THE APPLE INDUSTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2195, 20 May 1908, Page 1

THE APPLE INDUSTRY.

LESSONS FROM TASMANIA SOME PRACTICAL NOTES. There has just returned tu the Dominion from Tasmania and Australia two of our lending nurserymen and fruitgrowers, Messrs Horton (of 1 a--1 hiatus and Hastings) and >\ eightI man (of Awahuri). Two men hotter qualified to give practical hints to fruitgrowers after an investigation 1 of methods in other countries if j would be hard to find. Whom in Tasman hi tho Now Zealanders saw all they could in tho time at tlfeir disposal of apple growing in the island .State. When approached by a New Zealand “Times” representative for some account of their experience;,, both Mr Horton and Mr AVeiglitmiui freely told of tho lessons New Zealand could t ike from the Australian State, which stands to-day, as probably tho most successful demonstration in tho world of the possibilities of commercial apple culture, Tho day tho New Zealanders reached Tasmania there were ocean liners loading apples for Europe, representing cargos amounting to nearly 500,000 cases. When the orchards wore visited they presented a lino prospect to these moil whose principal .business it is to propagate fruit trees for tbo commercial growers of this country, who arc busily laying tho foundation of a great industry. Aides upon, miles of apple trees -were to be seen, growing on cultivated land, and all uniformly pruned and presenting a healthy, vigorous condition. It was a magnificent object .lesson wliicn would pay nny fruitgrower of this country to witness. The general orchard management was seen to be excellent, everything being dene with absolute system. And the same uniform system was observable throughout tho island. It was at once seen that Tasmanian growers were working all to the one end —tho building up of a great export trade, in which quality and uniformity arc tho main esseutials. OULY FOUR VARIETIES. Only about four varieties of apples ire grown im Tasmania, some growers confining themselves to ono variety, but they mostly grow some oi each of the four export kinds. Wherever .Messrs Horton and Weightman went tho first question they asked was what was the best apple, and they always got the one answer—Jonathan. It was declared to be the most successful generalpurpose apple and tho most profitable from an export point of view. As Messrs Horton and AVoightmau point out Jonathan is not only the most saleable apple from a utility appearance point of view, bpt it has a regular cropping habit, never missing a season, and is also a heavy bearer. The other varieties favored by Tasmanian growers are Cleopatra; Allaire's Favourite, and Scarlet Nonpareil. Alessrs Horton and AVoightmau point out that both Cleopatra and riearlet Nonpareil are unsuccessful in this country. The former is a magnificent applo in Tasmania, but here it is practically worthless. It takes black spot very badly, and tbo quality when .grown here is nothing to that of the Tasmanian grown fruit. Alessrs Horton .and AA T eightman give the following varieties is best for our conditions: —Jonathan, Strainer Pippin, Alunro’s Favourite, and Cox’s Orange Pippin. This selection being made, of course, from a commercial grower’s point of viow. The great lesson Tasmania thus teaches is the growing of only a few varieties, so that each shipper may have a good uniform line of a variety to ship. TASAIANIAN AIETHODS. There is absolutely no difference, declare Alessrs Horton and AVeightman, in the methods adopted by Tasmanian growers to combat . insect pests, to those in vogue in this country. AVe are quite as up-to-date in this connection. And for this, the Now Zealand nurserymen state, our growers have to thank the Department of Agriculture. And reference to the Department led both to declare that there was nothing they came across in their travels in tho way of a State supervision of an industry which equalled that of the Biological Division in its control of fruit growing in this country. One of the features of the work of Tasmanian apple growers is the method of pruning adopted, a method, by the way, which is uniform throughout the'fruit districts. The trees are headed low (everything being within reach), and are vase shaped. They have five or six limbs, and these arc spurred tho whole way up, no laterals being aliowod. The centres, of course, are all open. A matter which greatly surprised tho visitors was too see no shelter belts. The absence of these showed that the Tasmanians possess a great natural advantage for fruit farming —absence of strong winds. A 00 AIPARISO N. Comparing Tasmania and New Zealand from a fruit point of view, Messrs Horton and AVoightmau both confessed we have much to learn. We have only touched the fringe of the subject. Fairly good work is being done in the best of our orchards, but we have only one where they have hundreds in Tasmania. Of course, the Tasmanians took up tho business on right principles from the start. They study the markets and cater to them in tho most approved manner, by supplying the varieties demanded, carefully grading tho fruit and packing it in a presentable manner. So satisfied are tliey as to the further development of their industry that they are planting this year on a .more extensive scale than ever. Perhaps tho most interesting conclusions those two practical orchardists have arrived at as a result of what they saw in the three older States of the Commonwealth is that as the best fruit is there grown on the poorer soils so the poor gum lands of tho north must in the future be the main centres of friut culture in this country. This will be very gratifying to the Department of Agriculture, which, in the face of much adverse criticism, established a fruit station on such country, at Waereuga, in order to prove that the despised land at this centre—typical of much of the AVaikato and northern country, was eminently adapted for fruit growing. Alessrs Horton and AA’eiglitnian say that they saw land oil the other side which would hardly grow grass producing the finest fruit. They are now convinced that we have made a- mistake in the past in selecting our best 1 and lor fruit growing—we should have displayed the same prescience the Department displayed. However, there is great scope for establishing commercial fruit culture on correct principles on the poor lands in question,

when, if Tasmanian experience means anything, those lands should yet lie turned to highly profitable account.