A VISIT TO ARATAKI FARM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 485, 19 April 1909, Page 2

A VISIT TO ARATAKI FARM.

GROWTH OF THE GRAPE INDUSTRY. >-nrinU ,<nV splendid suiuplo of eiglitoea ont nf CS cn V srapes, specially selected out of seventy varieties, arid exhibited by F"rm n, at lg Z IGUt l ]', c 'V' ataki Experiment laim at the recent Hawke s Bay. AcriculnmHn!ri teral Society's: autumn show, at 'IV mS co 'T os P° nd(>nt "sited the farm at io Mata tor the purpose of -gathering inSots' 1 Fir' 18 f°- rtlv Jlrospools, Mr, C. J*. Ellis, who is nothing if not u i ll !i / l ' ga " hng his work » Proved onlj too clad to point, out the objects of inmt° t! ' o details, of his work, cliardists lm l )ortancc to Vl S"«ons and .orTho Farm: A Biril's-oya View, Tho farm consists of about'6o acres of land admirably adapted for experiment work.. It shelves in a very gentle slope from the. manager s house, tp a ereck about a quarter of a mile away, so that a spectator, standing on olio terrace, pan command a complete viotr ot tho property, with its abundant crop, consisting at present principally' o£, vines, When tho Government acquired the land from Mr. u._l>ttambprg somo few years ago, there was not a residence (with tho exception of . Mr. t"ambers s homestead) within a considerable distance, and the district was isolated and practically unknown. Now, however,. Havejock is dotted over with smiling: -orchards, v v, i 1 s ""sbine, and yielding re-turns-nhich have built scores'of snug homosteads, and brongnt happiness to hundreds or people, -- , ■ lhe land bounding the Government ! property ;has now been acquired mostly for fruit-growing purposes, and a visitor to tho farm when it was first taken over would -be astonished at" the growth made ■in fruit-' growing, and consequently in the population and appearance of tho entire district. It is, 0110 must hold, only a fair deduction that .the Government Experiment Farm, under capablo control, was in a largo way responsible for this change by encouraging' settlors tol start operations in tho vicinity, of-a farm wlioro thoy will bo able to rocoivc robablo expert advice as to' tho varieties of grapes and fruits suitable to-this climate.; -'; " • Its Valua to Vins-growors .and Orcliardlsts. Vine-growers 'and' orchardists aro only! W. ginning to understand the immenso benefit to them which must result from this establishment. Vigncrous have' certainly. , for, some ■ time past.derived benefit .from the experiments', as, has been demonstrated in ono-in-stance alono, whoro a liumber of varieties of table grapes, loosely .bunched and taporing, have been proved to bo specially, adapted for growth here, inasmuch as dampness disappears more quickly than, if the fruit,J were bunched more closcly togOthor.. With, tie orchardists it is different. Up to.; tho present tho fruit-growing industry in tiio-y dis.trict lias been carried on by a hardy band of pioneers, who united into an association oihd conducted their own experiments .', at .their own expense, and it is owing to their enterprise, and ■ butliusiasm that fruit culturbns now on tho sound footing 011 which it stands to-day. The establishment of-. tho farm, which has just added an experiment) orchard to its operations, conies as a boon to those men, whoso experienoo in tho past* hasbeen bought with hard work, loss, and many bitter disappointments,.- . ■

Last Season Reviewed. . ■ ...-V. .;..-,.;. Whilst walking through the vineyard, the reporter asked'• Mr. Ellis: what sort of a sea-'-' son, ho had experienced: "Well,"' said he, "the past season has not been, on the whole, very favourable to'the vignerous of this district. The weather during the time- thograpes wore in bloom was .very wet and cold —so bad, indeed, that many of the choicest ■ varieties of table grapes failed to set their fruit. ;. The climatic conditions during the period of ripening were also very, wet and nn- '• favourable, causing many of, tlro< berries of somo choice varieties to split." You 'ave been rather disappointed, then?. "Oh, no, not at all, because I consider the experience, gained as '"invaluable for proving the varieties most suitable for this climate in ' table grapes." ■'•".. The Best Crapos to Crow, ; ' . "I found that the best grapes this season at Arataki wore Chassels a Fontainbleu, ' Chassales Dβ , Juliet, Temporano, ' Ohassales Do Jesus,. Golden Queen, Garganoga, .and Vordia;, in white vines, Chassalos Itoso, Chassalos Bo Jacob; in rods, Black Ham- • burg, Muscat Hamburg, Chassales Do.Sillery. Gros Maroo, and Black Tokay; in blacks, the Temporano has proved exceptionally good. It is one of the earliest, to ripen,. a very heavy and consistent cropper, and remarkably fr«o from fungdid diseases. The bunches aro from, nine to twolro. inobos , in length, avorago about ono pound in weight, and, being loosely constructed, the berries do ' not require thinning out. I. consider ; it an ideal early grape, either forprivato or market growers." . : ' . ';,'•.' Irrigation and Callouslnij, "This is our nUrserv," said- Mr, , Ellis, indicating by a comprehensive sweep.an area!' of probably about fifteen acres,'"and this ; import-ant dopa.rtmont is chiefly devoted to ',['. tho propagation of table and. wmo grapos, on : . phylloxera resistant stock Vvhich, in the'past, ji , ias not beeli altogether\satisfactory bwing't-oK the primitive methode in use for callousing : and. irrigating. However, that is ; all. chajiged now, becauso during the i)ast season the Department has erected an up-to-dato, heated, callousing house, whereby I am enabled to- adopt the rnosA modern method of callusing in moss, Of the total- number grafted during tho past season, 40,000 havo boon successfully calloused "by.. this .liow . system, tho result being highly/satisfactory. Of course, if is well-known,■ ."Iff..' Ellis, that the Rov., Mr. Mason has solved the problom of irrigation P—"Yos, a three-inch well has been put _ down during , tie; past ■• season on tho spot indicated by Mr. Masoit, : nud pipes wcro laid on to tlio nursery, so that now wo have an ample supply'of,good .'.' water. Almost any part of the nursery can bo. irrigated by gravitation. A ' spociollyconstructod cool shod, measuring fiOfi.vx 14ft v having cqnereto walls,- has also been. , provided, in which cuttings, scions in- sand, us well as grafted vines in moss are stored during tho winter." ■ ; .'■

Crafting and Soils,; < ...,:.•.: ■-.: .'•',\ ! '.;- < - ■ f'Valuablo cxperimonts are being enrriod out to test tho afilnitiesof European tiblp and wino.grapos when graftel oil minus resistant - stocks,' nnd - also tost' , tluj lulaptability of tho different resistant stocks] of various soils." -, ■ Arc vou satislied tJiat' tW, land can afford a reliable t<«t?,'. "Oil, yes, ■. tho' laud selected' for this jinp'ortaiit' work varies from a - .well-drained, - opeii. joain to n shaJlow loam overlying a cold, heavy rotentiv« subsoil, which will prove most suitable ioi . testing those which will thrive best iir heavy soils. I planted; out last season ; fiyo'" rmvs of each of tho best. varieties './on. twelve, variotius of phylloxoni-resistant' stocks,-oii • which will bo grafted, in theopon, tlio principal varieties of tablo and wine grapes ivliicji will provo of sMvico in supplying cuttings for the propagation of nursery ■stoek'.'"!,',''-.'. .'■' An Educative Experiment. . . ; :'! / I beliovo yon. have added a fruit-growing 1 oxppriraoiit department to your opera- ,, tions? "An cxtpnsivo fruit-testing , station/ is now being'established in jadditimi to , the viiieynrd and nursery, and tliis is certain toprove, a source of emicatjon and of interest to growers in this district. , !..... What fruits aro you testing? "\\o havo two trees of oaoh vnricty of tho following:—Apples ■ (172 varieties), pears (over. 90), poaches (over 80), plnms (over 90), apriiofcs (S3), olierrics (35), and quinces (16). The trees are planted 20ft. apart, and a considerable area is availibkV for a large nuhiber of, additioiial vhriotios, as well as for other fruits.'' V '.:: - .Several experienced orehardiste'liavo expressed thomselvos as highly pleased with the prospects of .this-fruit station, aaid it is understood that a mooting of orohardists will bo called during next season for tho purposo . of receiving practical instruction- from an. oxport. "Last season," said Mr. Ellis, conU ing to tho prospects for vino variotics, "appli. cations were vecoived for ovor 21,000 grafted vines, in lots varying from 6 to (300, and. iudEiug from tlio number of. orders reooivod •

from .local growers,' I feol sure that the industry is about to become an important one in this district. 1 found it impossiblo lo supply tho applications in full, and had to do the best I could in proportion. I expect to have at least 5000 grafted vines on resistant stocks available for tho coming season. A Coed Living In Four Acres. , "As to tho area of land which it would bo necessary for a man to hold in order to make '« a profitable living out of vines, I am certain that there is a good living for a practical man in four acres of vines. Tho vineyard would cortainlj take three years to develop, but he could derive a living from tho land by other moans in tho interval."