage -is taking some 30 cases for exhibition.

The apples are Jonathans, Cleopatra, and ■Stunner Pippin. The pears are Winter Cole, Winter Nelis, Beaurli Diel, P. Barry, and Vicar Wingfield. The Department will, of course, have fruits from other .parts of the Dominion, but Mr. Tate's will, F understand, be the 'principal exhibits, and no doubt the quality is excellent, and does great credit to the grower. Mr. Tate is a great believer in plenty of shelter, and he has adopted the poplar for this purpose, and by judicious pruning each season ue has' madiel them stool out and form a valuable breakwind. Experts have expressed wonder at, the growth shown in three years. Rome of the trees have made as -mmeh as 12 feet growth in on e season. There is about 200 chain s of poplars, all wel] placed for the prevailing winds.

ENGLISH MARKETS FOR FRUIT

VALUE OF DISTRIBUTION,

For a considerable time —and some of them still entertain the opinion—shippers of fruit from the- Antipodes to England have contended that the only proper market is -at Co vent Garden, London. During- his stay an England the South Australian Trader C.'iniiii:.•f.'ciier (Major Norton/ ccnld i,ol fall ro realise that- there wt.ie good' markets also at 'the out ports, :i:-d on i-is relmr. to, and subs-: :ja"ii t tour through the State, he invariably preached the* gospel of distribution. .In support of his- arguments in. favour of shipment of tire fruit to the outports «is well as to London, he ; - entioned if it wore essential that all Antipodean fruit should go to 'Covent Garden, why N was it not equally necesagry that all American and Canadian fruit should go to the same place, whereas large quantities were sent to the various, outports. That the views which Major Norton advanced were thoroughly justified is provdd conclusively by the fact that last seas-ori America and 'Canada forwarded 575.000 barrels and cases of apples to Liverpool, 327,897 to London, and 016,537 to Glasgow and smaller consignments! to -other outports Surely where the Canadians and Americans, can find markets .in London, Australians and' New Zealanders can likewise dispose of thriir products, which have won an excellent reputation.

ORCHARD FERTILISERS. Fertiiiseirs for the orchard should always, be a-pnlied when, th.-o +.ree» 3"e dormant, aind before the sap faegrne to flow and the tree® to bud, and the following is recommended by the "New Z&aJa.nd Herald" for apples, pears, and quinces:—2cwt bonedust, 1 ow;t «'.?» hi of superphosphate and sulphatephate of potash, a.nd; the best results are obtained by applying this for the. growing of a crop for green manure and' ploughing it in. By this (means the soil n-ot'omly receives the plant food, but nitrogen- from the atmosphere, and its mechanical condition is improved by the addition of harmus; it is aerated, receives the rain and retains the moisture. In Ailing gaps it is advisable that new soil should be put into the hole to replace some of the exhausted' soil taikein out. Puttwiiai fertiliser j u when planting is net recommended', but it may be applied- on the surface after planting. Though, green, mamurmg by piough.iing in a. crop is almost always an advantage, there are very lisrht soils where this does harm by making them too porous, but this is very exceptional; orchard soils are generally fairly -light loam, which is much .benefited by .green, manuring.