FRUIT- GROWERS' ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3105, 17 September 1913, Page 12

FRUIT- GROWERS' ASSOCIATION.

At a meeting of fruit-growers, held at Cromwell, Mr James M'Kenzie presided over a small attendance. The- question of forming an association in the district was discussed. Mr S. Stevens, of the Centra! Otago Association, was present, and after ho had given -some interesting details of the work of the association in other centres, it was unanimously decided to form an association to be known as the Upper Clntha Branch of the Central Otago Association. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows:—President, Mr James M'Kenzie; vice-president, Mr M. do Bettenoor; secretary and treasurer. Mr James Wood; committee—Messrs N. Kloogh, C. Marklnnd, J. Swann, B. Hansen, 11. Towan, W. Lynn, R. Toms, H. Wilson, and F. Bradley. A membership fee of 5s was fixed, confined to bona, fide growers.

Sweet-pea growers will be interested in the following paragraph appearing in the London Daily Mail: —“A new sort of sweet pea lias aroused the sort of excitement produced by the appearance of a new prima donna or dancer. For the first time a double flower true to heredity has been raised, and the rage for it is such that the grower cannot spare a single flower for exhibition, so precious is the seed. A number of sweet peas, especially the cream Clara Curtis end all the Foster group, are apt to produce double fjowers, and very splendid they are, but Dobbie’s ‘double-frilled pink,’ which looks -as if it has wings and standards crimped, does not depend on cultivation. It is inherently double, and introduces a new sort of flower.”

The progress of the fruit industry is indicated by the fact that cool stores capable of accommodating as many as 10,000 cases of apples are to be erected in the very near future at Hastings by tlie Hawke’s Bay Fruit, Produce, and Cool .Storage Company.