FRUIT CULTURE IN KAIKOURA.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14985, 4 June 1914, Page 10

FRUIT CULTURE IN KAIKOURA.

(FROM OVR OWX CORRESPONIJEXT.)

Quite recently "The Press" published eulogistic remarks . regarding some apples grown by Mr George Stevenson at his homestead near the Clarence : river, on the northern boundary of the Kaikoura County, Mr Stevenson's . successes at fhe Kaikoura Agricultural, and- Pastoral Shows, and the commendation accorded his fruit by a Government expert (published in "The Press*) aro likely to lead toothors entering tho lists against him in a*spirit of healthy emulation, Kaikoura has "for ages"'produced fruit of excellent quality, and unsurpassed .for size,, and the capabilities of the county in that respect have often been proclaimed by .men competent to express ah opinion on the subject. The flavour of fruit grown in xiio Inner Clarence has won encomiums from all who have of the products of tho <-.»arcneo valley. Peaches grown there were, probably still are, exceptionally luscious, as well as being of gootliy proportions, wail© tae appics, "lieu in ooiiqnet," exceeded in _i_o some, ciuiwwm. a Ciu'istcitu-cn I. uiterer's saop as "the hugecst ever gi own in \-u-ito.ouiy."

Air Frank x-iss-imaa, or Gicn Alton, Clarence river, wu.se propercy is between .Vir George Steveiuon's and" tlio ■ old Wuipapa -luniusiead, lias given further piooi of wnac ivaikouia Uouuty can produce in the way of irint. _a.s s he lias dono by growing in _ue open aquantity of large, inus-at0.... A visitor to G'lou" Alton who knew what. he .was talking about, urged Air Li&saman to devote seme attention to the production of peaches,' part of his.land and its' location being admirar.JV adapted for the purpose. Computations by tiie visitor showed that an acre ot land at Glen Alton set apart tor peach-giow-ing would givo a cash return of jb-oJO "the trees (say, three years after planting) to give a reasonable yield _f, v fruit. Mr liissamnn has^the matter "in Lis mind's eye." When Mr L;,u._iesen, sen r, lived near trie iiapuka liver, he showed, even with the small attention bo was able to give tho matter, ivhrifc was in' fruit production, were the landowners to" rightly diieet their energies to such form of cultivation.'

.-Mr-Thomas Adair, of Hundalee, i* another settler who has given evidence ot what Kaikoura is capable of in this matter. Sivyncombe and The Elms am both noted, lor the pro-iiction of iruif. i'einiLir.t, in ihe . out-h easto.-n part *<f the county, gives prolific yields of delicious fruit of various kinds. Mr ..ohr Pow, a kee.-i .ii-.i.tuiist, lias fo: years been-very successful with, his orchard. Thus it will.be seen"*'• i<i _om north to ..cuth, throughout- the length and b.eadta of the county, in fact, Jva.koura is an . excontionaiiy fine, wellfavoured fruitrproduciag. area. \Vit<i through railway transpo:. available >n the not distant future, it is hoped the export of fruit from Kaikoura will eventually become one of the/ most piofitabie' lines (and not exactly "a side one," either) tHe land occupiers of South' Marlborough will have at tnetr disposal. Mr TV. Tro.ove, of The Shades, a few miles along the coast beyond the northern boundary .of tho Kaikoura County, has an orchard of considerable merit, one of the products of which.is'.envons, equal in __r_w_rr and size to any similar fruit grown in IV ew Zealand. Tomatoes have been grown at The Shades in the open for eeven months in the year.

.The products of Kaikoura com& on to the market comparatively early in the season. An illustration of this, is contained in the fact that dt one time there lived "near'Amuri bluff (CJe-CSTley Estate), an old identity who was" an expert *in the growing of potatoes, it was his custom to market fine new potatoes early in August, and he Was credited with having then! ready'in Jiilv.. Part of his success "in cultivating the tubers was due. to the.ahd on which he "squatted" being near a - limestone fare having a northerly Climatic conditions, however, were auxiliaries he owed something to. as do others in Kaikoura and South Marlborough generally. - . • .