The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1882. THE HORTICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 639, 29 August 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1882. THE HORTICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY.

A meeting of tliis Society is to be hold to-morrow evening, and it is to be hoped that th re will be a large .attendance, for we look upon tin's Association as one from which, if it were well supported, great benefits might accrue to the Peninsula.

Hitherto the whole of the work appears to have been accomplished by one or two gentlemen, who have been most untiring in their efforts ; but really there is nothing more disadvantageous to any association than to leave the whole work to one o- two. The more that t;ike a part in the bu mess, the wider the interest is disseminated, and the greater number of pcs sons are desirou" of ensuring success ; and we should like to see a large committee appointed this year, and all of them given a small share of the work. A- to the lion. see. on him, of course, must always fall a good deal of trouble, but we do think something might be arranged in the way of aid to him. The real cause of the unnecessarily hard work inflicted on a few is that hitherto the great mistake has been made of holding the annual Exhibition of the Society on Reg-itta Day. Such a course is most suicidal, and we hope sincerely is a thing of the past. The argument in favor of holding it on the Regatta .Day has been that it is likely to be bet er at!end.;d, through the influx of visitors on that occasion. This has been proved to be altogether a mistake. Last year, of all the excursionists that came by the steamer, only some seven or eight visited the Exhibition, and the Regatta kept away some thirty or forty local gentlemen. It is therefore certain that there is little advantage from such a course. It is our opinion that, were a second Akaroa gala day arranged, a steamer could be procured to run an excursion trip, and the visitors would then all go to the Exhibition as their proper destination, and so add to its success.

Another great reason that renders a change desirable is that the Anniversary Day is a most unsuitable one for the horticulturists to exhibit on. It is just in the interregnum, as it were, of the floral, vegetable, nnc 1 fruit world. The spring flowers are gone, and the summer glories are not yet fully unfolded. Fruit, too, which is a most important matter here,-is not by any means at its best, and the same may be said of vegetables. Later in the season a much* more satisfactory show could be ensured, and what is there, we should like to know, to prevent a later date being chosen ?

Akaroa is such a small place, and tho people who take interest in public matters are so few, that it is absurd to di ide forces by doing the whole of the work of the year in one day. It is outbelief that both the Regatta and fc'.ie Exhibition would be more successful if they were hold on different days, for all the energies of the place would then be concentrated on securing the success of one event at one tinm. Nothing more surprises a visitor to Akaroa who has seen the marvellous b'jauty of the n ighborhood, the rich soil, the luxuriant growth, the great variety of plants, and particularly the wonderful collection of native trees, bushes, ferns, and flowers, than the poverty of our Horticultural Show. There socm to be only two or three exhibitors, and for the gr 'at mass of tho prizes there appears to be no competition at all. No doubt this scarcity of entries in a great measure owing to the day chosen being -'it the v/rong season, as well as the gre:;t f»'(>da day of the v-'ii!'. v;hon the irs the main attraction, and when peopki would far rather walk about, interest themselves in the races, see the gay crowd from Cbristchurch, and listen to the unwonted music of the band, than take cabbages or potatoes to tho Horticultural Show. An effort should certainly be made to make the Show nioir popular, and we hope t > t>ee that effort made at once.

The importance of this part of the Exhibition can hardly, be overrated. We yet h >pc to see th« time when we shall have a jam factory in Akaroa, and it is eert.-iiuly of vital importance that the growth of small fruit should be en-cour-iged in every way, for we may depend that as soon as we grow enough to keep a factory going, that factory will bo established—i consummation (.'.evoutly to be wished. As to the larger fruit, of which ?o much is ex ; ortod, that i;-; even a jr.oro serious question. A good tree takes no more soil to grow in tiitin a bad one, and requires no more care, and yet the difference in the valuo of the fruit may be immense. JJesicleSj certain kinds flourish here in perfection, while others bear badly. Why plant the badly yielding ones ? Any one who

has seen the wretched trash, not worthy of the name of fruit, that is annually sent away from Akaroa, with the good fruit, will agree that the Horticultural Society have indeed a great work before them, in showing the people how to grow a better and more profitable article, for it is just as import nit to fruit growers to know how to grow the best fruits as it is to cheese makers to know how to make the b-st cheese.

Nor do we allow that the culsure of flowers is loss important in its way, Alraroa is a place much frequented by visitors for its natural beauties, and the more attractive we can make it, the more will come, and the more we shall profit. How can we make it more attractive than by means of the flowers that in this favored spot fairly luxuriate with the smallest care? Leo us, then, do all in our power to inculcate in our children,- and keep alive in ourselves, a sense of th<*. beauty of floral nature, so that our lovely native trees and shrubs may be preserved, to be the delight of ourselves and our visitors, and our gardens may gladden every one with their beauty.

We are happy that many trees are being planted here this year —more than any other season—:uid wo predict the best results. Wo cm grow delicate fruits hero for the people of the Kouth anil the Plains, raid v/o are nearer t.h.m Nelson to the great centres of population, so liiat the trade might, by judicious fostering, reach a height which is not now dreamed of.

It is to bo liopod that our friends will bar this in mind on Wednesday aii»lit. We have said not n'ug with regard to the fiiduutritil Exhibition, which is also a most important nvittcr, and so is the show of dairy produce. The same arguments equally apply to them. What we should like to see would bs an attempt to awake more general interest, and tlio selection of a, more suitable day. There is no great necessity i"br hurry. We understand that the public meeting is generally most sparsely attended. Well, never mind how few are there ; let them elect a big committee, including the County as well as the Borough, and if it is not possible to fix on a suitable day all at once, have an adjourned public meeting, after the committee have met and discussed the matter, and have something definite to lay before them. They have a great work, for on them, to a certain extent, the presp rity of the county depends; for in this isolated place- the best way to cultivate the tastes of the children is by this means. Let tiie minds of our future inhabitants be improved by seeing'the host art objects that can bo collected together, aid let them also see the perfection which industrial art may reach, in order that they may know how to render their often rough homes more attractive." Let them see the beauty of the flowers and the perfection of the fruit, so that they may form a higher stand ird, and when it comes to be their time to cultivate, they may do great good in their generation.