FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2499, 12 May 1909, Page 6

FRUIT INDUSTRY.

MAS HORTON S VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.

►ARISON OF LABOR ; :. CONDITIONS.

>mas Horton, the well-known of Thomas Horton’s, Ltd., at Frimley and Bahiatua, has Ened from an extended tour >outh Wales, Victoria, and in which he states he travs 8,500 miiesJ inspecting orad nurseries and comparing n use. He took over with him jses of apples—Jonathans, avorite and Sturmer pippin;— of the Hawke’s Bay FruitAssociation, ‘for the purpose of aped to England with the obthe likelihood of ig a trade in the Home couples© apples wore unpacked in e and shipped with a largo hit of Tasmanian apples in ige. m* Sydney Mr. Horton visited l Agricultural Show, where he >st of his time amongst the iral exhibits of the Agriculpartment, and in a oonverth a “Napier Telegraph.” re- -- gave his impressions. “There he Royal Agricultural Show,” “a most comprehensive disippies and pears, in which 1 >en -interest, as you will readily id, and as everything was I _ examined . the exhib.illy to discover if the variwn under certain names were as were grown in this country, that we grow practically :g that they do, there being or two exceptions, and they ases of apples not leading comrarieties. The varieties which land nurserymen and orcliardmnend for planting _ as leading ial lines are practically the those grown in the Commentates. This is a very importer, because, if their shipments ; Britain, and other parts of id, of certain varieties, coinready sale at top prices, it is consequence that, if we are up an export trade, we must e same varieties and be sure y are true to name. This lat--30 a matter of paramount conyrowers. To my mind the time r distant when we must export i large quantities (principally to and Germany), because there iv hundreds of acres being of sorts suitable for export, irder to get a fair price, it will ;sary to ease the local markets ing the surplus away.” but has) our oid enemy, . the loth escaped your calculations, ton?” codlin moth possesses no terrors vers now. I was afforded the facilities by the Governments ria, Neiv South Wales, and Tas:or visiting their experimental md the leading, orchards rseries, picking up and giving tion. useful to both parties, and l that almost 95 per cent of j were satisfied that the arseniate [spray had coped so successfully ais great pest that they had id of it, and they have agreed by can now save 98 per cent of 9, although at one time vt looked e nurseries were doomed. There [ght- future before the aw-Je injin Hawke’s Bay. The shippers ielbourne report that the apples ( over compare very favorably te Tasmanian grown fruit and p they sav it would be difficult nguish the one from the other, i you that those that saw them much impressed with their qualthe general suitability to export ;hat several gentlemen _ interestbe trade expressd their intention ing Hawke’s Bay shortly, to satMnselves regarding the possibilifche industry in this district. | it is said that arseniate of lead jlir sprays containing poison [gerous to the consumer.” [re is absolutely no danger in sprayed armies, because the mix'so weak that I would be prepareat apples after they had been fed in the liquid. W r hv. if it fcrong enough to destroy human jvould burn all the foliage off the ft would be absolutely impossible an to eat anything like the minisprayed apples necessary to poisonou s symptoms.” I you observe anything in the bhs prevailing on the other side [is likely to be of interest?” 11, I was much struck with the pns of labor, as it affects orchard--1 nurserymen. You can get good ith years of experience, able to (fair day’s work at 5s for a day hours! Yes, these are married bo, with families to keep, ip impress upon you that the 5s did not include their keo- This ire living practically from hand ith all their lives, with, nothing ire for ■pleasure or recreation. 1 of them begged me to bring to New Zealand, so I) engaged jactical men, who will an’ive here clay or two, at 10s for eight land are looking forward to life bpe at last. Bread and meat in lia are about the same price as Jut clothing is cheaper, iat I was most interested in is he ■'Australian nurserymen bring nds and thousands of trees, prounder these cheap labor conditio New Zealand, and canvass for from door to door. They are notfed. with duty or restrictions of ad'and they sell at a fraction une local rates, so. it behoves the. imenfi to take steps to protect* [ustry in the Dominion. Imagine ?prise when I found that Chinatere employed by some of the [! nurserymen, in Australia, f I said to them, ‘if I did as you |ing in my country I would exo' be hanged to the first lamp ind serve me right..’ The Ausi employers pleaded that the ben were particularly suited to irk,”

jv do you view Chinese labor, from race prejudice?” 111, I cannot agre© but that the & are xiseful and conscientious 1 garden work and are particulartil adapted to some branches, eir labor is cheap and I. am opjo encouraging yellow settlement expense of our own' workers. I nploying. good men and giving good wages for a good day’s

Pr 'an conscientious tour of the States I came back here more yer.. satisfied ■ that -Hawke’s Bay place, and, after an inspection orchards, nurseries, iperairiental farms, 1 can state that I saw no land to equal He’s Bay, land. Trees grown sent' out' have been so satis-, that , one firm alone is sending thousands this year, ©specially trees. : The fruit crops in Aus>* yhis season are excellent —rather .than the crops in New. Zealand the' first returns to ‘hand from •satisfactory*'” • ' .. • * . . i