THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13106, 15 May 1911, Page 2

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

VISIT OF MR FRANK WALKER.. AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW, "What is your opinion of the suitability of the land in this district for apple growing for export?" was the first question put by a "Colonist" representative *on Saturday to Mr Frank Walker, the well known Tasmafliall orehaKlist imri nurseryman, who has just completed a tour of the Riwaka; Mdtue'ka* Wdutere'rtiirl Wijvmea districts. "1 am more than Satisfied," was the reply/ "that you can grow as god fruit as we can in Tas-

mama. The Cox s Orange, Jonathans, Munro's Favourite, Home Beauty and Scarlet Ndnpariel are as good as I have 6v6r see'rt in Tasmania so far as size and coldiii' are eoncfcriiecl," Mr Walker said he could not, of course, speak as to their keeping qualities, but he had seSii fiiiifc that was fathered at the same time as the fruit, fOP the shipment to London by the Rimutaka, and it was still in a sound condition and marketable, which he said

showed the apples possessed all the' keeping properties that could be wishid for. The Scarlet Peai'mam a variety largely grown in Tasmania for export, did not appear to be too well kndwn In thc§6 putts, hut hp. hud liqen shown some trees and fruit, w'hlt'li were quite as good as grown in Tasmania. Growers in this district adopt-

Ed a different style of growing this particular variety. It was a variety which went into fruit prematurely, and a good tree should be built up before it was allowed to boar, or. else the tree would .be stunted. The trees should be well manured before tlipy were allowed to fruit. Rome Beauty" was one of the bpst keeping varieties they had in Tasmania, but Mr Walker said he quite failed to recognise the. locally grown Prime Beauiy owing to its magnificent colouring. WASTE FRUIT. One tiling Mr Walker noticed was the waste fruit in the orchards. By waste, he. meant second and third grade fruit. "You have," he said, "much more waste than we have, duo, I consider, to the methods of culture." In Tasmania, in case of trees that are very heavily cropped, the fruit is picked at intervals, relievos tho tree of a great strain and enables the fruit that is left to mature. Growers in Tasmania wouldl be anything but satisfied to see the quantities of fruit going to waste that he had seen during his trip." EARLY FRUITING. There appeared to be, on the part of some growers, a tendency to work their trees to bear heavily too soon. In Riwaka he had seen some beautifully shaped trees, with fruit spurs all the way up tho main rods, but not started enough to begin with. The. result would be that when they fruited next year there would be an undue proportion of bitter pit fruit caused by the rush of sap into a space which could not absorb it.. There was, said Mr Walker, moid bitter pit in young vigorous trees than hi fully matured trees that had been severely summer pruned. SERIOUS ERRORS IN PLANTING. In tho matter of planting, Mr Walker said he did not believe in tho practice adopted in some districts of severe root pruning. All roots and fibres, lie said, should be carefully preserved in the condition they were received from tho nursery, where they were cut short enough. Of course damaged roots should be removed, but only at the point of injury. After planting the tops could be pruned back "as severely as you like." Root pruning before planting resulted in stunted growth, and the production of fruit buds, a condition which should not be encouraged for three years, THE MOUTERE HILLS. Mr Walker was favourably impressed with the Mwitere hills for apple growing. There was good land on the northern slopes of Tasman, in tho Tasman Valley, and between Tasman and the mouth of the Moutere river, eminently suitable for growing apples for export. He did not like the ridges and would avoid them if lie was planting. At Stafford's ho had seen some really good fruit. The chief thing for growers to aim at was cultivation. "Cultivate," ho said, "all the time." A little manure when the trees wore planted, but no more unless they were nbt growing satisfactorily. In the fifth year oach tree should produce from half to three-quarters of a bushel of fruit and from 18 inches to two feet of new wood. Mr Walker said he had noticed that 7 or 8 year old trees, instead of still producing from 15 to 20 inches of growth every year, had stopped growing, and were producing fruit spurs instead of lateral growths. MANURES AND SPRAYS. Tho manure mostly used in Tasmania was bone and superphosphate in equal parts. A complete orchard manure was also sold by merchants, which was very satisfactory. What promised to bo a drawback to the fruit industry in this district was the prevalence of woolly aphis. Prevention, said Mr. Walker, was better than cure, and ho advocated spraying with tobacco wash in December and February, and with red oil or crude petroleum during the winter. In Tasmania tobacco was obtained from the factories of the mainland, and a cheap and effective spray was made by mixing three-quarters of a bushel to 150 to 200 gallons of water, adding soft soap to make the spray adhere to the trees. The water must not bo boiled, but the tobacco soaked in cold water for several da vs. "Why not grow your own tobacco," asked Mr Walker. He had seen some dried tobacco, grown in Riwaka. with stalks fivo to six feet in length, which he considered would do admirably for tobacco wash. GENERAL. Fruit-growers, he said, should not be discouraged by the failure of the Rimutaka shipment of apples, for even now failures occurred at intervals in shipments from Tasmania. Two years in succession shipments by a certain steamer arrivod Home in bad condition, and growers refused to ship by that vessel, with the result that she was withdrawn from the trade. Regarding the cabled statement that bitter pit was caused by spraying, Mr Walker said he was sure that spraying had nothing to do with bitter pit, which he had seen in orchards that had never been sprayed. Tasmanian growers, he said, did not obtain the prices in the local markets that growers in this district did and the^e at the present time he considered very satisfactory. Speaking generally. Mr Walker said that he was charmed with tho district, which, with its farm houses, hop gardens, hedge rows and rural scenery, reminded him of Kent. "In fact, he said "I feel that I have been spending two or three days in my native country." Mr Walker leaves to-day for Wellington en route to Auckland.