LOOKING AHEAD.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14888, 30 January 1914, Page 10

LOOKING AHEAD.

FRUIT-GROWING IN. NORTH CANTERBURY. The first step has been made towards making North Canterbury a fruit-pro-ducing district. Tlio credit of this attaches.to Mr V. Oldman, of Waiau, who, anticipating the approach of the railway, two years ago set to work to establish a good all-round orchard. At tho present time he has in splendid growing condition just 1000 trees of apples, peaches, and cherries, and calculates that by the time tho railway is ready for traffic in Waiau his orchard will be in full bearing. The holding which Mr Oldman has converted into an orchard is a block of 17 acres of l.i.p. land on the outskirts of Waiau township. It is all level land on a terrace below a hill, which gives it shelter on one side, while on the three others, fine belts of trees, planted many years ago, before tho subdivision, afford very good protection from the prevailing, northerly and westerly winds. Since beiug planted, tho trees havo made astonishing progress, and' are now looking the picture, of health, and promise exceptionally, well for the future. The trees selected comprise, in apples, 200 Stunner Pippins, 100 Delicious, 200 Munro's Favourite; 123 Ropewoods, 40 Gladstone, -besides groups of 25 and 30 of other varieties. O? cherries, 170 ' trees have been planted, and 40 peaches. the selection of the trees and advice about conduct of the orchard, f° I? 1 "' «-. ° ldma n has been indebted to the Government Fruit Expert. Mr Cordery, wno has taken a great deal ot interes-t in tho undertaking. Tn very many ways the experiment bcin" made by Mr Oldman is interesting, in the way of revealing what can be done with a email selection. His 17 acres was not enough to yield support* by itself in cropping. Fruit trees alone seemed to give prom*!*- of doing *~a t ;TorV t , l ! cn V for ?* Mr Oldman decided testa rt tho first commercial orchard in the Aorth Canterbury district. The soil and the cliipate have proved, co * l, Pst favourable to the venture, and the other factor to success, quicktransit, should be provided in the next f + ,^ rt , i . c " ,a W favourable wmd- fs i° Ut . tb, i dlst . ricfc for'orchard nbnuf in* h0 Sio!uly rauifall (somewhat about 40m per year on the average) and the' absence of devastating storms OTCr a 6Gries of W ismited bv-°H 10rC SeVere l - v P° of storm i-s by this area, as a rule, and therefore loss from unseasonal sterm S should bo shght. The orchard has bl como q,„te the subject of interest hi the district, wh.ch has so far been devoted to sheep, and of late years te a growing. uso for cropping purposes