FRUIT-GROWING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2239, 16 November 1907, Page 2

FRUIT-GROWING.

HOW THE DISTRICT'S ORCHARDS ARE LOOKING. PROSPECTS FOR A BIG INDUSTRY.

In tho course of an interview yesterday with a “Times” reporter Mr E. J. West, who has lately been spraying large numbers of fruittrees throughout the district, said that so far as he could see there was a good prospect of an excellent crop this season. The blossoms seemed inclined ito fall with -the wind but the bulk of tho fruit appeared to be hanging well. The use of arsenate of lead would, in Mr West’s opinion, prove very beneficial to the district. ;It was used chiefly for codlin moth, and users of it could depend on 75 per cent of clean fruit, one spraying being enough for a season. Among the cleanest orchards Mr West saw on his travels were those of Messrs Spines, Teesdale and Barker Bros. Outside the codlin moth the borer was found to be the worst pest, playing havoc with oranges and lemons. For this pest Mr West recommends the use of phosphate of iron, which is sold in the form of manure. It could be .applied in two ways. One way was to paint the stem of the tree with tile phosphate, rendered liquid by Idle addition of ten parts of water to one of phosphate, and the other way was to bare the roots of the .tree and thoroughly dress them with the dry manure. The phosphate was also effective in the treatment of silver blight. Scale could not be safely treated at present. The main treatment should commence about July, and if the trees were treated w.itli lime, salt and sulphur they soon became quite clean.

Mr. West stated that in the past the law regarding orchard pests had been rather loosely enforced, but be had been given to understand that a new order of things would obtain at an ear] 3' date. Discussing the .prospects of the canning industry in the district, Mr West gave it as his opinion that there was room for a large cannery in Poverty Biay. He was particularly impressed with the land at Kaiti, holding it to be ideal land for fruit-growing. The land in the Te Arai estate, recently acquired by tho Government, was rather light for fruit-growing.